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Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game

Halftime thoughts: Georgia vs. UNC

Greyson Lambert
Photo: John Kelley/UGA

ATLANTA, GA – Georgia leads North Carolina by a 14-10 score at halftime, as the Bulldogs are only thirty minutes away from claiming their first victory of the season.

As we reach intermission, here are some takeaways from the first half. There were some good and some bad for the Bulldogs in the first half.

Chubb looks like pre-injured Chubb

Nick Chubb took the first carry of the season opener, and hasn’t let up since. He sees his first action since suffering a knee injury back in October of last season, and it looks as if it has had no affect on his performance.

Chubb has 118 yards through the first half, and Georgia certainly hasn’t been afraid to utilize his skill set. The Cedartown native has taken 20 carries for the Bulldogs, and they’ve had to depend on him, due to instability at quarterback.

If Chubb is to keep up this performance, it could not only lead Georgia to a successful opener, but throughout the season.

Michel a no-go for Georgia

It doesn’t seem as if running back Sony Michel will see action in the season opener, as he was sidelined for the first half.

In warmups prior to kickoff, he was fourth in the line of running backs. However, he was catching passes and running through drills, so it looked as if he may play, but that won’t be the case.

Michel wouldn’t have factored much into the offense anyway, as the coaching staff stated earlier in preseason camp that plays designed for Michel were scrapped due to his unknown status.

Brendan Douglas and Brian Herrien filled the role in his absence. Douglas made a costly mistake in the second quarter, as he fumbled in the red zone, as Georgia seemed to be on the verge of scoring. However, Herrien had a bit more luck, as he found the end zone on his first collegiate carry, a 19-yard rush.

After sustaining the injury back in July, it’s possible that Georgia could rest Michel against Nicholls State in order to prepare him for the SEC opener against Missouri.

Maurice Smith makes immediate impact

Georgia placed Maurice Smith, the graduate transfer from Alabama, into immediate action as he got the start for the Bulldogs.

His impact was nearly immediate, as in the first half, he tallied four tackles and had a breakup on a pass to Ryan Switzer, in which he recovered after being beat on the play initially. Georgia will look to depend on him as a veteran leader in the secondary, as he seems to have caught on Kirby Smart’s defensive gameplan.

Eason sees first in-game action

After Greyson Lambert had three full possessions to begin the game, Eason came in and the crowd went crazy.

His first play was a hand-off to Chubb, but the second play raised some eyebrows. He connected with Terry Godwin on a quick pass, and Eason earned himself a second possessions.

Two possessions was all he saw however, as Lambert re-entered and finished the half. We’ll have to wait and see if Eason sees further action in the second half, but he seems to have provided a spark to the offense. He tallied 36-yards on two completions in the first half.

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