After weeks and months of waiting, Saturday’s opener at Arkansas is barreling toward us like a runaway train.

At least that's how I feel.

Like everyone reading this column, the start of football season is always met with great anticipation, though with all that's happened in 2020, there was certainly a time where I was not sure if this day would ever arrive.

But here we are. Thank the Lord. For those wondering, yes, yours truly will be in Fayetteville.

With postgame interviews relegated to Zoom, we (and everybody else) could honestly cover the game just as well from the comfort of our living rooms. Financially, it may not be the smartest thing to do. There are many in our business not willing to spend the cash to cover their respective programs.

But here's the deal.

Again, this is not meant to sound like a self-serving pat on the back, but you guys pay us to be your eyes and ears, and for that reason alone, the boss (Radi) gave the go-ahead.

I could not agree more.

So be sure to swing by the Vent come Saturday around 2 p.m. There's going to be a lot of breaking pre-game news you'll want to know before the two teams kick off at 4 p.m. on the SEC Network.

****

Now, let us talk about the game.

I'm just going to drop some different thoughts here. Call it a combination of what I'm hearing and what I expect to happen:

…I still expect D’Wan Mathis to be under center for the first snap.

I know some have surmised that Kirby Smart might be trying to one-up Sam Pittman by not announcing a starter. In a small way, perhaps that's true.

But the fact is this. JT Daniels’ knee is still a bit of an issue. When Smart says he hasn't been cleared yet by team trainer Ron Courson, he's not kidding. Smart has gone from saying he "expects" Daniels to be cleared to he "hopes" the Southern Cal transfer will be cleared by the time kickoff arrives.

While it certainly would not qualify as the biggest shock of the century to see Daniels play, right now, that just doesn't appear to be the case.

…The buzz surrounding freshmen Jermaine Burton and Marcus Rosemy continues to be one of the other big stories of camp.

… The last word I got was that Owen Condon continues to push for the starting job at right tackle, though Warren McClendon and Tate Ratledge continue to impress. The rest of the offensive line looks like Jamaree Salyer at left tackle, Justin Shaffer at left guard, Trey Hill at center, and Ben Cleveland at right guard.

…Ditto for Jack Podlesny as the initial kicking replacement for Rodrigo Blankenship, as first mentioned by Jim Donnan on UGASports LIVE. Now I have to learn how to say his name correctly.

…Smart mentioned Tuesday that tight end Tre’ McKitty is doubtful following his arthroscopic knee surgery a few weeks ago. For those wondering, doubtful in Smart’s world means he will not play.

What is going to be interesting to see is how much freshman Darnell Washington is able to play, and what kind of impact he'll have. Washington has been working hard to drop some weight and get in a little better shape. We will know the answer to that here shortly.

…Players received their second Covid tests Wednesday and will receive a final one Friday before boarding the plane to Fayetteville. Fingers crossed.

…Monty Rice and Nakobe Dean will be the two starters at inside linebacker. After that, keep an eye on Quay Walker.

…Jalen Carter. Remember his name.

…Of the freshman defensive backs, Jalen Kimber and Major Burns are two to watch.

***

Just wanted to take a final moment to send my deepest condolences to the family of Bill Davis, perhaps better known to the Dawgvent at DawgC.

Bill was a part of our site longer than most, and for as long as I can recall, served a number of roles including that of a moderator—a job he performed for free.

My conversations with Bill have been frequent, and although I knew he'd been ill, when my phone rang this afternoon and his name popped up, my hopes were raised.

Alas, it was his son, calling to give me the bad news, saying how his father was now with the Lord, having quietly passed away.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone. He'll be missed.