In this series, we introduce you to the top returning players from Georgia's 2020 opponents based on PFF grades. This article focuses on the ULM Warhawks.
As Anthony Dasher mentioned in his 'Scouting the Opponent' series, ULM is coming off a 5-7 campaign and also has to replace three-plus year starting quarterback, and highest-graded player, Caleb Evans (89.5 overall grade). While the Bulldogs will invariably overwhelm the Warhawks with their talent and depth, there will be some great individual talents and in-game matchups to watch in this game.
RB - Josh Johnson - 82.6 overall, 59.0 receiving, 85.8 running
Dayne: I got to see a lot of Josh Johnson from my days as sports director in local television. He was the running back alongside Jake Bentley at Opelika High School in Alabama. He stays low to the ground and has great footwork at the line of scrimmage. He was one of the nation's most explosive runners in 2019. He finished last season with nearly 1,300 yards, the fourth most in program history for a single season, and 11 touchdowns rushing. He had seven games with more than 100 yards rushing. The Warhawks will lean heavily on Johnson.
Brent: Despite it being his first season of significant playing time, Johnson was the Warhawks' second-highest graded offensive player behind Evans and 13th overall in FBS rushing grade a season ago. This fall might be a little tougher without Evans in the backfield and an offensive line with at least four new starters, but Johnson does his best work on his own. Of his 1,288 yards, 817 came after contact, and his 4.09 yards after contact per attempt was good for third-best in the FBS, only behind Clemson's Travis Etienne and Utah's Zack Moss. Overall, he forced 59 missed tackles and had 36 runs of more than 10 yards in addition to the 11 touchdowns.