Tag: ugawire

Georgia DB Malaki Starks named Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist

Georgia DB Malaki Starks named Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist

Georgia safety Malaki Starks has been named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back.

The sophomore is third on the team with 29 tackles and has two interceptions on the season. University of Georgia Athletics released a statement on Tuesday.

“Georgia sophomore safety Malaki Starks has been named one of 15 semifinalists for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back, according to an announcement from the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Tuesday.”

Starks has followed up his Freshman All-American season with another impressive campaign in 2023. Georgia currently sits seventh nationally in scoring defense (14.8 points per game) and eight in yards allowed per game (272.1 yards per game).

Former Georgia cornerback Dandre Baker won the 2018 Thorpe Award and safety Christopher Smith, a Las Vegas Raider, was a semifinalist last season.

Starks and the Bulldogs return home this week to take on No. 14 Missouri (7-1, 3-1 SEC) for Homecoming in Athens. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, televised on CBS.

 

Jordan Rodgers raves about Carson Beck, ‘scary’ Georgia offense

Jordan Rodgers raves about Carson Beck, ‘scary’ Georgia offense

How Georgia’s offense would make up for the lost production after losing Brock Bowers was a major question heading into the Florida matchup and rightly so. The star tight end leads the Bulldogs in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns.

The Bulldogs answered the call, though, and put up 43 points and 486 yards of offense in a 43-20 win.

SEC Network college football analyst Jordan Rodgers, a former Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback, raved about Georgia’s offense after the Week 9 win on the “Snaps” podcast hosted by Aaron Murray and T-Bob Herbert.

“The weapons that they have this year and how [Mike] Bobo is using them is scary. When you watch him throw the ball to Ladd McConkey, it’s different. He does not blink, he does not hesitate. So, when Ladd is healthy and you add Brock [Bowers] back into that mix … that offense is, I think, better than last year.”

The connection between junior quarterback Carson Beck and junior wideout Ladd McConkey made Florida pay. Beck racked up 315 passing yards and two touchdowns, while McConkey caught six passes for 135 yards and a score.

In comparison to last year’s offense behind offensive coordinator Todd Monken and quarterback Stetson Bennett, the Bulldogs’ 2023 attack is very similar.

Georgia is averaging 39.4 points (second in SEC) and 498.9 yards per game (second in SEC). Last season, the Bulldogs finished with an average of 41.6 points and 502.9 yards of offense per game.

We didn’t expect this year’s offense to be as explosive, considering Mike Bobo was taking over at offensive coordinator and Beck was taking the reins as a first-year starter. There were bound to be some growing pains, right?

The Bulldogs have already surpassed their 2022 mark with 14 plays of 40 plus yards and are tied with LSU for the most plays from scrimmage over 50 yards with seven.

Georgia returns home this week to take on No. 14 Missouri (7-1, 3-1 SEC). Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, televised on CBS.

Paul Finebaum shares top 4 ahead of first CFP rankings, where is Georgia?

Paul Finebaum shares top 4 ahead of first CFP rankings, where is Georgia?

The first of six College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The Georgia Bulldogs (8-0) are expected to be near the top of the list, but whether they will be No. 1 is unclear. Georgia was undefeated last season when the committee listed the Tennessee Volunteers at the top spot in the first rankings of 2022.

SEC Network analyst and radio host, Paul Finebaum, listed his top four ahead of the official rankings release.

Here’s Finebaum’s list:

  1. Georgia
  2. Michigan
  3. Ohio State
  4. Florida State

 “The Dawgs were fantastic yesterday. We obsessed over Brock Bowers not being in the game. I didn’t really see much of a dropoff, but the Bulldogs were playing Florida. Will get much tougher for them.”

The reality is the first rankings don’t mean much. Georgia’s remaining schedule gives it a chance to prove its worth to the committee. The Dawgs will face No. 14 Missouri and No. 11 at home over the next two weeks before traveling to No. 19 Tennessee on Nov. 18.

