Every Monday after each Georgia Football game, we’ll take a quick look at a player in each phase of the game who stood out for the Dawgs.
This week, the Dawgs won a very comfortable 45-0 victory over Austin Peay. That meant that we didn’t exactly see the highest level of play out of the Dawgs and we also didn’t see a lot of their starters. That’s why 3 young players stood out the most to me this week, all of whom look to have very bright futures in Athens.
Offense: James Cook RB
There were a lot of players who flashed on Saturday. D’Andre Swift, Riley Ridley, Mecole Hardman and Demetris Robertson all scored TD’s while showcasing their speed. Justin Fields and Jake Fromm both looked totally in control of the offense and Issac Nauta found his way into the end zone as well.
But the player of the game for me on this side of the ball was Jame Cook. His suddenness and explosive ability really bring something different to Georgia’s offense. UGA has lots of fast players, but there was just something different about Cook when he got the ball in his hands. You can already see how he’s going to be an important part of the offense this season.
Cook will miss the first half of the South Carolina game after he was ejected for targeting on a special teams play. It was a silly mistake by a freshman and it could cost UGA. Hopefully, that means that the Dawgs will find a way to use him in the second half when the Gamecocks are flagging. I can’t imagine a tired defense being able to contain him.
Defense: DeAngelo Gibbs DB
Another under the radar player gets my award for the defensive side of the ball. DeAngelo Gibbs was expected to be in this position when he arrived at Georgia. He came in as a top 50 player that many thought would one day become a top defensive back. But a shoulder injury set him back and he missed all of spring training as a result.
In the first game of the year, Gibbs showed that he’s still got the ability to be an impact player in Athens. He was all over the field covering and making tackles from both the STAR and safety spot. He accounted for 4 tackles which were the second most on the team behind JR Reed and equal to Monty Rice.
What was most impressive to me was how quickly he got to receivers and stopped them from going anywhere. There were several times where an Austin Peay receiver caught a pass 2-3 yards short of a 1st down and before they could start moving, Gibbs had brought them down. That sure tackling and an impressive motor will no doubt have earned him a bit of praise from Kirby Smart who must be pretty happy with how his young defensive backs looked this past week.
Special Teams: Jake Camarda P
The Dawgs didn’t do much on special teams. Rodrigo Blankenship only had one field goal to kick and the returners didn’t end up getting too many chances to break out any big runs. But Freshman Jake Camarda was able to come in and get some very useful practice for next week.
Camarda punted just 3 times in the game but he showed off a strong leg. He averaged 55 yards on 3 punts, the longest of which was 63 yards. That’s pretty damn impressive for a true freshman punting in his first ever game.
Now, of course, Camarda wasn’t under tremendous pressure and he wasn’t facing SEC returners or blocker. But the fact is that he did really well in his first showing and the Dawgs should feel pretty confident that he’s can help them in the field position battle this week in Columbia.