Georgia football is back between the hedges this Saturday as the Bulldogs open up their 2025 season against the Marshall Thundering Herd. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET inside Sanford Stadium, and while Vegas has Georgia listed as nearly a 40-point favorite, there’s still plenty to keep an eye on.
Kirby Smart’s squad enters this season reloaded, but with new faces at key positions, this game doubles as a tone setter for the year ahead.
1. Gunner Stockton takes the keys
This is the Gunner Stockton era. After Carson Beck’s departure, Stockton finally gets his shot to lead the Bulldogs offense. He’ll have no shortage of weapons with transfers like Noah Thomas and Zachariah Branch joining Dillon Bell and Oscar Delp at wide receiver, but the question is how quickly does he find rhythm with them?
Last season’s offense lacked explosive consistency through the air, so Saturday is the first real test to see if Stockton can change that narrative.
2. Can Georgia’s run defense get back to its 2021-2022 form ?
For the past few years, Georgia’s defensive front was the standard across college football. But last season, there were moments when the run defense didn’t look as dominant. Glenn Schumann and company have hammered tackling and gap control all offseason. Marshall may not have the talent to consistently challenge Georgia, but this game will show if the Dawgs’ defensive front is back to that suffocating level Georgia fans were used to seeing.
3. How does the secondary settle in?
Georgia’s secondary is one of the most intriguing position groups this season. Safety KJ Bolden and corner Daylen Everette are established stars , but around them there are questions.
The Bulldogs are breaking in new starters at corner and safety, and Marshall’s best chance to move the ball may come through the air. Opening games are the most likely time for communication breakdowns and coverage lapses, so this will be a big test of how quickly the back end gels. If Georgia looks sharp early, it’s a sign the secondary could be a strength rather than a concern moving forward.
4. Can Georgia cover the spread?
Georgia is a 39.5-point favorite. That’s a lot of points. And if you’ve followed Georgia football under Smart, you know big spreads aren’t always automatic covers. Georgia has been known to pull starters early, lean on the run, and coast late in games like this. Still, with so many new pieces to break in, Smart may let the offense cook longer than usual. If Georgia wins big and covers, it will send a message about how sharp this team already is.
5. Can the run game get back to normal?
Georgia football has always been built on a punishing run game, but last season the Bulldogs never quite found that gear. Injuries and inconsistency up front made the ground attack look pedestrian at times. With Nate Frazier, Illinois transfer Josh McCray and a hopefully improved offensive line, this opener is a chance to prove the run game is still the backbone of the offense. If Georgia controls the trenches and racks up rushing yards, it’ll ease a lot of concerns heading into SEC play.
On paper, Georgia should handle Marshall with ease. But openers are always about more than the scoreboard. Georgia fans will learn if Stockton is ready to be that guy, whether the defense is back to its dominant ways, how the secondary holds up, and if the ground game returns to form. For a program with championship aspirations, these small Week one answers will set the tone for the entire 2025 campaign.