Game Balls: Georgia's standouts, spark plugs in win over Ball State
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s 2023 season is off to a 2-0 start after it took down Ball State by a score of 45-3 on Saturday. The Bulldogs’ defense was stifling, especially after the Cardinals’ opening drive and the offense really caught fire in the second quarter. Now that the game is over and we’ve had some time to think about it, DawgsHQ is acknowledging the best of the best from the day by handing out five game balls.
WR/KR/PR Mekhi Mews: The walk-on specialist/offensive weapon had 185 all-purpose yards on the day. His 69-yard punt return opened the scoring and he got loose a couple more times with one being called back due to a hold. That touchdown got Georgia going and he made the most of his three touches on offense, often picking up yards after contact.
S Malaki Starks: The Jefferson, Ga. native, for the second straight season, was responsible for Georgia’s early-season turnover. He picked off a pass in the second quarter and helped set up a score for the offense. It looked from our vantage point like Starks baited the quarterback into a deep throw down the sideline that he glided over and intercepted. He also had two tackles on the day and that includes one pretty physical play for no gain.
QB Carson Beck: The redshirt sophomore from Jacksonville started slowly for the second week in a row. He seemed a tad timid in the first quarter but he started to let it rip in the second. He finished with 283 yards and two touchdowns on 23 of 30 passing but he also had a couple of balls that were dropped and probably should have had another touchdown. Beck ran it fairly well, too, picking up 17 yards on five carries and a couple of Georgia first downs.
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DB Tykee Smith: Much like Starks, Smith has been a standout the first two weeks. He is making play after play near the line of scrimmage and tallied 1.5 tackles for loss against Ball State. Georgia got three tackles total out of Smith and his first interception of the season off a tipped pass.
ILB Smael Mondon: Not all of what Mondon will show up on the Georgia stat sheet. He’s not credited with a pressure but he definitely had one. The former five-star prospect finished with four total tackles and he was playing a fast, physical brand of football. Not bad for a guy who we thought might miss a few games after foot surgery in the spring.
