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Three Georgia Bulldogs Players to Watch in Saturday's Season Opener in Athens
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- Three Georgia Bulldogs Players to Watch in Saturday's Season Opener in Athens
(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
The Georgia Bulldogs are finally ready to start their season with fans already tailgating across camps and eventually headed to the gates at Sanford Stadium this afternoon against Tennessee State .
It's a low-leverage opener in which the Dawgs should win with ease, but that won't stop fans from evaluating and studying every snap as it relates to how this team is going to perform once conference play begins. Wearing this uniform puts every player under a microscope , but there's a few in particular who fans should keep a close eye on in the opener.
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Here are three that will be most closely watched throughout the game for Georgia.
Gunner Stockton , QB
This may fall under the category of obvious, but whether or not Stockton has taken a personal leap could be the single most important factor in evaluating whether or not this team can win a national title this season. Stockton showed some flashes of absolute brilliance when his team needed him most last season, but the overall consistency was not quite there throughout the year.
It's been described as the Dawgs winning last year with Stockton, but now they need to start winning because of him. While the test is not strong at all this week, Georgia's quarterback looking comfortable and confident would go a long way towards giving folks hope.
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Isiah Canion , WR
You could really put the entire wide receiver room on this list, but given that Canion is the newcomer and perhaps in line to be the top pass catcher on the team, folks are going to be eager to see what he looks like in his first game between the hedges.
Canion arrives with high expectations after showing flashes at Georgia Tech , and if he can take that next step, it could raise the ceiling dramatically of this room as a whole. Catching a touchdown early and showing off both his size and speed would go a long way towards inspiring some real confidence from the fanbase.
Chris Cole , LB
Cole may be one of the most important players on this defense this year after the Bulldogs struggled to get enough pass rushing last year. Now stepping into a bigger role, Cole will have to be a versatile Swiss army knife, but his real bread and butter needs to be getting after the quarterback.
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The secondary is phenomenal and the interior defensive line will be strong, but Cole coming in with a massive breakout season would be huge. This afternoon is his first chance to prove he can do just that.
