Georgia and Louisiana-Monroe will kick off their season in Athens when the two similar squads meet between the hedges on Sept. 5. While No. 9 Georgia is clearly the more talented team, that doesn’t preclude any similarities — including strong linebacking corps and new quarterbacks under center to start the year.

The Bulldogs have won all three meetings over the Warhawks by a combined score of 156-16, the last contest coming in 2005. That said, Georgia would be remiss in taking Louisiana-Monroe lightly. The Warhawks are a talented team that believes it can challenge for a Sun Belt title. The same goes for Georgia, who enters the season as the favorite to win the SEC East and perhaps go even further.

Here’s a look at five players that Louisiana-Monroe and Georgia fans should know when the Warhawks and Bulldogs square off in their season opener on Sept. 5 in Athens:

1. RB Nick Chubb (Georgia)

If it wasn’t for Todd Gurley, everyone would know the explosive running of Nick Chubb. It was the freshman Chubb, not the No. 10 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft Gurley, who led Bulldogs in rushing last season with 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns. Chubb returns for his sophomore season behind a stout offensive line with an eye on leading the SEC, if not the nation, in rushing this year. The Cedartown, Ga., native needs 3,712 yards to supplant Herschel Walker atop the Bulldogs’ all-time leading rusher list. Chubb could surpass the legendary Walker with 1,856 yards as a sophomore and a junior. If he stays healthy and remains in Athens for all four years, Chubb could pass Walker with 1,238 yards in each of the next three seasons. With a 1,738-yards sophomore season, Chubb can rocket passed Terrell Davis and Knowshown Moreno, as well as Garrison Hurst and Gurley for sole possession of second place among UGA running backs for career yards.

2. LB Leonard Floyd (Georgia)

We could have easily also included Lorenzo Carter and Jordan Jenkins here, instead. The Bulldogs are stocked at linebacker. Georgia voted Leonard Floyd as its defensive player of the year in 2014 after making 55 tackles and a team-high 6.0 sacks. Jenkins (5.0 sacks) and Carter (4.5) were close behind. The junior Floyd is developing into a leader on defense this summer, prompting teammate Davin Bellamy to compare his fellow linebacker with LeBron James. Floyd might be a preseason first-team All-SEC pick, according to several outlets (All-SEC, Phil Steele, etc.), but he has a ways to go before reaching LeBron level.

3. WRs Rashon Ceaser and Ajalen Holley (Louisiana-Monroe)

Louisiana-Monroe is breaking in new quarterback Garrett Smith, who makes his first career start against Georgia. At least the redshirt freshman will have two top-flight weapons with which to work. Rashon Ceaser returns as the Warhawks’ leading pass-catcher with 77 catches for 872 yards in 2014. The first-team All-Sun Belt wideout also returned 134 yards’ worth of punt and kick-returns last year. The senior is flanked at the receiver position by teammate Ajalen Holley, who hauled in 863 yards and a team-high 7 scoring grabs last season.

4. LB Michael Johnson (Louisiana-Monroe)

As previously mentioned, Georgia has arguably one of the more dominant collections of linebackers in the nation. Louisiana-Monroe, however, has a pretty good one also in Michael Johnson. The senior led the Warhawks defense in 2014 posting 16.0 tackles-for-loss and 8.0 sacks, both team highs. One of those sacks and three tackles came against Texas A&M as ULM sent a serious upset scare down the spines of the Aggies. Along with senior nose tackle Gerrand Johnson, the Warhawks have a tackling tandem of Johnson and Johnson that combined for 176 tackles, 28.5 TFLs and 14.0 sacks last year.

5. QB Greyson Lambert (Georgia)

Greyson Lambert won Georgia’s starting quarterback role despite not working out with the Bulldogs until Aug. 4 after transferring from Virginia where he was a team captain last season. Lambert’s experience is a plus, having thrown for 1,632 yards and 10 touchdowns last season with the Cavaliers. What’s not encouraging is that he lost his starting job to Matt Johns in the spring, prompting his transfer. Because he’s already finished his class requirements, Lambert is eligible to play immediately. Keep an eye on Lambert. Any slip-ups and Brice Ramsey will be eagerly waiting to take over.

Others to watch on ULM: LB Hunter Kissinger, S Mitch Lane, QB Brayle Brown

Others to watch on Georgia: QB Brice Ramsey, RB Sony Michel, OL Kolton Houston, S Quincy Mauger