Game Grades: UGA Vs. Austin Peay

OFFENSE: A

I feel like you can’t really justify any grade lower than an A when the offense scores 45 points. On the ground and through the air, it almost seemed like they could do no wrong whichever way they went. They showed they could get consistent yardage running it down Austin Peay’s throat and break it on the edge as well. D’Andre Swift looked electric, posting 76 total yards with a touchdown to his name. Jake Fromm was near-flawless, completing 12-of-16 passes for 147 yards with a couple of touchdowns. Those are the guys we knew were going to do well, though. The success of Georgia’s newest weapons is what is exciting. Demetris Robertson showed playmaking ability with his 72-yard touchdown run. Justin Fields also showed comfort, throwing for 63 yards and a touchdown on 7-of-8 passing while also picking up 33 yards with his feet. Overall, a great day for the Bulldogs moving the ball.

DEFENSE: A

I mean, it really is hard to knock against anything these guys did. UGA’s defense was moving to the ball quickly and attacking the ball well. They let up some big chunks early on, but that stopped pretty quickly. No one player really stood out among the defense, all staying below seven tackles, rather the entire crew played really well. They didn’t record any sacks, but Austin Peay didn’t really give them much of an opportunity to make those kinds of plays. There isn’t one statistic that shows why Georgia did so well. Just one number—a big goose egg under Austin Peay’s name on the scoreboard.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

There wasn’t a whole lot to work with here. Mecole Hardman and Ahkil Crumpton did well returning punts. More importantly, they didn’t cough one up. In his first collegiate game, Jake Camarda got two punts in. One of them may have bounced out the back of the end zone, but he booted both of them farther than 50 yards. That’s a really encouraging sign for a freshman. From a kicking standpoint, Rodrigo Blankenship played like vintage Hot Rod, drilling his one field goal attempt from 34-yards and forcing Austin Peay into touchbacks on all of his kickoffs.

COACHING: A

What’d you expect? Kirby and co. had these guys more than prepared. They flat out dominated from start to finish.