If the Bulldogs win out and play well in the SEC Championship, even in a loss, Georgia will have a good chance at making the CFP for a third straight season.

Eagles share good news on Jalen Carter’s injury

Eagles share good news on Jalen Carter’s injury

The Philadelphia Eagles received good news on former Georgia Bulldog Jalen Carter. The defensive tackle’s MRI on a back injury suffered in Sunday’s 38-31 win over the Washington Commanders came back clean.

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported Carter could be ready to take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9.

Carter recorded one quarterback hit before exiting the Commanders game.

The rookie ranks fifth in the NFL in pressures (28) and is the second-highest graded interior defender in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus (91.6). He’s totaled 14 tackles, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles this season.

Kickoff against the Cowboys is set for 4:25 p.m. ET and will be carried on Fox.

 

Rams coach Sean McVay updates Stetson Bennett’s status

Sean McVay updates if Stetson Bennett could return to the LA Rams this season

Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett is still absent from the team after being being placed on the reserve/non-football injury list Sept. 13.

Bennett, who was expected to be Los Angeles’ backup quarterback this year, missed a golden opportunity to earn playing time and valuable experience last week against the Dallas Cowboys. Rams’ starting quarterback Matthew Stafford went down with a thumb injury and did not return for much of the second half.

Stafford is considered day-to-day with a UCL thumb sprain.

Minimal details were shared on why the former Georgia Bulldog and 2023 fourth-round pick was no longer present with the team.

“There are certain things that I think are a little bit bigger and more important, and out of respect for the particulars and the specifics, (I) want to be able to keep it in-house,” Rams head coach Sean McVay said on Sept. 13.

McVay shared an update on Bennett’s status on Monday. It seems like a 2023 return is unlikely.

He’s doing well. I would say there’s really no updates in regard to him returning back with us. I’m not ready to say that he won’t be back with us at all this year, but it’s probably less likely than it is likely he would be.

Stafford, the Rams starting quarterback and a former Georgia Bulldog, shared his support for Bennett last month.

Got a lot of love for Stetson. Appreciate him as a teammate, and (quarterback) Brett (Rypien) and I will roll with it as we go on.

While we are in the dark why Bennett isn’t with the team, Dawg Nation hasn’t forgotten its two-time national champion signal-caller.

Watch: Former Georgia Bulldogs D’Andre Swift, George Pickens score TDs

Watch: Former Georgia Bulldogs D’Andre Swift, George Pickens score TDs

Former Georgia Bulldogs D’Andre Swift and George Pickens made their marks on another NFL Sunday.

Swift, a Philadelphia Eagle, rushed 16 times for 57 yards and this touchdown in the Eagles’ 38-31 win over the Washington Commanders.

On the season, Swift has totaled 117 carries for 571 yards and three touchdowns, while adding another 135 yards on 28 catches and a score as a receiver.

 

Pickens didn’t have much room to work against a stout Jacksonville Jaguars defense. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers wideout did find the end zone on his lone 22-yard grab from Mitchell Trubisky.

The Steelers fell to the Jaguars 20-10. Pickens has totaled 28 catches for 522 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

Watch: Kirby Smart dances in Georgia locker room after Florida win

Watch: Kirby Smart dances in Georgia locker room after Florida win

The Georgia-Florida rivalry is one of the most intense the sport has to offer, and a win in the matchup is bound to prompt energetic celebrations.

Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart showed how much a 43-20 victory over the Gators means to the Dawgs. Georgiadogs.com, the school’s official athletic site, released a video with an inside look at the game from Georgia’s perspective titled “Kirby Smart All Access.”

Smart was recorded dancing with players, staff and his youngest son.

You can watch the full episode here.

Georgia extended its winning streak to 25 games and moved to 8-0 on the season with its win in Jacksonville. The Bulldogs’ return home for an SEC East test versus No. 14 Missouri on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., televised on CBS.

