No matter how you put it, this Georgia team has had a roller coaster of a first half of the season with a couple of big highs in Atlanta and Austin and a Scream Machine kind of drop in Tuscaloosa with some inconsistent performances in between. All of the inconsistency and the Dawgs sit at #2 in the current rankings and well positioned to play for an SEC title and a coveted play-in round bye in the first 12-team College Football Playoff. Let’s get to the discussion of the team’s performance through the season’s first 7 games and a view of what I would like to see in the November homestretch starting with next week’s Cocktail Party in Jacksonville.
Offense – C
I think many (including myself) thought this offense behind its talented and experienced offensive line would be scoring points and generating yards by the bushel and be the strength of the team. Sure, the offense has broken 30 points in every game but one, but the offense doesn’t look smooth and is wildly inconsistent. In my opinion, there’s a lot of blame to go around. Injuries and suspensions have had key pieces not in Mike Bobo’s crayon box with Trevor Etienne, Tate Ratledge, Jared Wilson, and Colbie Young all missing time as starters for various reasons. Carson Beck has not played his best game yet, and he has been somewhat of a turnover machine especially against Alabama and Texas. As a result, his Heisman star faded into the oblivion in Tuscaloosa. The offensive line even when healthy has not established its dominance consistently resulting in a constipated at times running game. The receiving corps has had a bad case of the drops. I would say the one place where we have met or exceeded expectations is at running back where Trevor Etienne has been as good as advertised (thanks, Sun Belt Billy) and Nate Frazier is a budding superstar.
I’ll get to the coaching in a bit.
Defense – B
Some may think this grade is generous, and others may say it’s harsh. I think it’s sort of like what Goldilocks thinks of Baby Bear’s bed … it’s just right. This defense has bared its teeth a couple of times against Clemson and Texas; both of whom have scored points in bunches against everyone else they have played. Meanwhile, the defense had problems with the Alabama offense especially with Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams and looked disinterested in games against Auburn & Mississippi State while doing enough bending but not breaking to survive a trip to Lexington. Once again, injuries have had an impact on the performance of the defense especially with the availability of Mykel Williams, who looked like his fellow Columbus native, Jarvis Jones, in Saturday’s win over the Texas Hamburgers. Jalon Walker has made some money this year with his ability to play on the inside and shift to the outside when the Dawgs go to their 3rd down package. Many commenters here and pundits have pointed the finger at the secondary in particular for the loss in Tuscaloosa, but I would say the full complement of the front 7 would probably produce a different result. Malaki Starks has been a rock in the secondary, but Dan Jackson may be the heart and soul of this Georgia defense by season’s end.
Special Teams – A
Other than the squib/onside/screw-up kick-off to start the 2nd half in Austin, the Georgia kicking game has been perfect. Peyton Woodring has missed one kick this year, a 55(?)-yarder at the end of the half against Mississippi State, and has reliably kicked the ball into the end zone or high enough to force fair catches or short returns. He has built upon his successful freshman season to be almost automatic so far in enabling us to score once we cross into plus territory. Brett Thorson has been an absolute field position weapon especially in the Clemson, Kentucky and Texas games. Last year, we gave up 0 punt return yards. To this point in the season, teams who have attempted to return a punt have gone backwards. On the flip side, other than Anthony Evans’s first punt return against Tennessee Tech, we haven’t really seen the return game get into high gear. I would like to see our punt return/block create some positive momentum and field position during the back half of the schedule … yes, that’s a “first world problem.”
Coaching – B–
The inconsistency and the slow starts especially the one at Alabama bring this grade down significantly. Kirby could have let the team pack it in during the 2nd half in Tuscaloosa, but he did engineer a comeback for the ages. The preparation of the team for the Texas game was as good as it gets. The Georgia fan base’s lightning rod, Michael (Stipe) Bobo, has been under a microscope this year. His performance has been mixed this year … some of Beck’s inconsistency lies at the feet of Bobo just as some of the slow starts have to go to him for blame. You have to give Bobo credit for the 2nd half adjustments in the Clemson game and the explosion of 2nd half points at Alabama.
Quick Look Ahead for the Remainder of the Season
Before the season began, I had the Dawgs at 6-1 at this point in the season, but with a loss in Austin instead of Tuscaloosa. That’s exactly where we are, so I have to say we’ve met my expectations to this point. The remaining schedule doesn’t look easy but does appear to be managable. Next Saturday in Jacksonville would be a great time for the offense to let it rip and get off to a good fast startv while I expect Kirby, Schumann and T-Rob to find wrinkles off what they did in Austin to confuse and attack the Handbags’ young QB, DJ Lagway. A trip to Oxford could be the game where the Dawgs have to get into a shootout to bring home a win. On the other hand, if the Rebels slip up in one of the games between now and then, we could see an Ole Miss team that has opted out and Lane Kiffin flirting with other jobs by the time the Dawgs roll into the Grove. All of that leads to a potential SEC championship elimination game in Athens between the Dawgs and Tennessee. As that game gets closer, the more optimistic I become that the Georgia defense will lock down the Volunteer offense, and it becomes a question of whether the offense can create pressure on Tennessee to catch up. After the UMass cupcake, I look for Kirby to make it abundantly clear who runs this state on Black Friday in Athens given some of Brent Key’s actions leading into this season.
If the Dawgs can build on Saturday’s performance in Austin, we’ll be back in Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the 2nd time likely to face Texas in a rematch for the SEC title and preparing to make a run deep into January for a national title.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
(UglyD)…Great job and a good read, EE.
Glad to see you here, Ugly!!
