What to look for Saturday

With Georgia’s second scrimmage set for Saturday at Sanford Stadium, there are two areas head coach Kirby Smart wants to see improve: better effort from the first team offense and defense.

During his post-scrimmage session with reporters, Smart lamented both sides of the ball, using words like “lethargic” to describe the session, noting a lack of timing, a lack of enthusiasm.

Given that was the case, if the Bulldogs are able to go out and give a livelier account of themselves, that will probably go a little way to help Smart feel a tad better about his team with the season-opener at Vanderbilt now just two weeks away.

Other items and players to keep an eye on:

Smart doesn’t provide scrimmage stats, but our spies tell us that the redshirt freshman scored on a 50-yard pass. White has received praise after praise from teammates since the beginning of camp. Although it remains to be seen how coaches plan to use him early in the season, it’s looking more and more like he’ll be able to make a quick impact.

The video of George Pickens and his one-handed catch last week was the talk of the Internet, and it appears the freshman--who has been compared at least physically to a young A.J. Green--is ready to make an early impact.

But who else needs to use Saturday’s scrimmage to make a point? We’ll go with Matt Landers, who has all the talent to be a major fixture in the rotation, but still needs to show coaches a bit more consistency. Demetris Robertson, Lawrence Cager, Trey Blount, Tyler Simmons, Dominick Blaylock and Kearis Jackson are among the other names who will be looking to impress coaches Saturday afternoon.

Ben Cleveland and Cade Mays have gone back and forth in their battle to see who wins the starting job at right guard, and Saturday’s scrimmage will be another good test for both. From what we can tell, the rest of offensive line appears relatively set, with Andrew Thomas (left tackle), Solomon Kindley (left guard), Trey Hill (center), and Isaiah Wilson (right tackle).

If you were to ask me the two freshmen on defense whom I think will make the biggest impact, Smith and Dean would be my picks.

Any time Andrew Thomas mentions Smith as someone who’s impressed him, you tend to take notice. It’s going to be fun watching what the freshman is able to do.

Ditto for Dean, who we’ve seen rep with the first unit at inside linebacker. The fact he’s doing that is a very good indicator we’ll see a lot of the Mississippi native this fall, and another strong showing in Saturday’s scrimmage will only enhance the confidence Smart and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning already are showing in him.

For giggles, I’ll add another player who can help his cause Saturday: Travon Walker. Wilson gushed when talking about the most impressive defensive linemen he’s seen in camp; the athletic Walker seems primed to make a jump in the defensive line rotation.

Daniel, the transfer from GMC, has come in and been hugely impressive thus far.

We saw Daniel rep with the first team defense on Tuesday and Thursday, and along with Tyson Campbell and Eric Stokes, has a chance for major reps.

Tyrique Stevenson is also very much a part of the mix, and both newcomers can etch their names as likely key contributors with a big showing Saturday afternoon.