Well, that was strange.
Georgia seemed to have slept through the alarm once more on Saturday after getting a surprisingly powerful awakening call last week when it put up a lackluster performance at home against Kent State.
The Bulldogs were 31-point favorites going into a night game against Missouri while on the road, but they only managed to exit Columbia with an unbeaten record. Following his worst performance as a Bulldog last week, wide receiver Ladd McConkey had another puzzling dropped throw. The passing game was plodding, the running game struggled to find its stride, they committed 2 more turnovers in the first half.
The Bulldogs may maintain their top spot when the weekly rankings are announced later on Sunday, but on Saturday, they didn’t look like it.
Look, anything is possible, and perhaps we exaggerated how impressive this team appeared in its first three games. The gaps the Missouri offensive line made against a shaky Georgia defensive front early on Saturday appeared to be less than the space between No. 1 and Nos. 2, 3, and 4. As this squad prepares to face Auburn in the conference’s major schedule next week, more questions still need to be clarified.
- Is this squad still the best in the nation, or are the Bulldogs not quite as strong as we initially believed two weeks ago?
- Are these flaws from the previous games against Oregon, Samford, and South Carolina that were covered up by the quick start?
- With games against Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State, and Kentucky coming up soon, what can Georgia do to turn things around?
I believe so, without a doubt. That is the convoluted answer to the first query.
Yes, I still believe Georgia to be the top team in the nation. We can’t ignore the way it appeared in its most recent two games, but we also can’t ignore the way it appeared in its first three. This season, it has been overpowering when playing at its best, and the 49-3 victory in the season opener over a top-15 team still remains large in the back of my mind.
But are you weaker than we thought? Absolutely.
It is now more apparent than it was a few weeks ago that no matter how effective Georgia’s offensive tools may be, the game’s dynamics may shift just by eliminating a few of them.
Early in the season, quarterback Stetson Bennett appeared to be a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, but when some of his weapons aren’t performing well or at all, his weaknesses become more apparent. His size is a disadvantage, and when opponents put a hand in his face, he can become inaccurate. When it succeeds, Georgia’s tendency to convert short passes into significant gains as a compliment to their run game is fantastic. The offensive appears terribly one-dimensional when it doesn’t.
More is required for the other Bulldogs receivers when AD Mitchell, who is still recovering from an injury, is excluded from the picture. Defenses may focus their attention on tight end Brock Bowers, which limits Georgia’s ability to make big plays.
McConkey is a capable player, but in Georgia’s last two games, he has seemed strangely lost, making mistakes like fumbles, drops, and poor routes.
So, absolutely, these issues did occur. However, they have only come to light in response to incidents like Mitchell’s injury and changes in how defenses have approached offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s strategy.
What can Georgia do to turn the ship around then?
With conference games against Auburn the next week and Florida on October 29, it doesn’t have a whole lot of time to get things back on track. However, there is no need to panic. The club has too much talent and is too well-coached for anyone to believe that things will go wrong.
They must get healthy.
The offense appears to need Mitchell’s return more than before. Even Georgia’s coaches would likely have been shocked at just how much his absence hurt. Georgia has sorely lacked a trustworthy pass catcher for downfield throws during the last couple of games, but with his return, it now has one.
You need to be able to fill his position in the meantime with a trustworthy person. One person who comes to mind is Dominick Blaylock. Another is Darnell Washington. On Saturday, Washington was outstanding, catching three catches for 64 yards while absolutely dominating defenders. Bennett’s options will return if he can play a bigger role in the passing game.
Those quick passes to Kenny McIntosh should also start to gain momentum until the downfield danger reappears.
But the ability of this squad to consistently run the football needs to change. Georgia had a lot of success against Missouri in the fourth quarter. Additionally, the figures in the box score appear good: Daijun Edwards had 11 carries for 49 yards, Milton had seven for 63, and McIntosh had 11 for 65.
These are all good.
To establish a rhythm, though, they must be able to do this regularly and early. Bennett excels at quarterbacking. He’s hardly the type of offensive leader like Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, or even Hendon Hooker, though. Bennett’s game will come back to him as a result of Georgia’s necessity for the running game to come first.
Oh, and stop dropping the ball for Uga’s sake.
If Georgia can make a few changes to meet these aims, it still has everything. If not, neither its own division nor a subsequent national championship will be won.
