When it comes to naming national title contenders in the NCAA Football landscape, the Georgia Bulldogs are always part of the conversation — and in their season opener, they didn’t disappoint. In fact, they dominated their opponent from start to finish. The only downside for head coach Kirby Smart? Injuries to two key players on the roster.
In a game that turned out to be physically costly for the Bulldogs, both right guard Juan Gaston and right tackle Earnest Greene were forced to leave the field with injuries, immediately raising concern across the entire coaching staff.
The veteran head coach took some time to speak with the media, providing specific updates regarding what happened with two of his players.
“Don’t know much,” Smart stated about Gaston, per Kipp Adams of 247Sports. “We took him to do an MRI, it looks like an ankle. We don’t know if it’s a high ankle or not in terms of that. We’ll get him checked out.”
Gunner Stockton #14 of the Georgia Bulldogs.
“Earnest was dealing with a little bit of lower-body stiffness and was not able to go,” the HC also added. “Bo Hughley stepped in there and did some good things.”
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A strong start to the season
The Georgia Bulldogs are back in dominant form, kicking off the new season with a decisive 45-7 victory over Marshall. There were many questions heading into the opener, especially in regard to how the offense would perform with a new signal-caller. And Gunnar Stockton, stepping into the massive shoes left by Carson Beck, answered all of them.
Stockton looked sharp and poised in his debut as the starter, masterfully orchestrating the offense and putting on a performance that helped lead the Bulldogs to a dominant win. The convincing victory sends a clear message that Georgia’s championship-caliber standard remains intact, even with a new leader at the helm.
The road ahead for Georgia
With their main goal of staying on track, these are the upcoming challenges the Bulldogs will face in College Football:
vs Austin Peay, September 6@ Tennessee, September 13vs Alabama, September 27vs Kentucky, October 4vs Auburn, October 11