ATHENS — The questions coming into Georgia’s G-Day game Saturday at Sanford Stadium were numerous.
-- Who would back up Jake Fromm at quarterback?
-- Are there enough wide receivers that can actually catch the ball?
-- What does the tight end position have behind Charlie Woerner?
-- Is the youth on defense as good as they showed in the Sugar Bowl last season?
-- Who would step up to play center?
The Red team’s 22-17 win over Black in front of 52,630 somewhat rain-soaked fans -- the fourth largest G-Day assemblage since they started recording the stat in 1954 -- did not answer all of those questions, or the dozen more or so coach Kirby Smart and staff were monitoring. But there were enough bright spots in the glorified practice to give Smart a sense of excitement as they now begin preparation to open the 2019 campaign and SEC schedule against Vanderbilt Aug. 31 in Nashville.
“I was excited about the tight nature of the game, the back-and-forth battle,” Smart said. “The guys got to play, so that was good from a competitive standpoint. I got to see the look in some guys’ eyes that were out there, competing and playing hard. That part was also good.”
JJ Holloman’s 43-yard touchdown pass from Stetson Bennett midway in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winner. That came after freshman quarterback D’Wan Mathis caught a touchdown pass from Matt Landers on a reverse pass in the third quarter to give the Red team a 17-13 lead.
So, what did Smart see that those in attendance did not?
On the backup quarterback situation, where either redshirt-sophomore Stetson Bennett or true freshman D’Wan Mathis is just one play from guiding a Bulldogs team that is expected to once-again challenge for an SEC title and/or a National Championship in 2019.
“I thought (both) did a nice job managing the game,” he said. “That’s important for their growth. They’re only going to get better through practicing, repping it and playing in that kind of environment.”
On the wide receiver spot, which is rebuilding of sorts, led by junior Holloman, Smart considered it still a work in progress. Talented but inconsistent redshirt-sophomore Matt Landers had the longest grab of the day at 52 yards as well as the touchdown pass but snared just two passes. Junior Trey Blount led all receivers with 5 catches for 69 yards.
“JJ has had a real consistent spring and Matt is as talented as any of those guys but needs to be more consistent,” Smart said. “But we feel good moving toward the fall with the guys we have.”
The offensive line, considered by some publications as perhaps the best unit in the country and maybe one of the best of all-time, looked dominant at times no matter the combinations. But having mammoth former Stephens County standout Ben Cleveland (6-6, 335 pounds) back in the lineup did not hurt.
With the graduation of stalwart center Lamont Gaillard, sophomore Trey Hill got the start in Gaillard’s spot for the red team while former North Gwinnett standout and redshirt-freshman Warren Erickson got the call for the Black team.
Smart sighed and rolled his eyes when asked about the starting unit for the Red squad, considered the No. 1 offense on the day -- Hill, Cleveland, Solomon Kindley, Andrew Thomas, Isaiah Wilson -- and if fans should expect that to be the opening-day unit against Vanderbilt.
“Here we go,” he said. “There is a lot of competition among that group. Ben is just now coming back and missed a lot of time but it was good to see him be able to go full-strength. He looked 100 percent to me.
“But really our right tackle spot, the center spot are up for grabs. We could have put any combination in there and you could consider that the No. 1 unit. It can be the strength of the team but there is a long way to go before the season starts and the competition has been high in that group.”
Junior quarterback Jake Fromm, who will look for the big boys up front for protection, weighed in on what he saw from the line combinations.
“The line was incredible, no matter who was out there,” Fromm said. “The protection was great. They really dominated at times. They are already a great unit and I’m sure will only continue to get better.”
Any questions about the defense, most notably the secondary, almost were answered on the game’s first three plays against the No. 1 Black defense. Speedster running back D’Andre Swift was held to a 7-yard gain by corner Tyson Campbell after initially looking like he was ready to turn the corner for a big gain on the opening play.
Campbell then broke up Fromm’s pass to Tyler Simmons on the outside and redshirt-sophomore defensive back Eric Stokes picked off Fromm’s next attempt for a 39-yard pick-6 and a touchdown.
“I just had to trust my technique,” Stokes said. “I’m just happy I was able to get it.”
“All the DBs have improved,” Smart said. “Stokes made a great play there. We scaled back a lot of the offensive package, as well as the defensive package, so there may not have been as many reads as you normally have to make. But (the DBs) did a great job all day long.”
Fromm, who repeatedly said he did not have a good day (14-of-29, 116 yards, 1TD, 1INT), was impressed by what he saw from the young Georgia secondary.
“I thought the DBs played really well,” he said. “I didn’t throw it as clean as I wanted today. I think we’ve done a great job the other 14 practices of throwing the ball around and making big plays.
“Obviously being the spring game and being a little bland on offense, but I’m glad we got the opportunity to go out there and play today.”
After Stokes’s pick-6, the Red offense came right back and capped a 14-play 64-yard drive with a 23-yard Rodrigo Blankenship field goal to cut it to 7-3.
The Black offense, behind Bennett, drove 45 yards i 10 plays and got a 42-yard field goal from Brooks Buce to push the lead to 10-3 early in the second quarter.
Red tied the game at 10 on its next drive as Fromm connected with Brian Herrien for a 13-yard touchdown pass.
Red took its first lead at 13-10 to open the third quarter on a 49-yard Jake Camarda field goal but Black retook the lead on the Landers-to-Mathis flea flicker.
NOTES: On a cold, wet day the offenses combined to pile up 587 yards, 489 through the air. They were 10-for-26 combined on third down. ... Swift, however, flashed some brilliance early with 39 yards rushing on just three carries. That eventually led all rushers. ... Junior DB Richard LeCounte (Black) and true freshman DB Lewis Cine (Red) both had 8 tackles to lead the way on defense.
