What makes Saturday one of the most important practices of the year for UGA

ATHENS — Georgia’s regular season begins in two weeks when the Bulldogs open against Tennessee State.

But before that, the team will hold what is perhaps their most important practice of the fall.

Georgia will step inside Sanford Stadium on Saturday and hold their second scrimmage.

The defense got the better of the offense last Saturday. Drops were a major issue for the Georgia pass catchers as they battled the heat.

“All in all, I was pleased with the effort in the scrimmage,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “There’s a lot of areas we can improve on. We’re not near where we need to be yet, but I was pleased with the effort of the guys.”

It isn’t expected to be as hot on Saturday as it was last weekend, with the Georgia coach noting temperatures reached well into triple digits.

Expect Saturday to be one of the most competitive practices of the season, with plenty of players hoping to solidify their spot on the Georgia depth chart.

As for what Smart will be looking for, there are four key areas for the Bulldogs. Smart’s team enters the season ranked as the No. 3 team in the AP poll.

The goal is to end the season in the No. 1 slot.

Clean bill of health

Injuries have played a key part in Georgia’s previous two seasons, which ended with early College Football Playoff exits.

With teams not as deep as in the past, health is all the more important.

Georgia emerged from its first scrimmage in good shape on that front. Center Drew Bobo was held out because of a finger injury, but he was able to return to practice this week.

The Bulldogs have several players on snap restrictions, including defensive end Gabe Harris and defensive back Kyron Jones.

For how physical Georgia plays, if it can emerge from Saturday’s scrimmage in a similar spot to the first one, the team should be in great shape entering the upcoming season.

Multiple wide receivers make plays

There’s been a lot of pressure on the wide receivers to this point in fall camp.

Yet aside from fourth-year London Humphreys, no one seems to have stood out to this point.

“Well, we decide to keep our heads down and keep working,” wide receiver Sacovie White-Helton said. “And we believe that hard work pays off. Whatever happens on the outside — people have opinions about everything. One week they may like you, one week they may not.”

Georgia is very young at the wide receiver position. Humphreys and White-Helton are the only two who have spent multiple seasons in Athens to this point.

If someone is going to step up, it’s going to be one of the younger options.

Talyn Taylor and Craig Dandridge were elite recruits, while Landon Roldan fits the mold of players who have been successful before in Smart’s offense.

Georgia can lean on its tight end room this fall, but multiple wide receivers are going to have to rise to the occasion on Saturday if the Bulldogs are to feel good about their passing offense.

Georgia’s defensive line gets after it

Quarterbacks can’t get hit during these scrimmages, so it’s tough to gauge how well the Bulldogs have done in terms of picking up sacks.

The Bulldogs have a strong offensive line, even with Bobo being limited. It would help Georgia greatly if its defensive line secured a few wins during Saturday’s scrimmage.

Elijah Griffin is expected to be one of the top defensive players in the sport come the end of the season. Linebacker Chris Cole has really impressed both onlookers and Georgia coaches.

The outside linebacker room may be the key to this defense, so extra attention will be on players like Quintavius Johnson and Chase Linton.

Georgia’s defense has gotten the better of Georgia’s offense to this point, though much of that is because of the secondary. We’ll see if the front seven can match the intensity.

Key position battles get clarity

With next weekend being focused on game prep, this scrimmage will be the last chance for several players to show they belong on the field.

Backup quarterback and backup center are expected to be key battles. Ryan Puglisi and Cortez Smith enter as the prospective favorites at those two spots.

Offensive tackle Juan Gaston was publicly chided by Smart this week. Can he lock up the right tackle spot next to freshman Zykie Helton?

The Bulldogs have a number of options in the secondary for the safety spot opposite KJ Bolden. Few would have pegged Jones as a top option going into the first scrimmage, but he’s done very well for himself this fall.