Georgia football efficiently handled Samford in its home opener as the Dawgs won 33-0. After such a dominating Week 1 performance over Oregon, this 33-point victory seemed lackluster and sloppy at times.
However, there were some bright spots in this matchup, and this team proved it’s the best in the country right now. Any other time a 33-point win would receive praise, but not this week, and it’s understandable.
Head coach Kirby Smart wasn’t happy with the performance and said the Dawgs must practice better to play more complete games. This statement is true, as he mentioned earlier in the week that practice was not good.
The weather likely played a part in some of the sloppiness, but no one wants to use that as an excuse, so we won’t because it’s early in the season, so ups and downs happen. Some great plays still happened, even if some fans don’t think it was an excellent performance.
Georgia football saw a worthy performance that resulted in three awarded helmet stickers.
There would be three helmet stickers awarded, but of course, we’re making room for our weekly MVP, so it’s only two because while it was a solid win, it could have been even better.
Fans should be proud of their team for handling their business, especially since three top-10 teams got upset in Week 2, and the world almost saw Alabama fall to an unranked Texas team. Georgia is in a good spot and in better shape than some programs.
The Dawgs handled opponents lesser of them better than anyone else, which is why Georgia is No.1 in the country again. With the Dawgs blowing out another opponent, picking who earned helmet stickers wasn’t hard.
Georgia football starting quarterback Stetson Bennett
The first guy on this list to earn a helmet sticker is Georgia football starting quarterback Stetson Bennett because he produced a 300-plus yard game for the second straight week.
While it wasn’t as good as Week 1 against Oregon, it was strong. Bennett had his moments, but he still looks like a more confident quarterback. That moxy will help him perform better in 2022 is quite evident after two weeks.
Against Samford, Bennett went 24-of-34 for 300 yards and one touchdown. He also recorded a rushing touchdown.
Week 2 Heisman Hype
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) September 12, 2022
1. Caleb Williams, USC
2. Stetson Bennett IV, Georgia
3. Jalon Daniels, Kansas
4. Bryce Young, Ala
5. Raheim Sanders, Arkansas
Bennett is one of the best quarterbacks in the country through two weeks of the season. He has a 74.2% completion rate, which ranks No.3 among all Power 5 quarterbacks. This game marks the fourth straight performance with 300-plus yards — dating back to the Michigan win.
Bennett wasn’t perfect against the Bulldogs, but it did enough to win. He needs to work on making better choices in some situations and a few overthrown balls, but Bennett is on track to have an even better season than he did in 2021.
Bennett was a close MVP candidate for the second straight week but missed the cut. Since he put together another strong performance, he earned a helmet sticker. He has a big game ahead of him in Columbia, S.C., and it could be a defining moment for Bennett.
Georgia football running back Kendall Milton
The next name on this list is Kendall Milton, who led the Dawgs in rushing for the second straight week. In the last two weeks, we’ve seen his confidence soar while toting the rock, and that is such an exciting thing to watch.
Kirby Smart on Kendall Milton:
— DawgsHQ (@DawgsHQ) September 12, 2022
"Kendall's done a great job... He's improved a lot as a pass receiver out of the backfield."
Against the Bulldogs, Milton rushed 10 times for 85 yards. He didn’t score this week, but averaging 8.5 yards a touch is downright impressive and deserving of a helmet sticker. Milton ran with more purpose, and so far, he looks extremely healthy. Seeing him at full speed is great because there is so much potential. He has such a high ceiling and is already showing us that it will be a good one for him this year.
It won’t be long until he has 100-yard games just because Milton is so hard to bring down on the run. He is powerful. Now it’s just about keeping up his confidence.
When Milton is confident, he could end up being the best running back in the SEC, and we’re not exaggerating. Milton has that kind of talent, and seeing him tote the rock for 8.5 yards a carry is such a good sign of what is to come for him. This upcoming South Carolina game could be one to watch him in because, man, he may do some serious damage.
Georgia football linebacker Smael Mondon
At first, we wanted to give the entire defense a helmet sticker because it was a total team effort from them, but seeing what Smael Mondon did made us change our minds.
He led the team in tackles and tackles for loss. While this entire defense was pretty similar across the board, Mondon deserves some praise because of his four tackles, three of them were solo ones, so it was even more impressive.
It may take Smael Mondon half a dozen games to become instinctually elite.
— Brooks Austin (@BrooksAustinBA) September 11, 2022
But dear lord was he created in a lab to play backer for Georgia.
This young man has grown so much as a linebacker in two games. It’s scary to think about how good he will be in six more games. When Georgia needs their linebackers to be as crisp as possible is when Mondon will hit his stride. He is already drawing attention in the first two weeks, and we expect more helmet stickers for him throughout this season.
Georgia has to work on its defense this year since they lost so many big-time playmakers, and Mondon is one of those replacements. If he continues to grow, Georgia will be fine at the linebacker position, but they need these younger guys to take the reigns and run away with the opportunity.
These three guys were the ones that stood out against Samford. Bennett, Milton and Mondon all have the grit it takes to be elite, and it’s exciting to see them already executing at this high level. Tune in Tuesday for the Week 2 MVP post.