ATHENS -- Kirby Smart is the first to admit this season-opening game is a bit unique with Marshall featuring 62 new players.
“They’ve got an interesting roster makeup of guys from all over, some of which they couldn’t control because they had a lot of guys leave after the head coach left,” Smart said in the days leading up to Georgia’s 3:30 p.m. game against the Thundering Herd.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a roster that, when we write on the depth chart, it’s three-deep transfer, four-deep transfer, all these spots, a lot of transfers.”
Smart said the one thing he knows about Marshall’s new head coach -- former North Carolina State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson -- is that they will be aggressive.
“They love to stop the run, take care of their gaps, run to the ball,” Smart said. “They’re just aggressive, whether it’s run defensive that’s aggressive, or pass pressure on third down, they’ll Zero you out ... .”
Georgia, a 38 1/2-point favorite, figures to game plan accordingly as Smart looks to remain undefeated in season-opening games as the Bulldogs head coach.
Things to know for Saturday’s Marshall-Georgia game
• When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
• Where Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium (cap. 93,033)
• Rankings and records: Marshall (0-0); No. 5 Georgia (0-0)
• TV/radio: ESPN/Georgia Bulldog Sports Network and SiriusXM 119 or 191
• Weather: 55-percent chance of rain with a high of about 80 degrees, mid-70s at kickoff
• Series: Georgia leads 1-0. Georgia won the only meeting, 13-3, in 2004 in Athens
• Betting line: Georgia opened as a 38.5-point favorite. Smart is 0-12-1 against the spread when favored by 38 points or more.
• Key injuries: Georgia preseason All-American punter Brett Thorson (knee) is doubtful to play
• Last meeting: The Thundering Herd kicked a field goal on its opening drive before Coach Mark Richt’s Bulldogs reclaimed the lead in the first quarter on Michael Cooper’s 2-yard touchdown run. Georgia’s Andy Bailey connected on field goals of 29 and 33 yards in the second and fourth quarters and the Dawgs’ defense kept the Thundering Herd off the scoreboard the final three quarters, limiting Marshall to just 160 yards of offense.
• Tickets: The game is sold out. Tickets on the secondary market having been selling this week under face value, as low as $34 in the upper level and $75 each in the lower deck.
Storylines for Saturday’s Marshall-Georgia game
Kirby Smart’s 10th season
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart enters his 10th season leading the program as college football’s highest paid coach with a contract worth $13 million annually (through the 2033 season) that includes the potential for more than $1.5 million in bonuses if the Bulldogs win the SEC Championship Game and the CFP Championship Game.
Smart has a 105-19 overall record and is one of only two active coaches with multiple national championships. Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney have each won two national titles.
Smart is the only active SEC coach who has won an SEC Championship Game, and his Bulldogs have appeared in seven of the past eight in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, including last season’s 22-19 overtime victory over Texas. It was Smart’s third SEC Championship Game win.
Gunner Stockton’s first home start
Georgia is breaking in a new starting quarterback, and it’s projected to be fourth-year junior Gunner Stockton from Rabun County High School in Tiger, Ga.
It would Stockton’s second career start, as he was pressed into action after halftime of the SEC Championship Game when starter Carson Beck — since transferred to Miami, Fla., — suffered an elbow injury.
Stockton helped UGA pull out a 22-19 overtime win in the SEC title game, but he committed a catastrophic turnover in his first career start that led to a Notre Dame touchdown near the end of the first half of a season-ending 23-10 College Football Playoff quarterfinal Sugar Bowl loss.
Stockton holds Georgia high school career records for passing touchdowns (177), all-purpose yards (18,024) and all-purpose touchdowns (254), and he ranks second in career passing yards (13,652).
Georgia back-up quarterback Ryan Puglisi is a redshirt freshman from Avon Old Farms School, a private boarding school for boys in Avon, Conn., who has yet to take a snap in a collegiate regular-season game.
Reloaded Defense
Georgia is replacing six players from last season’s front seven that made NFL rosters, including first-round picks Mykel Williams and Jalon Walker, along with All-American safety and first-round pick Malaki Starks.
Junior Christen Miller and freshman Elijah Griffin have emerged as playmakers on Georgia’s reloaded defensive front, while sophomores Chris Cole and Justin Williams are expected to bolster a linebacker corps anchored by veterans CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson.
Former Buford star KJ Bolden returns at the safety position, where he earned FWAA Freshman All-American honors last season, while the Bulldogs feature three cornerbacks with projected NFL talent in veteran Daylen Everette, Daniel Harris and Ellis Robinson IV.
New-look Offense
Coordinator Mike Bobo says the offense will run through the ground game, as Smart has explained how Stockton will benefit greatly in a more-balanced attack.
Sophomore Nate Frazier leads a deep stable of runners that features backs with a variety of talents, from powerful runners like Rod Robinson and Chauncey Bowens, to third-down specialist Cash Jones.
A retooled offensive line includes Bobo’s son, Drew, taking over at center. Tackles Earnest Greene lll and Monroe Freeling bring experience and upside to their positions when healthy. Juan Gaston Jr., a mammoth 6-foot-7, 360-pound freshman guard, has shown promise and many believe he’ll ultimately start.
The receivers are the most improved position group. Zachariah Branch is an electrifying addition from USC, while 6-5 Texas A&M transfer Noah Thomas adds a big target. The tight ends room is led by veterans Lawson Luckie and Oscar Delp and features break-out candidate Jaden Reddell.
Home win streak
Georgia rolls into its opening game riding the longest active home win streak in the nation, 31 games, dating back to a 20-17 overtime loss to South Carolina on Oct. 12, 2019.
The home win streak includes wins over 10 ranked teams, including five over teams that were ranked in the top 10.
Smart is 9-0 in season-opening games and 22-1 against non-conference opponents in Sanford Stadium.
Marshall, under the direction of first-year head coach Tony Gibson, added 61 new players in its most recent signing class and features three returning starters from last season’s Sun Belt Conference Championship game-winning team.
