ATHENS – It was 95 degrees when the Georgia football team unloaded its buses underneath the bridge at Sanford Stadium on Saturday. The temperature would reach 99 before a lightning strike sent the Bulldogs scrambling to the safety of the Payne Indoor Practice Facility. There, Georgia completed its first scrimmage of the 2021 preseason.
The transition from the stadium to the practice complex a half-mile away drew rave reviews from coach Kirby Smart. Reviews of the scrimmage itself were lukewarm, at best.
“I thought (the operations staff) did a tremendous job,” Smart said. “We jumped on the buses, got back over, got into the indoor and were started within 12 minutes of leaving the other field, which is important in terms of we didn’t have to warm up again. So, we were able to complete our scrimmage inside, and I thought the guys really competed hard.”
Whenever coaches talk about players’ effort and scrimmages being competitive, it means the actual ball being played therein probably wasn’t exemplary. That seemed to be the conclusion of both Smart and the many observers who were able to watch the nearly two hours the Bulldogs scrimmaged on Dooley Field.
“There were some good, competitive drives and situational football,” Smart said in a post-scrimmage video conference call with reporters. “But we have a long way to go. We’re beat up a little bit at wideout with some injuries. We don’t have all our guys out there. We’ve got a lot of guys injured all around. But I think this time of year everybody does.”
The big news of the day concerned wide receiver Arik Gilbert, considered one of the nation’s top transfers this year, who missed the scrimmage because of “personal issues.” But the 6-foot-5, 250-pound sophomore from Marietta by way of LSU was one of several Georgia wideouts unable to participate Saturday.
Starting slotback Kearis Jackson (knee) and flanker Jermaine Burton (ankle) also were held out because of injuries. Along with tight end John FitzPatrick also being held out, quarterback JT Daniels didn’t have his full arsenal. But while the defense definitely owned the day, tight end Darnell Washington and split end Adonai Mitchell both grabbed touchdown passes and had strong afternoons.
Georgia also was missing another of its key transfers. Cornerback Derion Kendrick, who came to UGA after an All-ACC season at Clemson, missed the scrimmage with an excused absence.
“DK had one of his best friends pass away,” Smart said of the senior from Rock Hill, S.C. “He’s practiced every practice with us, but we excused him to go to the funeral. He’ll be back tonight.”
With Kendrick sidelined, redshirt freshman Kelee Ringo got the start at corner with the No. 1 defense, alongside fifth-year senior Ameer Speed.
Smart bragged on Ringo and Kendrick.
“He’s done a good job to be honest with you,” Smart said of Kendrick. “He’s been very consistent, he’s very intelligent, he comes from a good program. They play multiple coverages in the secondary, and he’s learned. There was a concern of, ‘Can he learn our stuff fast enough?’ That’s not a concern (anymore). He’s very intelligent. He understands that he plays bigger than he is. He’s physical.
“He’s made some plays out on the perimeter,” Smart said of Ringo. “He’s got elite speed. He continues to grow. People forget that Kelee has not played tackle football in really over two years because he missed so much time with injuries. Now he’s gone all the way to this point in camp. He’s gotten one scrimmage under his belt. He continues to work hard and gets better with every rep.”
Smart also revealed that corner Jalen Kimber is sidelined with a shoulder injury.
The offensive line was the other major question mark entering the scrimmage. The Bulldogs already were having to do some shuffling before projected starting center Warren Ericson went out the first weekend with a fractured left (snapping) hand. Senior Jamaree Salyer, who started at left tackle nine games last season, lined up at center with the No. 1 offense first, but then alternated with redshirt freshman Sedrick Van Pran.
“Center is one of those positions that you can’t play (around) with,” Smart said. “You can play with a lot of different positions along the offensive line, but you better have a center. The play doesn’t get started without that. So, (Austin) Blaske has worked there, Jared Wilson has even worked there some. But primarily it’s been Jamaree and Van Pran as we work to get Ericson back.”
Smart said Ericson should return at the end of the week. In the meantime, he said Ericson was practicing snapping the football with his right hand. That led to a humorous exchange between Smart and reporters about the uses of the words “amphibious” and “ambidextrous.”
“I can’t remember which it is,” Smart joked. “I’m just kidding. My mom (a teacher) would be disappointed in me if I didn’t know that. But if (Ericson) doesn’t snap it real good with the right (hand), he won’t be a center because it’s going to be real hard for him to snap it with his left.”
One of the defensive highlights of the scrimmage was a high-flying interception of quarterback Carson Beck by freshman linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson. The star of the day might have been place-kicker Jack Podlesny, who boomed a pair of 45-yard field goals with room to spare.
In defense of the lackluster showing, the Bulldogs have had only one day off (Friday) in the past eight days. They will get another day off Sunday.
“Most important for us is we get some rest tomorrow and heal up, and we’ll get back to work on Monday,” Smart said.
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