Georgia football just took down Marshall 45-7 to get their 2025 season underway. There were a lot of great performances from many Bulldogs in this game, bu tthere were a few players who left a lot to be desired.
But for three Bulldogs it wasn't really their fault because Kirby Smart and his staff didn't give them enough snaps.
RB Josh McCray
Georgia's running back room is one of the deepest rooms on UGA's entire team this season. One of the biggest reasons why is because star transfer Josh McCray made the move from Illinois to Georgia this offseason.
McCray unfortunately dealt with an illness for much of fall camp, so that is probably why he only received two carries that he turned into six yards against Marshall.
McCray was one of the top running backs in the Transfer Portal and is coming off a season at Illinois where he rushed for 609 yards and 10 touchdowns. He clearly has the abiliy to excel at Georgia, but McCray just needs more snaps to get back in shape after his illness, and Georgia's next game against Austin Peay is the perfect opportunity to give him a much larger workload.
WR Noah Thomas
Wide receiver transfer Zachariah Branch stole the show against Marshall, but the same can’t be said for fellow transfer Noah Thomas. Similarly to Branch, Thomas was a top 10 wide receiver in the portal this offseason, but he failed to make an impact during Saturday’s game. In face, he didn’t even record one reception against Marshall.
Thomas has the size and jumping ability that no other Georgia receiver possesses, so it’d be silly to not utilize him in Georgia’s passing attack. So hopefully he can make some plays this coming weekend against Austin Peay so he’s more comfortable in the offense before Georgia heads to Tennessee in two weeks.
TE Elyiss Williams
Tight end Elyiss Williams was one of the highest ranked recruits in Georgia's 2025 recruiting class. Unfortunately Williams is entering a deep tight end room at Georgia, so playing time for him this season could be a little limited.
But Williams is a mountain that physically stands out compared to every other Georgia tight end. On top of that, he did very well in his limited role against Marshall as his one reception turned into a 23 yard touchdown.
The good news for Williams is that Georgia ran a decent amount of two tight end packages, so that will give him more opportunities to see the field going forward. But he is someone that is going to need more snaps if he is already scoring touchdowns for Georgia in the first game of his career.