 

 

Kirby Smart shares injury updates ahead of Missouri

Kirby Smart shares injury updates ahead of Missouri

No. 1 Georgia (8-0, 5-0 in SEC) returns home to take on No. 14 Missouri (7-1, 3-1 in SEC) on Saturday in Sanford Stadium. Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart joined the media on Monday to kick off game week with injury updates.

Georgia left Jacksonville without sustaining any serious injuries. True freshman inside linebacker C.J. Allen is day-to-day with a tweaked hamstring.

Smart said senior safety Dan Jackson is dealing with a bursa sac in his knee that became infected, which has kept him out of the last two games. The  timetable for his return is unknown.

Junior right tackle Amarius Mims, who is recovering from TightRope surgery, was listed as questionable against Florida and didn’t make an appearance. Mims hasn’t played since going down in Week 3.

“He’s working his butt off. He did extra work Friday, Saturday, (Sunday),” Smart said. “He’s going out today to continue to work, but at the end of the day he’s got to be confident to go out there and play. He’s much closer to that today than he was last week.”

Smart also shared that sophomore outside linebacker Darris Smith is still away from the team. Smith’s absence was reported last week and it doesn’t seem like he will return anytime soon.

“Darris is focusing on academics and working out and conditioning and doing some things, but he’s not necessarily with us,” Smart said.

Georgia did see the return of sophomore defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins versus the Gators. He had missed seven straight games due to a foot injury, and he made an immediate impact by recording a tackle, a sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Conditioning is now the key for Ingram-Dawkins.

“It’s getting him back in the right shape, stamina, all the way back. He hasn’t been able to practice much and didn’t do much last week until Thursday,” Smart said. “He’s at a position where he rolls over there with Mykel (Williams) and Tramel (Walthour), and hopefully he can take a load off those guys and keep them fresher and give us a little more size.”

On a positive note, junior wideout Ladd McConkey seems almost 100% after a nagging back injury kept him out of the first four games and limited his role in others. “Looking great,” Smart said when asked about McConkey’s recovery.

McConkey earned SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his career-high six catches for 135 yards and a touchdown against the Gators. Kickoff against the Tigers is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on CBS.

Georgia WR Ladd McConkey named SEC Player of the Week

Georgia WR Ladd McConkey named SEC Player of the Week

The No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs extended their winning streak to 25 games and moved to 8-0 on the season with a 43-20 win over the Florida Gators on Saturday.

We weren’t sure what the Georgia offense would look like without star tight end Brock Bowers on the field. The junior hadn’t missed a game in his career.

Junior wide receiver Ladd McConkey answered the call and put together a career-high performance, totaling 135 yards on six catches with a touchdown.

McConkey was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts. McConkey, who missed the first four games due to a back injury, had only recorded nine catches for 107 yards prior to Saturday’s matchup in Jacksonville.

Replacing a player like Bowers is nearly impossible, but McConkey reminded college football that there are more Bulldogs capable of taking over games in his absence.

Georgia will return home to take on No. 14 Missouri in Week 10 for a battle between the two top teams in SEC East standings. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will air on CBS.

Watch: UGA releases hype video for Georgia-Florida

Here’s Georgia football’s official hype video ahead of Georgia-Florida in Jacksonville.

The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs are set to take on the Florida Gators on Saturday in Jacksonville. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., televised on CBS.

Georgia (7-0, 4-0 in SEC) is riding a 24-game win streak. The last time the Bulldogs lost a regular season game was to Florida in 2020. The Gators (5-2, 3-1 in SEC) are on a hot streak of their own, winning two straight SEC matchups (South Carolina/Vanderbilt).

Georgia will look differently than it has in the last two matchups versus the Gators as star tight end Brock Bowers is out due to an ankle injury that required surgery. Who steps up for the Bulldogs in his absence?

Here’s UGA’s hype video ahead of The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, ‘The Monster Inside’.

Georgia is looking to defeat Florida for a third straight season.