Trent Thompson one of the best run-stopping linemen in college football

Welcome to Good Day, UGA, your one-stop shop for Georgia football news and takes. Check us out every weekday morning for everything you need to know about Georgia football, recruiting, basketball and more.

Trent Thompson among best run-stoppers in college football

The most memorable performance of Trent Thompson’s sophomore season came about because of his pass-rushing prowess. Against TCU in the Liberty Bowl, the 6-foot-4, 295-pound defensive tackle had 3 sacks. In the 12 games before the bowl, he only managed 2. That stellar Liberty Bowl showing gives Bulldogs fans hope that his pass-rushing production this season will mimic his performance against the Horned Frogs more than his performance during the regular season.

While he may become the outstanding pass-rusher he showed glimpses of in the bowl, his bread and butter is his run-stopping skills. According to stats provided by Pro Football Focus College, Thompson is tied for third-highest run stop percentage (12.3 percent) among returning FBS interior linemen.

Could Texas DI Poona Ford claim the crown for highest run stop percentage this season? pic.twitter.com/wWEImmhWLa

— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) August 12, 2017

The offensive line shakeup continues

Offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn returned to practice on Monday after missing all of last week to what Kirby Smart described as “an illness.” Georgia’s coaching staff was already tinkering with different personnel matchups on the line, and that continued after Wynn’s return to the field. According to Seth Emerson of DawgNation, here’s how the first team offensive line looked in Monday’s practice.

The changes from last week are the return of Wynn, Allen at left guard and Thomas shifting over to right tackle, where Ben Cleveland was taking first team reps. Five-star freshman Isaiah Wilson lined up up at second-team left guard on Monday, Cleveland at second-team right tackle, and Dyshon Sims, the most versatile lineman, was back at second-team left tackle after standing in for Wynn on the first team last week.

Ask and you shall receive

Georgia athletic director Greg McGarity gets a lot of stick from fans over how he runs certain aspects of the athletic department — many times rightfully so in my opinion — but you have to give him credit where credit is due. One of the biggest criticisms from Georgia football fans about the fan experience recently has been the sometimes seemingly never-ending onslaught of noon kickoffs. That trend has seen a stark reversal this season, as the first two, and potentially three, home games will be played at night.

According to McGarity, the noted lack of noon kicks this season is both by design and by request. From Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald:

“The number of noon games we have had previously and the reaction we’ve had from our fans and others was that was not a desirable time,” McGarity said. “Frankly, among all conference teams, especially in the central time zone, that’s not a great time, but we all know that’s part of the TV package. We did ask for any consideration. It’s never guaranteed, but we did ask for some consideration for non-noon kickoffs whenever possible.”

The state of things

Here’s some bulletin board material for Georgia football. CBS Sports picked the best college football team in all 50 states, and Georgia Tech was picked as the top team in the Peach State. From Barrett Sallee:

No, Georgia Tech doesn’t have the street cred as big brother Georgia … but it has two wins over the last three seasons — both at Georgia — and is fresh off a 9-4 season. That’s enough to give the Yellow Jackets the edge over Kirby Smart’s crew for now.

Dawgs on Twitter

Constant competition. #ATD pic.twitter.com/mHKKIDFMeT

— Georgia Football (@FootballUGA) August 14, 2017

@jordanOLB only needs one hand. Who is next at #OLBU #BuiltByGeorgia pic.twitter.com/SUsp0GYawh

— Kevin Sherrer (@CoachSherrerUGA) August 13, 2017

Back to school! pic.twitter.com/ijRFxXnRL9

— Georgia GymDogs (@UGAGymnastics) August 15, 2017

Good dog

I don’t think that’s how hula hoops are supposed to work.

broken dog trying to hoola hoop pic.twitter.com/QJszJ1UGHh

— Broken Animals (@BrokenAnimaIs) August 15, 2017

Miss a previous edition of Good Day, UGA? Get caught up here.