There were a lot of positive takeaways from Georgia football's season opening win against Marshall on Saturday, but the play from a lot of UGA's transfers was one of the things that stood out the most. This was especially the case with wide receiver Zachariah Branch who had one of the best games out of any Bulldog on Saturday.
Kirby Smart took notice of Branch's impressive game against Marshall, but it was not surprising to Smart to see him perform as well as he did.
"I told the team, I said, don't be surprised if he (Branch) has a very explosive, great game because he practices so hard," Smart shard via 247sports.com. "So it becomes natural in a game when you practice the way you practiced. And I thought that showed today on some of the screens he caught, the punt returns he had, the third down conversion over the middle. He did some good things."
Zachariah Branch did not surprise Kirby Smart against Marshall
Branch led Georgia both in receptions (3) and receiving yards (95) on Saturday against Marshall. He also was able to haul in a touchdown as well, which was one of two touchdown passes thrown by Gunner Stockton.
Branch's three receptions however were the perfect representation of what he brings to Georgia's offense and what Smart mentioned in the above quote. Whenever Branch touches the ball he can turn what looks like a small gain into an explosive touchdown. That is exactly what he did on Saturday as all three of his catches were short passes that he turned into big gains.
This is something Georgia has been missing the last few years, and it's this big play ability that makes him and Stockton the perfect duo.
According to Smart, no one should be surprised when Branch has a big game because he practices harder than anyone else on the team. So while it was nice to see him explode in his first game in a Georgia uniform, the expectation for Branch should be for him to continue being the leading receiver for UGA all season long.