10/12/19 6:30pm
Georgia Plays Dead: Lose in Double-Overtime
Cover Photo: Dale Zanine
By: Joshua Grosh
Dawgs lose 20-17 in double overtime…
Lack of time management, uncharacteristic turnovers, and predictable play calling, push Georgia to suffer their first loss in near humiliating fashion – loss in double-overtime to a 2-3 South Carolina team while in the friendly confines of Sanford Stadium. There were some redeeming things but overall, this was a complete team loss – especially on the offensive side of the ball. While I tend to be the more positive of UGA writers, but this will be a critical piece that must be said.
Offense:
Offensively, Georgia is vanilla, predictable, and most terribly, easily stoppable. Kirby Smart has made it clear what this offense is – bash our heads into your gut for 60 seconds and hope to God we break you before you break us. The offense has no diversity on the run. Time and time again we watched a simply out-coached offensive line get battered because both Smart and Coley have bullishly decided to die on the sword of running up the gut. To add to this, Carolina only had to sit back in aggressive man coverage and dare Georgia’s receivers to beat them – and they couldn’t. Georgia ran predictable plays time and time again until it put everything in Fromm’s hands towards the end of the game with an offensive line that could not seem to keep Fromm protected to save their lives. Fromm was off too – possibly due to pressure or to the running game being rendered ineffective. Fromm could not get in a rhythm and was consistently under pressure. He threw uncharacteristically bad passes and turned the ball over 3 separate times. To add to the woes, Georgia fumbled the ball on another promising drive during the QB, center exchange further breaking Georgia’s back. Flat out stated, Georgia was beat soundly on its offensive side from on the field and in the coaching box. Something has to change – there is no longer a “should” – if Georgia hopes to remotely win the East and possibly contend for an SEC Championship, let alone even a playoff berth.
Defense:
Defensively, Georgia was average. The first half was shakey but it toughened up in the second half and simply could not get any help from the offense or special teams. In fact, after Carolina’s touchdown, they couldn’t score again until overtime – Georgia’s own pick six proving to be enough to keep the Dawgs from possibly winning the game. The defense held its own after the first half – just the start of the game was more than enough. There is nothing to really note here except that Georgia needs to come out playing hard and stop playing lackadaisical to start the game.
So, in conclusion, Georgia has some tough questions to answer about itself about its offense. If it cannot find answers, Georgia will likely end the season with upwards of 3 to 4 losses.
MVP:
Monty Rice: 12 tackles, 6 solo.
Next Opponent:
Georgia returns to the field next week at home against a Kentucky team that has been searching for answers. They play Arkansas tonight. From this point on, every game appears to be a must win for Georgia.
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