DAWG BONE OFFENSE – GEORGIA

Georgia is awarded the Dawg Bone in the matchup against Arkansas State. The offensive line proved capable of withstanding the loss Isaiah Wilson with Jamaree Salyer and Cade Mays filling in admirably. The Dawgs stable of running backs are running extremely well as evidenced by Swift and Zeus averaging over nine yards per carry. Most importantly, Jake Fromm had better timing with his receivers completing 10 of 11 pass attempts against the Racers. That being said, there is still tremendous room for improvement and the coaches will be pushing them hard in the final week before the showdown with the Fighting Irish.

The Red Wolves offense has had success in the first two weeks averaging 36.5 points per game. They are going to throw the ball early and often against the Dawgs to stretch the field horizontally and make Georgia’s defense run from sideline to sideline. While they may not pass the eye test from a physical standpoint, they have the speed at skill positions to make Georgia pay for being out of position.

DAWG BONE DEFENSE – GEORGIA

Georgia takes the Dawg Bone on defense over the Red Wolves because of the amount of havoc created against Murray State. The Junkyard Dawgs tallied six sacks, 11 tackles for loss, a fumble return for a touchdown and numerous vicious hits. The pass rush began to take flight with Nolan Smith and Jermaine Johnson flashing immense potential. Also, the interior defensive line dominated exactly as they should against inferior competition. One area for concern this weekend is the inconsistent play of the secondary. The Bulldogs have allowed too many easy catches and that area will need to be tightened up against an offense that will be prepared to take advantage of any UGA mistakes.

Arkansas State’s defense has had polar opposite performances the first two weeks of 2019. The first week their pass defense was shredded while in the second week they were gashed in the run game. Playing Georgia will be a huge step up in competition and it will be difficult for them to offer any resistance to the Bulldog offense.

DAWG BONE SPECIAL TEAMS – GEORGIA

Georgia’s special teams have not been asked to do much through the first two weeks of the season. However, Rodrigo Blankenship’s performances have been perfect while Jake Camarda has been more consistent. The Dawgs are still searching for explosiveness in the return game but with the amount of talented athletes at the coach’s disposal, it is only a matter of time until they find answers. The most impressive aspect of the Dawgs special teams to this point in the season has been the coverage units. It is truly impressive to watch them sprint down the field negating any opportunity a return. For that reason, UGA gets the Dawg Bone on special teams.

Arkansas State has been competent on special teams through the first two weeks of the season but this is an area where UGA’s combination of size, speed and depth will overwhelm the Red Wolves.

DAWG BONE COACHING – ARKANSAS STATE

The Dawgs clearly have the superior staff assembled in comparison to Arkansas State. However, I am giving the Dawg Bone this week to Coach Blake Anderson and the Red Wolves. Coach Anderson took a leave of absence on August 19 to be with his wife who passed away only one day later after a prolonged battle with cancer. After three weeks away from the team he returned to the sidelines last weekend and provided a huge boost to his team. It is clear that his presence on the sideline means a great deal to the Red Wolves and his team was inspired by his presence.

DAWG BONE OVERALL – GEORGIA

Georgia wins the overall Dawg Bone as the Dawgs took a step forward in overall level of play in Week 2 and will do the same in Week 3. This Georgia team has a terrific combination of experience and talented youth that will continue to develop with each passing week. Furthermore, the coaching staff will have this team fully motivated as this will be their final evaluation to determine who is ready to take the field for the Dawgs when the Fighting Irish arrive Between the Hedges on September 21.