Georgia Football: What to Watch For vs. Louisiana-Monroe

Georgia football season has finally returned! Here’s what to keep an eye on in Georgia’s season opener.

The end is nigh. The end to the college football offseason, that is.

RELATED: Georgia Bulldogs: Duck Calls Ready and Fat Ladies Warmed Up for Saturday

We’ve been not-so-patiently waiting for this since January, and like prisoners getting a reduced sentence for good behavior, we will finally be rewarded this Saturday. Our reward: the return of Georgia football.

When Coach Richt and our boys trot back onto the field this Saturday, you need not be prepared for what will go down between the hedges, so I’m going to tell you what it is you should be focusing on while our Dawgs focus on the Warhawks from Monroe, Louisiana.

More from Georgia Football

• Georgia Football: Top 5 Nick Chubb Moments at Georgia
• Georgia Football: Know the enemy UAB Blazers
• Georgia Football: Should laundry list of injuries be a cause to panic?
• Georgia Football: Report cards for Week 3 game against South Carolina
• Georgia football: Sunday afternoon thoughts and feelings

Allow me to start by saying that this game likely will not be very tightly contested, at least not late into the game. Georgia simply has too much talent and superior coaching compared to ULM, who went 4-8 last season, for this one to not go their way.

Stranger things have happened, however, and it is the first game of the year, so if you won’t be at Sanford Stadium, you should definitely tune in on SEC Network.

That being said, here are the aspects of Georgia’s game that should be watched with a keen eye:

THE DEFENSE

Georgia’s defense should be scary this year. We return a true triumvirate of terror at linebacker this season in Leonard Floyd, Jordan Jenkins, and Lorenzo Carter, collectively known as the Wolfpack.

Expect the Wolfpack to prey on ULM quarterback Garrett Smith the entire time they’re on the field, which may not end up being more than a half. Defensive Coordinator Jeremy Pruitt is making sure to get all three of those extraordinary pass-rushers on the field at the same time as often as possible, which spells trouble for the Warhawks’ offense.

Along with the Wolfpack, the Dawgs also bring back three-fourths of the starters from its secondary that ranked 5th in the nation in passing yards allowed per game last season. The lone starter lost is cornerback Damian Swann, who was drafted in the 5th round by the New Orleans Saints. His replacement is sophomore Malkom Parrish, who saw playing time in 11 games last season.

Louisiana-Monroe had a pass-heavy offense last season and will throw the ball around a lot again this year, so the Dawgs’ secondary will have a chance right off the bat to show their dominance like they did last season.

More from Dawn of the Dawg

• Georgia Football: Top 5 Nick Chubb Moments at Georgia
• Georgia Football: Know the enemy UAB Blazers
• Nick Chubb is America’s running back, and he will return
• Georgia Football: Should laundry list of injuries be a cause to panic?
• Georgia Football: Report cards for Week 3 game against South Carolina

THE RECEIVERS

Malcolm Mitchell’s had himself quite the offseason. He got back to full health, represented Georgia football at the SEC Media Days, and his children’s book that he wrote was published. He’s going to be looking to replicate the success he had in his freshman and sophomore seasons, and that all starts on Saturday.

Outside of Mitchell, the wide receiver group is filled with question marks. Justin Scott-Wesley, the 2nd most experienced wideout on Georgia’s roster, won’t play as he’s sidelined with a knee injury, so that means unproven and inexperienced players will get to show what they’re made of, such as freshmen Terry Godwin, Jayson Stanley, and Michael Chigbu, as well as sophomore Isaiah McKenzie, who established himself as one of the top return threats in the country last year, and is expected to have a larger role on offense in the 2015 campaign.

GREYSON LAMBERT

I probably don’t have to explain this one very much, and this was likely the first thing that came to mind when you read the title of this post. Nonetheless, it would’ve been ignorant of me to not include the newly-declared starting quarterback in a list of what to watch for.

This game will likely be one of very few opportunities for Greyson Lambert, and any other Georgia quarterback, to flex his muscles and air it out this year. If the Dawgs jump out to a big lead early, expect the play calling to start to shift towards the passing game a little more, when we will get our first look of what Greyson Lambert can accomplish behind one of America’s premier offensive lines and a bevy of talented receivers.

I hope y’all are as excited for the upcoming season as I am. Here’s to football, and hoping that it will feel as long as the offseason did.

Next: Georgia Football: The Indoor Practice Facility Project Sets Sail