Tag: JT Daniels UGA

How to watch, listen or stream Georgia vs. Mississippi State

It’s the battle of the Bulldogs, No. 13 Georgia vs. Mississippi State Saturday night in Athens. Here’s how to watch, listen or stream.

No. 13 Georgia vs. Mississippi State is set to be played after a long week full of questions on whether or not Mississippi State would be able to field enough players to compete due to COVID testing.

The Bulldogs from Starkville are 2-4 on the year and coming off of a win vs. Vanderbilt two weeks ago before missing last week after their game vs. Auburn was postponed.

Georgia, coming off of a postponement of its own, looks to finally avenge a tough loss in Jacksonville with a new face at quarterback.

USC transfer J.T. Daniels is set to get his first career start as a Bulldog after taking over for junior Stetson Bennett, who separated his shoulder vs. Florida.

Here’s how to watch, listen or stream tonight’s game:

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: SEC Network via ESPN

Stream: ESPN app, fuboTV

Where: Sanford Stadium — Athens, Georgia

Satellite Radio: XM 191

Georgia Radio: Athens 960 AM/106.1 FM; Atlanta 750 AM/95.5 FM; Macon 106.3 FM; Augusta 580 AM/95.1 FM; Savannah 1400 AM/104.3 FM; Columbus 1460 AM/100.1 FM; Valdosta 105.9 FM; Rome 107.1 FM (IMG Radio-Scott Howard, Eric Zeier, Chuck Dowdle)

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Betting:

Georgia  -25 (-110) Mississippi State +25 (-110)

Over/Under: 44.5 (O: -100 U: -121)

Odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook

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Captains: Linebacker Azeez Ojulari, tackle Jamaree Salyer and receiver Kearis Jackson.

Matchup predictor: Georgia has a 93.7% chance to win, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

Series history: The Georgia Bulldogs lead the overall series with the Mississippi State Bulldogs 18-6. UGA is 11-1 against the other Bulldogs in their last 12 contests dating back to 1975, with the most recent matchup coming in 2017, a 31-3 Georgia win.

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Prediction:

With 17 players lost to either opt-out or transfer and more lost to COVID testing, Mike Leach and the Bulldogs from Starkville are in for a very long day.

UGA is not happy about what happened in Jacksonville, so with Mississippi State’s struggles on offense and their lack of experience on defense – it’s going to be all Georgia.

Look for quarterback J.T. Daniels’ experience and passing ability shine in his first start as a Bulldog.

Georgia wins and covers the spread, 38-10.

Make sure you’re caught up on Georgia football for the game today! This week’s episode of the UGA Football Live podcast is live now.  I’m joined by former Georgia All-American punter Drew Bulter to talk the Dawgs, his time at Georgia, the NFL and more. Listen here:

 

Georgia commit tallies more yards in a half than UGA has in 6 quarters

5-star Georgia Bulldogs QB commit Brock Vandagriff tallied more passing yards and touchdowns in a half than UGA football has in 6 quarters

Five-star Georgia Bulldogs football commitment Brock Vandagriff is putting up some gaudy passing stats at the high school level. In fact, with his first half performance alone against Athens Christian, Brock Vandagriff threw for more passing yards than the entire team of Georgia has thrown for since halftime against the Alabama Crimson Tide on Oct. 17.

Prince Avenue quarterback Brock Vandagriff threw for 346 yards and five touchdowns in the first half alone against Athens Christian. Comparatively, Georgia has thrown for only 335 total yards since halftime of the Alabama game and the Bulldogs have five total touchdown passes since Jalen Carter hauled in a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter against Tennessee.

Vandagriff and JT Daniels, who is expected to start versus Mississippi State, give Georgia Bulldogs fans hope for the future of the quarterback position in Athens. It’s been a tough season for quarterbacks Stetson Bennett and D’Wan Mathis. The duo didn’t get too much support from the defense in key games against Florida and Alabama.

Regardless of the defensive performances, in the era of high-flying passing attacks Georgia must improve on offense. The Bulldogs saw both Mac Jones and Kyle Trask throw for over 400 yards on them. The University of Georgia threw for 112 passing yards against Florida, 131 passing yards against Kentucky, and 92 passing yards in the second half against Alabama. That’s not going to get the job done versus SEC competition.

A game-changing quarterback like Brock Vandagriff will help the UGA offense become more potent. For now, Georgia fans should sit tight and see how JT Daniels does in his first career start. Georgia has a lot of talent coming in with the class of 2021 and should be able to reload once again.

