Dragon Slayers: Helmet stickers from Georgia Football’s dominating win

It was a day of celebration at the University of Georgia yesterday and The Classic City pulsed with energy. And that was before Georgia football even played a down Between The Hedges Saturday afternoon.

By the time the Dawgs capped off a dominant 56-7 win against the defending Conference USA champion UAB Blazers, the Georgia faithful were absolutely jubilant.

As much as it was a celebration for Georgia football fans, in some ways it was also an exhale. Anxiety coursed through Dawgnation in the lead up to gameday as news of JT Daniels oblique injury dominated the headlines.

The hyperventilation went into overdrive when the possibility of Stetson Bennett starting in Daniels stead over Carson Beck made the rounds.

As it usually is, all the worry was for naught, and Georgia played the role of dragon slayer from the opening kick to the final whistle. Everything came up Dawgs on the Saturday in Athens slot machine.

There were stand-out performances up and down Georgia’s roster yesterday, but these were the ones that were helmet sticker worthy.

657 days. That’s how long it had been since Sanford Stadium vibrated with the roar of 93,000 Georgia football fans.

That all ended Saturday. Georgia fans dusted off their tailgate tents, fired up their grills, and had themselves a big time before heading to worship at the altar of Dawgs football.

The Paint Line shined in red, white, and blue to commemorate the 20th anniversary of September 11th, the Spike Squad was in midseason form, and the Redcoats provided the sweet, sweet in-stadium soundtrack to a college football Saturday.

Sanford Stadium was as electric as it’s ever been and the home field advantage enjoyed by Georgia was seen early and often.

The Dawgs dormant week 1 offense came alive early, connecting on a 73-yard TD bomb on their first offensive possession, and playing fast and loose all day.

UAB never looked comfortable, and some of that must be attributed to the hostile environment Between The Hedges, with the Blazers being penalized 11 times Saturday.

Well done, Dawgnation. 93,000 “The Hedges” helmet stickers headed your way.

In our section last week at the Georgia-Clemson game, the two rows behind us were the Mayors of Negative Town.

Their gripes were numerous, but chiefly, they revolved around Kirby Smart. It took all of our row’s willpower not to verbally spar with our compatriots in Dawgdom.

Because let me be clear, we are the head coaches of Team Kirby. If you’re a Georgia fan and you can’t see what HCKPS has built, and is building, well, you’ll never be happy.

If you’re a Georgia football fan, these are the good ol’ days. We’re living ‘em, right now. Breathe it in. Enjoy it.

The bellyaching this week revolved around Coach Smart’s decision to start Stetson Bennett.

The second-guessers and the BarcaLounger experts were loud and obnoxious in their criticisms.

The volume turned down REAL quick when Stetson hit Jermaine Burton on a bomb to open Georgia’s offensive day. It quieted to a whisper when The Mailman threw for five – 5! – TDs, which tied a program-record . . . in the first half!

Repeat after me: In Kirby We Trust.

Give Coach Smart “The Visor” to slap on his headset for a job well done.

When asked the inevitable question of why he chose to start Stetson Bennett at his postgame press conference, Kirby Smart said something that strikes at the core of why he made the right choice.

"I am really proud of the way that Stetson has handled himself. No one has been better to the University of Georgia than Stetson Bennett."

Bennett rewarded his head coach’s decision by going out and having a half for the ages. He completed 8-of-9 passes for 269 yards and 5 touchdown passes. The 5 touchdown passes tied a program-record, putting him in the Georgia record book alongside David Greene, DJ Shockley, Matthew Stafford, Joe Cox, and Aaron Murray (who threw for 5 TDs in a game twice).

Of that distinguished list, Murray and Bennett are the only ones to accomplish the feat in a single half, both hitting that mark in the first half of their record-setting games.

Giving Bennett’s achievement a little extra pizazz is the explosive nature of his touchdown passes. Three of the five strikes covered 60 yards or more, something only two other FBS players in the last 15 years can say.

Given his well-known nickname, the appropriate helmet sticker for Stetson Bennett seems pretty obvious. Slap that “Mailman” sticker on the helmet 13, Georgia fans appreciate you delivering!

Even though he only saw action for about a dozen plays in the opener against Clemson, linebacker Channing Tindall flashed enough that his presence was very noticeable. Most eye-catching was the closing speed he displayed in tracking down players in the flats.

His prowess was on full display again on Saturday. Tindall flashed all over the field on his way to collecting a team-leading seven tackles.

He also chalked up his first sack of the season and made the flats a no-fly zone all day for UAB running backs catching balls out of the backfield.

One-third of Georgia’s dynamic DDT finisher on defense composed of Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, and Tindall, the senior linebacker provides another example of Georgia’s astounding depth on the defensive side of the football.

That depth is part of the reason that through the first two games of the season, the Junkyard Dawgs have not allowed a touchdown, and have held both opponents under 200 yards of total offense.

For his efforts spearheading another dominant defensive performance by the Georgia defense, Channing gets the “Junkyard Dawg” sticker to adorn his helmet.

It’s no secret that Georgia football fans and the Georgia coaching staff are expecting big things from cornerback Kelee Ringo this season.

Ringo played serviceably in the opener against Clemson, but he did have two pass interference penalties called against him.

This week, head coach Kirby Smart issued a bit of a challenge directed towards his young defensive back when asked about his play.

"I hope that he gets better with game experience, practice experience, playing the ball in and out of phases, he’s got really good ball skills. I’m excited to see him play, because I think some people are going to go after him because of the pass interference calls."

Early in the third quarter, Ringo answered the bell, elevating to snatch a Tyler Johnston III pass out of the air for his first career interception.

It was the first highlight reel moment in a career that is sure to include many. To memorialize his first career pick, Kelee gets the “Air Traffic Control” sticker.

With Georgia supporting a commanding lead in the fourth quarter, it was time to give some of the younger players an opportunity to get some game experience.  One of those players was freshman linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson.

UAB had a second down on their own 20 with the ball lined up on the right hash. Dan Lanning dialed up a corner blitz with Jalen Kimber from the short side of the field.

Kimber didn’t get home, but the pressure forced UAB quarterback Tyler Johnston III to get rid of the ball a little quicker than he would have liked.

Similar to DJ Uiagalelei’s decision in the game-turning play last week, Johnston threw where the blitz came from. And just like last week, a Georgia defender filled the vacated space, picked it off, and returned it for a touchdown.

In the process, Jamon Dumas-Johnson collected a couple of career firsts on the same play – his first career interception and his first career touchdown.

If that’s not helmet sticker worthy, we don’t know what is. Dumas-Johnson gets the “House Call” sticker for his Georgia lid.