By: Joshua Grosh (twitter @GeorgiaTwoFace)

ATHENS, GA—What a Jekyll and Hyde game for the Dawgs… The first quarter was right out a UGA fan’s nightmare, they seemed to be unmotivated and completely sleeping on a wily, hungry underdog team in Murray State. From the turnovers to the deferment from the run for a couple drives, Georgia seemed to not be itself in the 1st quarter. Then, as the quarter came to a close, Georgia flipped the switch and smacked Murray State around as expected. The Dawgs looked like they were in complete control from that point on.

Key Takeaways:

​Georgia’s running game is going to carry this team; there is no doubt about it. The passing is always going to be secondary and this game showed that Georgia still needs to work things out through the air. It is a mixture of timing and position. Two games in a row, we have seen Georgia receivers fumble the ball to our dismay – which needs to be addressed as the season wears on. The major plus side is that Fromm looked to take a few more deep shots than usual in this game. It may be possible that the Dawgs are trying to work out the kinks for when the bigger games roll around. However, one thing is for sure, UGA cannot risk an injury to Fromm and be a major contender. Stetson Bennett does have some great positives but also a lot of negatives whenever he is off. He threw quite a few ill-advised passes that would come to haunt the team (if he were to be the starter). Though, I will say to his credit, when he was on, he looked the part of a solid back up. The touchdown to Demetris Robertson was a thing of beauty. 

​As far as the defense goes, Georgia still looks fairly dominant despite a big pass play that Georgia surrendered early (60 yard TD in the 1st quarter); the Dawgs defense was stout and didn’t really give Murray State any chance until the backups took over in the second half. Overall, the defense looked great, but will hopefully not become too complacent in the coming games. 

MVP:

George Pickens: 4 catches, 78 yards, 19.5 yards per catch, 1 touchdown.

(Unfortunately, defensive stats are not released at this time but will say the defensive line was impressive with the amount of pressure they were able to get on Preston Rice.) 

Next Opponent:

​Georgia takes the field against Arkansas State next week in the newly appointed Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. The Red Wolves are currently 0-1 on the season with a game against UNLV tonight. Georgia is a heavy favorite and should blow through this game – hopefully with more passing practice in tow.