JT Daniels, Stetson Bennett, and D’Wan Mathis still need to prove themselves in the upcoming weeks. Which one of them will be the biggest competitor for Vandagriff next year?

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Report: JT Daniels to start Saturday vs. Mississippi State

According to a report from Matt Zenitz, USC transfer quarterback J.T. Daniels is set to get his first start for Georgia on Saturday night.

According to a Wednesday night report from Matt Zenitz of Al.com, USC transfer quarterback J.T. Daniels is set to get his first start for Georgia on Saturday night, taking over for junior Stetson Bennett, who has been battling a shoulder injury.

Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart told reporters in his Mississippi State press conference on Wednesday that all quarterbacks have been competing during Georgia’s extra week-off after last week’s game vs. Missouri was postponed due to COVID-19 inside the Tigers’ program.

Either Bennett or redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis have played every snap at signal caller this year, making Saturday not only Daniels’ first start, but also his first ever snaps as a Georgia Bulldog.

As a freshman at USC in 2018, Daniels threw for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He entered the transfer portal in mid-April after his sophomore season was derailed by a knee injury. USC’s Kedon Slovis stepped in while Daniels was down and played well for the Trojans, making the transfer portal one of the only options for Daniels.

Since his arrival in Athens, Daniels has nursed his previously injured knee, taking snaps as scout team quarterback and taking some first team reps, but his mobility has kept him from seeing the field, until now.

“His mobility is getting better,” Smart said in his Wednesday press conference.

It will be fascinating to see what Daniels can do with limited reps, he will be facing a subpar Mississippi State defense rated at No. 35 in the country, so I expect to see his experience and throwing ability shine Saturday night.

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Make sure you’re caught up on Georgia Football before the game! I breakdown everything you need to know before the Dawgs take on Mississippi State in this week’s episode of the UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton podcast, featuring special guest, former UGA All-American punter Drew Butler. Listen here:

 

 

What UGA football, Kirby Smart must do moving forward

The Georgia Bulldogs suffered their second loss of the season and needs to improve and evaluate talent for the reminder of the year.

The Georgia Bulldogs suffered their second loss of the season on Saturday at the hands of the hated Florida Gators. Florida’s offense overpowered Georgia’s defense and won 44-28.

Now, Georgia must evaluate itself as the Bulldogs no longer have realistic College Football Playoff hopes. This is the first time since 2016 that Georgia hasn’t been in contention for a National Championship until the SEC Championship Game.

Firstly, the Dawgs must get healthier. Georgia is without numerous starters on the defensive side of the ball. Additionally, Stetson Bennett, George Pickens, Kendall Milton, and more are ailing on offense. There’s no reason to rush back players considering there’s no longer a National Championship run to play for.

Kirby Smart must find a way to gain more consistent quarterback play throughout the rest of the season. The Bulldogs must learn what they’ve got presently on the roster. Quarterbacks are the most important position in football and Georgia’s quarterbacks haven’t gotten the job done this season.

The Bulldogs must answer some burning questions: Is D’Wan Mathis or Stetson Bennett better? Is USC Trojans transfer J.T. Daniels healthy? Can Carson Beck be effective? Georgia has to do better with the quarterback position moving forward if it wants to win a championship.

The Dawgs had tough luck with Jamie Newman’s opt out before the season, but they shouldn’t have to count on transfer quarterbacks.

Georgia has a commitment in a five-star quarterback recruit in Brock Vandagriff, who will likely be favored to start the 2021 season. Georgia needs to have a good back-up quarterback next season who can efficiently run the offense should Vandagriff get hurt.

The Bulldogs must have a more effective passing attack to be a serious National Championship contender. Georgia must showcase a more dynamic passing game in the final four games of the season. The Dawgs need to work on their largest weakness.

The Georgia Bulldogs will be favored in all four of their remaining games: at Missouri, Mississippi State, at South Carolina, and a home finale against Vanderbilt.

Kirby Smart and Georgia must send seniors out the right way. Winning out is what these seniors and NFL Draft eligible players deserve. That being said, the staff will want to evaluate some young talent. Additionally, roster management heading into the offseason will be unique this season since seniors can return (they won’t lose a season of eligibility this year, per NCAA rules for this season only).

Georgia’s got to do some serious self evaluation. As for the defensive side of the ball, the Bulldogs need to be able to stop wheel routes and pass-catching running backs. Florida humiliated UGA with this combination. Alabama additionally used wheel routes to burn Georgia several times.

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Interview: Aaron Murray says what Georgia should do at quarterback ahead of Auburn

We sat down with former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray to get his thoughts on Georgia’s unique quarterback situation. Details here

No 4. Georgia is still looking for its starting quarterback ahead of Saturday night’s matchup with No. 7 Auburn.

Redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis started the game last week versus Arkansas, but was abruptly pulled for junior Stetson Bennett after just five offensive drives.

Mathis, who was cleared for football activities in May after surgery to remove a brain cyst kept him out in 2019, didn’t get much help from his teammates in the short time he was under center versus the Razorbacks.

Preseason second-team All-SEC center Trey Hill surprised with multiple bad snaps, plus the Bulldogs totaled 11 penalties for 98 yards in the first half.

Former Georgia quarterback, now CBS Sports college football analyst Aaron Murray believes Mathis was fighting from behind even before the first snap.

“To be able to master a playbook, and then to get the timing down with your receivers and running backs and the communication with your offensive line. It takes a lot of time. I don’t think he has had a lot of time to do that. So, I think expectations were high, but obviously it comes with the position here be a starting quarterback and Georgia. People expect a certain level of play. I just think those expectations were unrealistic.”

Georgia was forced to scramble to find a signal-caller just a few weeks before the season after Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman, the projected starter and Heisman Trophy hopeful, decided to opt-out of the 2020 football season because of Covid-19 related concerns.

The Bulldogs’ decision then was between Mathis, Bennett and redshirt sophomore, USC transfer J.T. Daniels, the only current Georgia quarterback with Power 5 experience.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart expected Daniels to be cleared by gametime last week, but after traveling with the team to Fayetteville, Daniels was still not cleared for gameplay, throwing Mathis into the starting role at-least for week-one.

“The cards were stacked against him (Mathis). He hasn’t played football in a while, didn’t have spring, wasn’t a starter and really had limited reps in the offense or in fall camp. So to me, hen is someone that I wish they would have given at least the first half, get through the first quarter, you know, make a couple of mistakes, and then see how he rebounds, especially mentally and how he can handle it and then go from there.”

Smart announced on Monday that Daniels is now cleared for gameplay and Murray believes his experience at USC in 2018 can set him apart from Mathis and Bennett moving forward.

“He (Daniels) was an 18 year old kid playing college football at USC, and I thought he did pretty good for being a young pup playing out there. Start the season off strong through the first half of last season in that first game. And then obviously, the ACL injury happened. He is a big kid, he has a good arm, he’s played football.”

Bennett, a former JUCO star at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Mississippi, came in for Mathis and showed promise, throwing for 211 yards on 20/29 passing with two touchdowns and a two point conversion run.

“I do think Stetson came in and played really well. I mean, it’s another guy who probably had absolutely no opportunity with the ones at all during fall camp to get the reps and get the timing with those guys. So, the fact that he was able to go 20/29, get a couple touchdowns take care of the football was was really darn impressive to watch. And I think he’s someone that’s going to take care of the football, he’s going to be accurate, he’s played, he just looked like he was more comfortable out there”

The defense’s three interceptions, one for a pick-six, and safety were a large part of the Bulldogs’ resurgence from a abismal first half, but Bennett’s poise helped Georgia find at least some identity in its season opener.

This weeks matchup with No. 7 Auburn will be much more difficult for the Bulldogs. The Tigers come to Athens off of a 29-13 win versus Kentucky where sophomore quarterback Bo Nix threw for 233 yards on 16/27 passing with three touchdowns and led team in rushing with five carries for 34 yards.

Auburn’s defense is as talented as always. The Tigers defensive front is led by defensive end Big Kat Bryant and at linebacker, senior K.J. Britt, who had 11 tackles versus Kentucky and is always around the ball. And in the secondary, the Tigers are lead by junior cornerback Roger McCreary, one of the best lock-down corners in the SEC.

The question remaining is,  how does Georgia come away with a win versus a top-10 Auburn team without a solidified starter at quarterback?

“Just lean on the defense, that’s all I got to say. People just want points, points, points. We want 4,050 points a game. Screw that man, just win. I just think that’s the issue right now – everyone wants these these explosive offenses. Everyone wants to go be entertained with high scoring games, just just be grateful that you’re winning ballgames. Be grateful that we won a road game against an SEC opponent, and we covered the spread.”

Listen to our full interview, including an Auburn preview, with the SEC’s all-time leading passer here:

 

 

Georgia vs Auburn: Previewing The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry

Georgia football has a big game this weekend: UGA vs Auburn. Here’s a preview of the 2020 edition of The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Georgia versus Auburn, comes early this year with the SEC’s conference-only schedule.