Fair assessment. Might have dug deeper into the position groups but you end up with the same overall grades. Only “A” I’d give is to special teams. Worst grade is C- to WRs and TEs for on and off the field. We don’t know more about behind the scenes, but suspect a few position coaches are in the C or D range as well. This team’s true identity comes to light over the next few weeks.
I’ll admit I wanted to go into that detail but just didn’t have the time.
I don’t understand the mental problem with AL.
Coach MR had the same problem with FL.
Even when we have the best players and coaches these games are almost unwinnable.
Fl. from 1959 to 1979 were home coming games. We could beat them with our eyes closed. AL. has always been a problem, but not the mental disaster we have now made it into. Our coaches (the best in the world) need to get our players over this mental hump. Start kicking ass like they know they can. Win every play and the game score will take care of itself. GO DAWGS
So true! Bama is our new Florida.
I’d have to go with an “Incomplete.”
We’ve been far too different at different times to come to very many judgments. I know the defense got dinged for a couple of halves of frustrating football, but it remains the strength of the team, along with the Hammer of Thorson. If Mykel gets to full speed and Smael is able to come back, I really like our chances. I said before that the big question for us was whether or not a team could post a number and make us chase. Alabama showed that capacity, but can they do it twice? Will they even be around to try?
And on offense, despite a plethora of personnel issues, we’ve shown we can post a number if we have to. Square away the drops and the habit of chucking it to the other team and we’re a tough out.
If you’re pushing all in on a team out there to be left standing, who else?
For me the big question with this team is do they really want that ring? If they’re focused and working, we’ll be fine. If they’re fat and happy and worried about the next level, some hungry team could Buster Douglas us.
(Btw: did anyone see our kicker chasing when they broke the KO that was called back? He was moving! If he can catch it, with Beck holding it we may see some crazy special teams play before its over.)
I agree with a lot of what Derek says. Injuries have kept our D from truly showing out this year. That dirty block against Mykel in the Clempson game had a much greater impact than any of us would have guessed at the time. Now he’s healthy and Smael isn’t. Let’s get them all back and see what happens.
The slow starts on offense are the biggest head scratcher. We’ve shown we can score in bunches, but why do we only do it when our backs are to the wall? Why can’t we come out hair on fire like the 2nd half against Bama? Is Bobo being too conservative, or are the players too complacent?
My guess: turning Beck loose before he gets into a rhythm w/ easy throws is a recipe for a couple of early INTs. It looks more and more like Bobo has to scheme around Beck’s tendency to give the damn ball away. Not for nothing did his teammates call him ‘Pick Six’ Beck. BTW, the QBs in the ’25 draft class are awfully weak. Could Mykel join Travon as Dawg defenders drafted #1 overall?
Great write up and I agree with your grades. I might give the offense a higher grade based on what they have done when it clicks but it has clicked at a C level thus far.
Go Dawgs!
I agree with your side note and believe it’s spot on. Texas oil money and behind the scenes is a scary combination.
My personal guarantee, you like Texas more today than you ever will. They are Shiva the destroyer of worlds.
I think everything EE said is fair. Basically, exactly how I feel. How great is it to be in the hunt every year? How many times before CKS were we thinking about cool consolation bowls this time of the year?
I at least like the trajectory we’re heading. Previous years we were great most of the season with a few blips here and there. Except for the 1st half at Bama, we’ve played good not great – and that was really them piling on before we figured out what was going on. The second half showed the team’s resiliency, and Texas showed how we can be, especially when our D is healthy. Hoping that Beck builds confidence in the receivers, and that they improve on catching. It’s all about peaking at the right time…
Great write up EE. I know these analyses take a lot of time.
Defensively, I think the injuries were much more of a problem that we realized. If a “1” is out then the “2” is starting and the “3” is subbing in. We sub a lot and I think the knowledge base drops off a lot between groups. Watching the defense keep contain all night against Texas brought a tear to my eye.
Offensively, I keep hearing the Cranberries singing, “in your head, in your head, zombies.” I wonder if all of the drops have Carson forcing the ball into bad situations while there are wide open receivers available. Could we run a few toss sweeps a game just for us older fans?
Special teams, clone these guys! So far we’ve experienced an excellence in the kicking game that is unparalleled.
Coaches, In Kirby we trust. Any weak points in our plan for world domination will surely be sussed out and eradicated by Kirby. The faces may change but the goal is the same.
Solid write up, ee. Can’t really argue with any of those grades.
I’m with you on all phases. It’s just been a team that hasn’t put it all together yet and still has 2 top-10 scalps. Pretty, pretty good. I agree on the Ole Maid game that they’ll be checked out. Hopefully that game is early so they can get back for Tennessee. That is going to be an electric game again.
Great write up EE! 🙂
I’m going to continue to be “that guy” and say the obvious:
As long as Mike Bobo is our OC, we will not have a consistently dominant offense. Our offense will not be a potent weapon we can count on/rely on to always be there for us.
Also, for some reason, we continue to struggle to land truly epic superstars at QB, WR, RB. (I’m talking top 10 draft quality). I am absolutely vexed by this. Maybe they don’t want to play for Mike Bobo?
I’d love to see Kirby’s dream work. Kirby and Bobo were players at UGA when I was in law school. I loved them then. I love them now.
But Kirby is elite, and Bobo isn’t. That’s just an incredibly obvious fact proven by Bobo’s entire career.
Last year we had a little bit of hold over from Monken. But now that’s almost completely gone.
I think we all remember vividly the inconsistent, stat padding, never there when you need it most offense of Bobo during the Richt years. It’s the same.
That comeback vs Alabam was amazing. But why the fuck didn’t we score in the first half? Why is our offense such an insanely slow starter?
Why don’t we stomp on team’s necks and blow them off the field in points? Bobo classics.