Dawgs Give Fans Small Taste Of 2023 At G Day

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Officially, the Red Team beat the Black in Saturday’s G Day game, 31-26.

The score, however, is probably the least thing of importance. To some coaches, the idea of not even keeping score would be welcomed in what is a glorified practice.

The goal is to look good, not have glaring issues and most important - avoid injuries.

Georgia did that for the most part.

The biggest thing that fans probably wanted to see was how Mike Bobo’s current offense would look, knowing it would be very, very basic, along with how likely starter Carson Beck would look.

You saw that in a good way from the start, with Beck leaning on elements we saw during Todd Monken’s tenure - using Brock Bowers to move the ball downfield and end-arounds, this one to Arian Smith. His score on the first drive was a glimpse of how much he can impact things if he can stay healthy.

Overall, Beck was 15-of-22 for 231 yards with a touchdown.

G Day is known for having players buried on the scout team rise on a big stage - we saw it two years ago to a degree with Darnell Washington, and the other side of the coin is players who are G Day Legends and not much more. Mekhi Mews may be the former, showing off speed Saturday both on kick returns and a handful of catches, 4 for 91 yards, the most of any receiver on Saturday.

Behind Beck, the other thing many were probably anxious for was the play at quarterback behind Beck. For as much chatter as there is for the starting job, the fight for the No. 2 spot is just as heated. Gunner Stockton looked to get more reps and pass attempts, but I would not read that into a depth chart slot as some of that may be wanting a closer look at Stockton, who was 13-of-22 for 144 yards. His numbers were similar to Brock Vandagriff, 13-of-25 for 175 yards. Vandagriff tossed a pair of touchdowns with Stockton showing an element of elusiveness with a rushing score on a scramble.

Georgia, which showed off the depth of its tight end room with Bowers, Oscar Delp and Miles Luckie, moved the ball to a degree, and though there were no turnovers in the first half, a chagrin that Kirby Smart made known during his halftime interview, it’s of note that three likely starters were injured. Tykee Smith and Raylen Wilson would go on to have interceptions in the second half.

All in all, Saturday was a small taste. The full portion comes starting in early September Between The Hedges.

Go Dawgs!