Georgia receiver Tyler Simmons was discussing the, ahem, troubles of the offense near the goal line this week when he dispelled the notion that the team was saving plays for later.
“We have a lot of plays to run in the red zone. I don’t know if we’re necessarily saving them,” Simmons said.
Not necessarily saving them, Simmons was asked, for Dec. 1?
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Simmons laughed nervously.
“Hopefully this opponent, this opponent,” he said, smiling. “Don’t worry about …”
He never said Alabama. But everyone knows the deal.
No. 5 Georgia (9-1) is a 41-point favorite over UMass (4-7), which received $1.5 million — along with a men’s basketball home-and-home series — to play this game. Perhaps the Minutemen and their pass-happy offense can keep it interesting for a while. But if the Bulldogs do pull away, there’s little doubt they will pull key players in anticipation of the two-game stretch that awaits. That means, as Simmons acknowledged, a bit more anticipation this week among younger players further down the depth chart.
“I’ve heard the buzz a little bit about the young guys being excited to play a little bit,” Simmons said. “Hopefully they get that chance this week, if we put up enough numbers.”
Keeping that in mind – but also that Georgia is still shoring itself up for the next two weeks – here are five players worth watching Saturday (4 p.m. ET, SEC Network):
Justin Fields
Begin with the obvious. Fields attempted 16 passes combined against Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee (Games 1 and 3), but only 11 the rest of the season. He went four full games without throwing a pass before the Auburn game, when he was 2 for 2.
The over-under should be five Fields passes in this one. Who knows whether it will mean much going forward. Clearly Jake Fromm is the starter. The only question is how much Fields will play against Alabama, and whether it will be in a dual-threat or purely running role. Will this game provide any clue?
Ben Cleveland
Georgia’s injury-plagued offensive line will get a boost for the stretch run if Cleveland can be back to full health at right guard. He returned to action briefly against Auburn after missing five games but was working with the second team Wednesday — an indication he’s still not quite there yet. Two potential starters, Kendall Baker (knee) and Cade Mays (shoulder), seem unlikely to play, so freshman Trey Hill could get his first start.
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That’s fine for this game. But the more Cleveland can play without aggravating his injury, the better things look down the line.
Eric Stokes
All signs point to the redshirt freshman getting his first college start, after he replaced Tyson Campbell early in the Auburn game and acquitted himself well. One may scoff at Stokes’ performance meaning anything against UMass, but the Minutemen do own the nation’s 18th-ranked passing offense (albeit against less-than-stellar competition).
Here’s why Saturday is key for Stokes, Campbell and the rest of the secondary: It’s the last real look they get before the SEC Championship Game, as in between they’ll have to deal with Georgia Tech’s triple-option. So if Stokes does well Saturday, he’ll probably be the starter against Alabama, which has that very deep and dangerous receiving corps.
Malik Herring
Freshman Jordan Davis is getting the attention, understandably, but Herring also is coming on right when the defensive line needs the help. Herring was almost forgotten, but he’s still only a sophomore and has played well lately.
Georgia needs difference-makers and depth on the line, and it doesn’t look like it will get David Marshall or DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle back in time for the SEC title game. Davis is providing critical help at the nose/defensive tackle spot, but Herring can help shore up the other end spot, either subbing for Jonathan Ledbetter or joining with him in a four-down lineman front. Remember, Marshall was hurt before the LSU game, and look what happened. Herring could mitigate that for the Georgia Tech and Alabama games.
Divaad Wilson
Ah, remember him? The freshman cornerback tore his ACL early in spring practice after enrolling early and creating some early buzz. But thanks to all the advances in ACL recovery, Wilson has been back practicing for a few weeks now, and with the new redshirt rule he could get playing time Saturday and not burn a year of eligibility.
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Wilson has been working with the second team at star and was cleared to play a while back, but head coach Kirby Smart pointed out that being cleared to play was different than being ready to play.
“It’s not that easy. You don’t just take however long it’s been for him off,” Smart said. “We’re trying to develop him and get him in position where he could play.”
It seems far-fetched that Wilson would be able to contribute down the stretch. But it’s conceivable that he could get back on the field Saturday, which would still be notable.
Also …
Speaking of the NCAA’s new redshirt rule (which allows players to appear in up to four games and still redshirt), these are the players who are still eligible for a redshirt, along with the number of games they’ve played: WR Kearis Jackson (4); DB Christopher Smith (3); WR Tommy Bush, Fr., (1); OT Owen Condon, Fr. (1), TE John FitzPatrick, Fr., (2), ILB Jaden Hunter, Soph. (2), OLB Azeez Ojulari, Fr. (1); DB Ameer Speed, Soph. (2), DL Justin Young, Jr. (1).
Prediction
Georgia puts up a lot of early points, and the defense mostly holds UMass, which only managed 183 passing yards against BYU last week, in check. UMass puts together a few scoring drives into Georgia territory, but not enough to make it interesting. The Bulldogs rest the regulars for most of the second half, getting ready for the key games to come.
Georgia 45, UMass 13
(Top photo of Justin Fields by Dale Zanine / USA Today)