GDay Recap: Potential reigns supreme.

Sanford Stadium may have been half-empty, but it was clear that the field was full of potential. Potential to fulfill the lofty expectations of the fans and national media around the country such as CBS who currently have UGA listed as their preseason #1 ranked team for the 2008-2009 season. The potential to realize the exceptional talent of individual players who have gone from high school phenoms , to represented as simply stars on recruiting sites, and now have reached another milestone in their young careers as G-Day participants. Some of the standout players from the offensive ranks included running back Caleb King and quarterback Logan Gray. On the defensive side of the ball safety Rashad Jones and Asher Allen rose to the occasion to confirm the thoughts around Bulldog Nation that the two will create a lockdown secondary that will allow UGA to play man coverage and at times rush with their front seven.

Caleb King, playing for the black team, displayed an array of moves that left UGA’s staff and fans confident that the team will have a two-man combination at running back that will help carry the team to its first National Championship since 1980. Among his impressive runs included a spin move, reminiscent of those shown by Knowshon and Thomas Brown at the Oklahoma State game last year, that left a defender grasping and the fans gasping for air. Logan Gray, representing the winning Red Team, confirmed his rumored 4.4 speed as he zigged and zagged through the defense at a speed that defied the expectations of both his position and the G-Day game pace. With his showing there is now talk that he will get some playing time alongside starter Matthew Stafford to form a tandem similar to that of David Green and D.J. Shockley.

Asher Allen is said to be coming into his own as a shutdown corner and today’s performance did nothing to disprove that notion. He led off early by fully stretching out and batting down a Matthew Stafford pass and finished by locking down the run by stopping an oncoming runner in his tracks and into the ground. Rashad Jones provided solid coverage and hard hitting and this looks to be the year this third year player steps up his game to follow in the footsteps of former greats such as Greg Blue, Thomas Brown, and Sean Jones. The secondary kept it in the family and showed that the future is in good hands as redshirt freshmen safety John Knox had the only interception of the game.

Potential surely abounded and displayed itself on the field today, but until fall rolls around it remain simply that: potential. To turn that potential into success UGA will have to remain focused and work hard for the remainder of the spring, two qualities that embody Coach Mark Richt and filters down to his players. So get excited Bulldog Nation. We could be having a National Championship next January as Mark Richt finally gets to lift that Waterford Crystal football that cements a coach as one of the nations best.