And it’s a matchup of two top-10 programs – Georgia comes in ranked No. 4 after a 37-10 win versus Arkansas in Fayetteville and Auburn sits at No. 7 after a 29-13 win versus Kentucky.

The biggest question once again for the Bulldogs is who will start at quarterback?

USC transfer J.T. Daniels was cleared Monday after missing 2019 with an ACL tear, so we may finally get to see what Daniels can do under center for Georgia on Saturday.

If Daniels doesn’t get the start, we will either see junior Stetson Bennett or redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis.

Mathis started the game at Arkansas but was quickly relieved of duties just five drives. Bennett, who went 20/29 for 211 yards and two touchdowns, replaced him and led Georgia back from a 5-point deficit.

Hear what former Georgia quarterback, CBS Sports analyst Aaron Murray thinks about the Bulldogs’ quarterbacks here:

Regardless of who winds up at quarterback, Georgia will have its hands full with a loaded Auburn team.

The Tigers are led by sophomore quarterback Bo Nix, who was responsible for most of Auburn’s offense versus Kentucky.

He threw for 233 yards on 16/27 passing with 3 touchdowns and led team in rushing with five carries for 34 yards.

Nix didn’t get much help from the Tigers’ backfield, but he did establish a connection with junior receiver Seth Williams, who went off with six receptions for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns.

They will face a Georgia secondary coming off of a three interception performance versus the Razorbacks, returning one for a touchdown and adding a couple of passes defended.

Preseason All-American safety Richard LeCounte had two of those picks and looks like the unquestioned leader of the 2020 Bulldogs defense, who’s depth and talent across the board is among the best in the nation.

The Bulldogs have big junior tackle Jordan Davis in the middle of its defensive front and senior defensive end Malik Herring setting the edge with star linebackers Nolan Smith and Azeez Ojulari cleaning up. And don’t forget about senior linebacker Monte Rice at the mike linebacker spot.

With the current quarterback mess, Georgia will have to lean on these talented guys on the Bulldog defense to get a win versus a tough Auburn team, but Auburn coach Gus Malzahn always seems to have issues scoring versus Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s defenses, so look for a low scoring punt-fest this Saturday.

What Auburn football media is saying about Georgia ahead of Saturday’s matchup

No. 4 Georgia takes on No. 7 Auburn Saturday at 7:30 p.m., see what Auburn media is saying about the Bulldogs here.

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry is here a bit early.

Because of the SEC-only schedule this season amid the Covid-19 pandemic, No. 4 Georgia and No. 7 Auburn matchup in just their second games of the season.

Once again we are in the dark about who will start at quarterback for the Bulldogs.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart and staff elected to start redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis against Arkansas, and then abruptly pulled him after only five drives for junior Stetson Bennett.

Bennett played well, using his championship run experience at Jones County Junior College in 2018 to lead the Bulldogs back from a 5-point deficit to beat Arkansas 37-10.

There was a chance we would see USC transfer J.T. Daniels if he was cleared from an ACL tear from 2019, but he wasn’t cleared before kickoff like Smart hoped.

Then, on Monday, Smart announced that Daniels had been cleared for gameplay and now the Bulldogs once again must make a decision on who will start at signal caller.

Here is what the Auburn media is saying about Georgia and its quarterback situation:

“A defense that led the nation in points allowed last year (12.6 per game) and rushing defense (75 yards per game), the Georgia Bulldogs bring back plenty of talent from that 2019 group led by a deep and talented front seven along with a secondary that has one of the best college football players in the country in senior safety Richard LeCounte.”

“We recruit the state; I think a third of our team is from the state of Georgia,” Malzahn said. “You can look at it since I’ve been at Auburn, it’s always been very, very important and the winner’s usually gone on to do really well. It’s a big one.”

“Smart has had to worry about his own quarterback situation this week after redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis started but struggled against the Razorbacks and junior Stetson Bennett entered the game in relief. The availability of Daniels, a former five-star recruit, has muddied the picture going into Saturday’s game, and Smart has been hesitant to tip his hand one way or the other.”

“No. 7 Auburn at No. 4 Georgia (-6.5): The wrong team is favored here. I don’t buy that JT Daniels is 100% following his knee injury last season or that he has the same ceiling as he did prior to it. Whether it’s Daniels or Stetson Bennett IV, Auburn’s defense won’t be threatened by an offense that struggled to find its sea legs. Auburn has its work cut out for it on offense, though. Quarterback Bo Nix looked better after some halftime adjustments last week, and there’s no doubt that coach Gus Malzahn and offensive coordinator Chad Morris held back much of the offense against Kentucky. Take those points, but you won’t need them. Auburn will win this game outright. Pick: Auburn (+6.5)”

 

 

UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton: S1, Ep. 1 – It’s game-week!

