Georgia hopes these six players step up coming out of critical bye week

ATHENS — Kirby Smart made it very clear in the moments after Georgia’s loss to Auburn.

He wants a deeper football team.

“I need more players to play winning football,” Smart said. “I need to be able to play more than five in O-lineman. I need to be able to play more people up front than we can count on and be dependable.”

Smart specifically praised freshman defensive lineman Anthony Lonon Jr., who contributed against Auburn on third downs. Lonon played 10 snaps for the Bulldogs, finishing with a sack in the loss.

Georgia can count Lonon among the freshmen who are already playing winning football for the Bulldogs. You could also include offensive lineman Zykie Helton, defensive lineman Valdin Sone and wide receiver Craig Dandridge in that group.

Dandridge leads Georgia in receiving yards this season.

“Even before the season, when he first got here in the springtime, just how he handles himself, his routine, his schedule, taking care of things outside of football, schoolwork and whatnot,” wide receiver London Humphreys said of Dandridge. “So, just his maturity for being a young kid has been really impressive.”

With some of the older players focused on rest and recovery, Georgia can prioritize getting some of the newer faces on the team reps.

Below are six players who could make a bigger impact on Georgia’s season coming out of the much-needed off week.

Running back Bo Walker

Based on the Alabama game, you would think Walker would have graduated from this type of list.

But after recording 10 carries against the Crimson Tide, he played just two snaps against Auburn.

Smart said this week the decrease in playing time was because of the return of Nate Frazier.

“Nate and Dwight (Phillips Jr.) are really good in the pass game and do a good job,” Smart said. “Those are the guys we were going with, and it’s nothing that Bo did wrong or right or indifferent. It was an opportunity for Nate to come back.”

With Chauncey Bowens out for the foreseeable future and Frazier still working his way back from an early season rib injury, Walker has the chance to pick up a few extra carries for Georgia. The key for him will be what kind of improvements he makes as a pass catcher and blocker, so as it’s not an obvious tell when he’s on the field.

Tight end Kaiden Prothro

Prothro isn’t going to find many snaps at tight end this year.

But where the off week could be good for him is as an outside wide receiver. Prothro has the size and speed to line up out there. The question is if he’s capable of sustaining the energy and effort level to do so in the SEC.

With Isiah Canion and Thomas Blackshear missing the past two games, the Bulldogs are thin at this spot.

Although Prothro’s long-term home is at tight end, injuries may open a chance for him to help out Georgia’s wide receiver room.

“We’ve probably been as injured at that position as we’ve been at any,” Smart said. “Throw the wide receivers in there with the running backs, and it’s a tough combination that coach Bobo and the offensive staff have had to work through, but we’re really pleased with the receiver group as a whole.

“There’s a couple of those guys that you don’t get to see that haven’t played as much that get really good work in practice, that have been coming along, doing good things that we hope we get to see this week and get some more reps and do some things.”

Offensive lineman Ekene Ogboko

The days of the Bulldogs employing a rotation on the offensive line seem to be a thing of the past.

In the past two games, the Bulldogs have rolled with the same five offensive linemen the entire game.

Smart isn’t apparently happy with that, given his laments Saturday.

Daniel Calhoun and Cortez Smith could help out at guard for the Bulldogs. But the name to keep an eye on is Ogboko, who last played for Georgia in its win over Vanderbilt.

Ogboko is only a freshman, but his development could allow Georgia to get creative with how it uses Juan Gaston and the guard position. With Earnest Greene exhausting his eligibility after this season, the Bulldogs will need a left tackle for the future.

Ogboko is the most likely candidate for that role. But Georgia clearly wants more depth on the offensive line now. The hope is that the talented freshman — and Georgia’s only 5-star signee last cycle — can provide that.

Inside linebacker Zayden Walker

Walker was one of the breakout players coming out of last season’s off week. He saw an uptick in snaps during the closing month of the regular season, highlighted by his play against Texas in a November win.

But Walker hasn’t been as big of a piece of the Georgia defensive puzzle as some envisioned. He missed spring practice while recovering from shoulder surgery.

He’s also playing behind Chris Cole, Raylen Wilson and Justin Williams. It’s one of the best linebacker rooms in the country.

Walker’s versatility could be huge for the Georgia defense in the coming weeks. Especially for a group that has seen an uptick in missed tackles of late.

“One of the glaring things to us is we want to tackle better. We’re higher in missed tackles than we’ve been in years past,” Smart said. “That’s a big target area for us. We think missed tackles are up as a whole across college football, so we’re not immune to that. We’re part of that problem, but how do we do it better than they do it? That’s really what we’re trying to do this week.”

Defensive back Justice Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick has not yet played in a game this season for the Bulldogs. That’s not a skill issue, but rather because of the fact that he suffered a knee injury at the end of his high school career last December.

Fitzpatrick has a great pedigree. In addition to starring for one of the best high school programs in the country at St. Thomas Aquinas in Florida, he’s the younger brother of former Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.

The older Fitzpatrick was a key piece on Alabama’s 2015 defense, which was Smart’s last as Alabama’s defensive coordinator. Despite being a freshman, he proved to be an impact player for the Crimson Tide.

With KJ Bolden still working his way back from injury, Georgia needs players who can help in the secondary. It turned to Ja’Marley Riddle and Zion Branch against Auburn.

Could Fitzpatrick hear his name called against Florida or later on in Georgia’s difficult November stretch?

Defensive back Tyriq Green

Had Green not suffered an ankle injury at the end of Georgia’s win over Western Kentucky, he’d probably be lumped in with Lonon, Helton and Dandridge in terms of making contributions — not just in the secondary but on special teams, as well.

Even before the injury, Green was Georgia’s kick returner. He scored a touchdown for the Bulldogs in the win over Western Kentucky.

Sacovie White-Helton has muffed punts in each of the previous two games. It will be interesting to see if Georgia makes a change there coming out of the off week.