Chicken Kabobs: Helmet stickers from Georgia Football’s romp over SC

It was a RedOut at Sanford Stadium on Saturday night, and Georgia football put on quite a show for the vibrant home crowd.

With coveted quarterback recruit and southern football royalty Arch Manning in the house, Georgia’s offense came out firing on all cylinders, with a healthy JT Daniels leading the Dawgs to touchdowns on their first two drives to take a commanding lead.

Georgia’s defense took the baton from there and suffocated South Carolina’s offense, limiting them to 96 total yards in the first half, while putting up defensive points for the third straight week after notching a safety near the end of the second quarter.

Although the Dawgs didn’t win by as many points as the folks in the desert predicted, they controlled the line of scrimmage all night, dictated tempo, and Georgia football fans never experienced anything close to a hold-your-breath moment.

There are things to work on and build upon to be sure, but walking out of Sanford Stadium with a never in doubt 40-13 win in the SEC opener is something Georgia football fans should celebrate.

These individual performances from Saturday night should also be celebrated. Five Dawgs earned helmet stickers this week.

Freshman receiver Adonai Mitchell proudly hails from Missouri City, Texas. His social media handles – Mo City Mitch – are an homage to his hometown roots.

He did his hometown, and Georgia football fans, proud on Saturday night, snagging four balls for 77 yards and scoring his first career touchdown on a 38-yard strike from quarterback JT Daniels.

Mitchell’s three other catches all went for first downs and the true freshman is looking more and more comfortable on the field with each passing week.

His big night wasn’t just impressive to the folks in Mo City and Athens, the SEC office also took notice, naming Mitchell the SEC Football Freshman of the Week.

We have no doubt, it will be the first of many accolades that Adonai receives during his career in the red and black. He can also add a Dawn of the Dawg helmet sticker to the list. For his performance Saturday night, he gets the Blurrr Gang sticker.

Nolan Smith kinna has that Superman vibe, right? He’s got the Clark Kent look with the glasses in his program headshot, he’s studious, and just seems like the kindest, gentlest dude.

Then, the pads go on, the whistle blows, and BOOM – he’s in the backfield faster than a speeding bullet.

Like his comic book mirror, Smith is also familiar with carrying the weight (and maybe burden) of enormous expectations.

He came to Athens as the number one ranked high school recruit in all of America and Georgia football fans seemingly expected him to strap up and win the Bednarik as a true freshman.

This season, as a seasoned junior, he seems to be rising to those lofty expectations, and it started in game one. On Clemson’s first drive in the Duke’s Mayo Classic, facing third down deep in their own territory, the Tigers dropped back to pass looking for a drive-extending first down.

Nolan Smith had different plans. He tore around the end and dropped DJ Uiagalelei for his, and Georgia’s, first sack of the season and his junior season was off and running.

He continued that momentum against South Carolina Saturday night, posting maybe the best game of his career, logging a team-leading eight tackles and 1.5 sacks, with the half-sack resulting in a safety shortly before halftime. His efforts garnered him SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors.

For his heroic efforts, Nolan Smith’s helmet gets a sticker with the iconic Superman shield so everybody knows he is not of this planet.

One of the struggles of having four running backs on the roster that could start at most schools around the country is getting guys enough touches.

Conversely, the struggle for those backs is making the most of what can sometimes be limited opportunities.

James Cook only touched the ball eight times on Saturday night. He turned those eight touches into 51 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground, and four catches for 20 yards and a score through the air.

It’s the second time in his career that Cook has logged a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the same game.

Cook is like Georgia’s offensive, Swiss Army knife, he can do a little bit of everything – run, catch, block, return kicks.

Seems only fitting that his helmet should be adorned with the Swiss Army knife sticker to celebrate his extreme utility and excellence.

When current Giants linebacker and former Georgia star Azeez Ojulari predicted Adam Anderson would have 10 sacks, Anderson didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he responded with his own prediction.

"He said 10, but I’m really going for 20. That’s wild to say, but if you go for something smaller, you aren’t really getting anything out of it."

Georgia football fans may have scoffed at the thought of Anderson logging 20 sacks, but instead, maybe they should have taken the quote as a sign that Anderson was on a mission. A mission to prove his value to Dawgs fans, NFL scouts, and everybody in between.

Through three games, his value to Georgia’s defense cannot be overstated. He currently leads the team in sacks (3), QB hurries (9), and TFLs (3).

He’s also unselfishly team-first, playing on special teams and offering value that doesn’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet. That example, and the value Anderson provides, was all evident on one play Saturday night as he tore down the field on kickoff coverage and absolutely leveled South Carolina’s returner.

Adam Anderson is a key component to the overall success of Georgia’s football team. He is a vital contributor on defense and on special teams, earning him the Linchpin sticker this week.

There may not be a more unsung hero on all of Georgia football’s roster than punter Jake Camarda. He’s not getting nearly enough shine.

We wanna change that. Let’s break down his season so far. Georgia’s been forced to punt 11 times through three games.

Following those 11 punts, Georgia’s opponents’ average starting field position is their own 13-yard line.

Eight of the 11 punts settled inside the 20-yard line, and half of those ended up inside the 10. And opposing teams aren’t returning any of ’em.

Camarda isn’t just dropped punts with laser-guided smart bomb-type accuracy, he’s also doing so with enough loft to allow his coverage team to make returning punts a non-starter for the opposition.

Of 11 Jake Camarda punts, only one was returned. The gain on the return? -2 yards. Of the other ten, six were fair caught, three were downed, and there was one touchback, which followed a  booming 57-yard kick.

Jake Camarda is an absolute weapon for Georgia’s football team. Absent a turnover, Georgia’s opponents never have a short field and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is free to let the Junkyard Dawgs off their leash.

On Saturday, with the Dawgs leading 21-6 with under a minute to go before half, Camarda dropped a 47-yard kick with sniper-like accuracy inside the 5-yard line, which was downed at the one by Justin Robinson.

On the ensuing play, the Junkyard Dawgs dropped South Carolina for a safety. Following the safety, Georgia’s offense drove down field in under 30 second to set up kicker Jack Podlesny for a field goal to end the half.

It was five-point swing in Georgia’s favor, all starting with a perfect Jake Camarda punt. For his efforts, Camarda gets to adorn his helmet with the Sniper Scope sticker, embodying that his kicks not only travel great distances, but also land with pinpoint precision.