Your friends at UGA Football Live and UGA Wire present your one stop shop for all things Georgia Football! Listen here!

Your friends at UGA Football Live and UGA Wire present your one stop shop for all things Georgia Football!

We will be releasing episodes and interviews each week during the 2020 college football season, with a little bit of everything sprinkled in between.

Listen here:

In today’s show I talk about:

Bulldogs’ offense

  • Todd Monken, roster breakdown, depth chart possibilities, players to watch and of course UGA quarterbacks.

Bulldogs’ defense

  • Record-breaking 2019, roster breakdown. Can we be as dominant as last season?

Arkansas

  • A preview of the Razorbacks coaches, roster, players to watch and a guy named Bumper Pool.

Dawgs of the week in the NFL

  • What former Bulldogs stood out during NFL week-two action.

Braves update

  • Atlanta clinches the NL East for the third year in-a-row.

Best names in college football

  • I update my list of the coolest sounding names in college football.

Next week’s show will be out Wednesday. You won’t want to miss who I’m interviewing about the Georgia quarterback battle, so make sure and tune in next week!

David Pollack analyses UGA football’s quarterbacks. ‘It’s 100 percent a competition’

Georgia’s quarterback battle is heating up with just a couple of weeks left until kickoff. Former Bulldog David Pollack gives his take here.

For most of the offseason we expected Wake Forest transfer quarterback Jamie Newman to be the next star signal caller for the Bulldogs, but when he decided to opt-out of the 2020 college football season, he started an intense quarterback battle with just a few weeks before kickoff.

Former Georgia legend and college football analyst David Pollack recently spoke about the Bulldogs’ future at quarterback on his podcast with co-host  Kirk Herbstreit.

“There’s a competition. There is a legit, 100 percent (competition). “If you want to talk about one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country, D’Wan Mathis does not get past two or three in the country. You watch that guy throw, he can throw it through a carwash and not get it wet. It is insane,” Pollack continues. “He’s got so much arm talent. He can sling the mess out of it. He’s a 4.4 type athlete. He’s a freak athlete. You watch him, he’s not polished yet. And he’s not buttoned up and not smooth.

D’Wan Mathis is a redshirt freshman from Belleville, Michigan who was rated as the No. 11 pro style quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class.

In 2019, Mathis was competing as the Bulldogs’ practice squad quarterback when doctors found a cyst on his brain. He missed the next year in recovery, but has been able to make it back on to the field as he was fully cleared to participate this summer.

Mathis is competing with redshirt sophomore J.T. Daniels, a transfer from USC, who missed last season for the Trojans with a knee injury, but served as starting quarterback in 2018 where he threw for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

“I think JT Daniels does a great job with timing and getting a ball out and throwing in rhythm, It’s a legit competition. The only thing Daniels, I can say, has a leg up on is experience.”

While Daniels is still not cleared for gameday, he has been practicing and the UGA coaching staff believes he will be cleared before kickoff on Sept. 26.

Former Georgia QB Aaron Murray says of current UGA QB D’Wan Mathis – ‘extremely impressive’

Former Georgia quarterbacK Aaron Murray says current UGA QB D’Wan Mathis ‘extremely impressive.’ Details and analysis here.

Georgia football’s quarterback competition will be interesting to watch after projected starter Jamie Newman’s decision to opt-out of the 2020 CFB season.

Intersting, yet nerve racking.

The Bulldogs are left with USC transfer J.T. Daniels, redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis, fourth-year junior Stetson Bennett and freshman Carson Beck.

Daniels is by far the most tenured quarterback on the list.

Before a knee injury derailed his 2019 season – ultimately leading to him signing with the Bulldogs in July – Daniels threw for 2,672 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on a 59.5 % completion rate at USC in 2018.

Daniels will be the favorite to start for Georgia against Arkansas week one, but don’t count out the other guys in the room just yet.

Take Mathis for example. He came to Georgia in 2019 rated as the No. 11 pro style quarterback and showed flashes of brilliance in scrimmages until surgery to remove a brain cyst sidelined him for the rest of 2019.

He is now fully cleared and competing for the starting spot.

In a Tweet Wednesday afternoon, after reports of Newman’s decision to transfer, former Georgi quarterback Aaron Murray gave his thoughts on Mathis’ abilities.

Any input from the SEC’s all-time leading passer is welcome here. If Mathis can impress Murray, maybe we are too quick to crown Daniels as the starter just yet.