Three Things I learned From UGA Football's Dominant Season-Opening Win

Even though they played Tennessee State, we still learned a good bit about the 2026 Georgia Bulldogs

Nate Frazier | Dawg Post

Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs kicked off their 2026 season with an impressive 63-3 win over Tennessee State on Saturday afteroon. The Bulldogs were not tested from a competitive standpoint, but we still learned about what this Bulldog team will look like moving forward

We Learned Georgia's Tight Ends Are As Good As Advertised

We learned that Georgia's tight ends are just as good as advertised. Throughout the offseason we reported that Georgia's tight ends needed to be more involved in the passing game and we saw that during George's dominant win over Tennessee State. Elyiss Williams is a sophomore with big time size and athletic ability who scored on a 17 yard catch and run early in the 1st quarter. We saw Ethan Barbour make an impact, and we saw the breakout performance from Jaden Riddell that we all expected. The junior scored on a 14 yard catch and run and ended the game with two catches for 38 yards and one touchdown. He's a versatile weapon that should be a major focal point of this offense. Overall, the tight end group had a very strong day in the season opener

We Learned The Future Is Bright

There were several freshmen that stood out on both sides of the ball during George's big 63-3 point win over Tennessee State. On defense, outside linebackers PJ Dean and Kamari Brooks both made an impact from the very beginning, causing consistent chaos in the backfield. These are two young, promising pass rushers that Kirby Smart is hoping to see a lot out of this fall. In his first game as a Bulldog, Dean recorded 1.5 sacks in addition to two tackles. Brooks ended the day with three tackles.

On offense, freshman Zykie Helton started on the offensive line and helped open up running lanes for Nate Frazier and the running backs. Craig Dandridge flashed big-play ability as he hauled in two passes for 36 yards. Tight end Kaiden Prothro was also involved, catching a 16-yard touchdown pass in the second half.

We Learned The Bulldogs Will Run Wild This Fall

"The Bulldogs had no problem running the football, taking off for a combined 272 yards and four touchdowns while averaging an eye-opening 10 yards per carry. Nate Frazier led the way with four carries for 72 yards and three touchdowns, including a long 48 yard score on George's opening drive. 
Bo Walker added 35 yards on the ground. Dwight Phillips Jr. had 25 rushing yards and Chauncey Bowens added 24 more yards. They also got help in the run game from receivers Talyn Taylor and Jaden Reddell,who combined for 60 rushing yards on just two carries.