Every week, UGASports.com teams up with 11Alive.com and hands out grades to Georgia’s position groups. Here is the Bulldogs’ report card from the 38-7 win over Georgia Tech:
Quarterbacks: A-
On the road in Atlanta, Jake Fromm took care of business against Georgia Tech, throwing for 224 yards on 12-of-16 passing with two touchdowns, while also rushing for 20 yards. Half of his four incompletions could have very well been intercepted; still, besides the two misreads, the freshman did a really nice job of staying composed in a big rivalry game, exhibiting that he doesn’t get rattled in pressure situations.
Running Backs: A
Senior running back Sony Michel continues to rise up NFL draft boards after his outing against Georgia Tech. Although gaining only 85 rushing yards, the talented playmaker assuredly made scouts do a double take by displaying what he can do with the ball in his hands. Michel’s one-cut capability seems to only be getting better as the season progresses, and it showed quite a few times against a Yellow Jacket defense that was unable to contain him. Also making defenders miss on quite a few plays, Nick Chubb finished with 53 yards and a touchdown. Freshman D’Andre Swift had an incredible 31-yard run late in the third quarter, indicating the school’s running back tradition will continue after Chubb and Michel leave. The Bulldogs’ stable of five backs, including Brian Herrien and Elijah Holyfield, combined for 227 rushing yards, a 5.5 yards-per-carry average, and three touchdowns.
Wide Receivers/ Tight Ends: A
The connection that Fromm and Javon Wims have built this season is working well. Wims hauled in a team-high five catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Ahkil Crumpton also caught a touchdown from Fromm—a 78-yard pass-and-run for a score which put the nail in Georgia Tech’s coffin early in the fourth quarter. Even though he was held out of the end zone, Mecole Hardman might’ve opened the most eyes of all the receivers. The sophomore is finally starting to come into his own at the position and finished the game with three catches for 51 yards, including an impressive 39-yard reception where he outleapt his defender for the ball.
Offensive Line: A
The offensive line played one of its most complete games of the season against the Jackets. Senior tackle Isaiah Wynn did a good job of blocking the blindside of Fromm, while also helping free up some running room on the left side of the line. Ben Cleveland is starting to look comfortable at the right guard position, as he and center Lamont Gaillard seemed to part the sea at times with the size of running lanes they were opening up. Not allowing a sack for just the second time in their last eight games, the offensive line kept Fromm from feeling any type of pressure throughout the contest.
Defensive Line: A-
Considering it faced a very potent rushing attack, Georgia’s defensive line did an admirable job of limiting the Yellow Jackets on the ground. Georgia Tech entered the game averaging nearly 320 rushing yards per contest, yet the defensive line helped limit Tech to 188 yards. Although no individual from the unit stood out on the stat sheet, senior nose John Atkins totaled three tackles to lead the group, including one for loss. The line kept the Jacket blockers occupied and freed up the linebackers to make tackles
Linebackers: A+
Roquan Smith is the best middle linebacker in the nation, and he showed again why against Georgia Tech. Recording nine tackles, including three for loss and a sack, the do-it-all defender was all over the field. When he wasn’t in on a tackle, he was dropping into pass coverage. D’Andre Walker really fed off the energy of the team and played like an elite outside linebacker. Walker was second on the squad in tackles with six, including two for loss which helped finish off the Jackets in the fourth quarter. At one point he had three tackles in a row. Last, but not least, Natrez Patrick played a very solid game, helping clog up the middle of the field with his presence. The junior accounted for five tackles, including one for loss.
Defensive Backs: B
The defensive backs played a mostly clean game, except for a couple of miscues. The sole touchdown for the Yellow Jackets resulted in a blown assignment in the red zone. On the play, Malkom Parrish and Deandre Baker looked like they were set to switch when the play started, but both ended up covering the inside slant, thus resulting in a wide-open touchdown. Baker made ups for this with an interception early in the fourth quarter that helped kill any momentum the Yellow Jackets still had. Also, the Georgia Tech’s longest run of the game came on a 33-yard scamper by running back Nathan Cottrell. If cornerback Parrish had been able to set the edge, the play would’ve been stopped before the first-down marker. Besides the two mental mistakes, the defensive backs were impressive, limiting Georgia Tech to just 28 passing yards, which is a season-low for the Jackets.
Special Teams: A
Rodrigo Blankenship converted all five of his extra-point attempts and made a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter. The sophomore placekicker also had four of his six kickoffs go for touchbacks. Hardman almost broke free for a touchdown on a kickoff return, while returning three punts for 40 yards. On the flip side, Georgia’s coverage units did a really good job of limiting the Yellow Jackets on returns.
