I still have Smokey-like spasms every time I think about Georgia playing a team from West Virginia, because I was permanently scarred watching the 2006 Sugar Bowl. And if you were around for Marshall’s last visit to Sanford in 2004, albeit a slightly more even matchup, you’ll forgive the involuntary twitching. That being said , there ain’t no Steve Slaton and Pat White getting off that bus Saturday.
So here’s why I’m NOT worried Saturday afternoon when we face the Thundering Herd:
- Because it’s Game Day.
- In Athens.
- Between the Hedges.
That’s it. I’m too
excited to see actual by-Gawd Georgia Bulldog football. I have zero capacity to fit into my wee head anything other than the boys in Red and Black. It’s been 240 days, and I don’t know if I could last any more.
That doesn’t mean I’m not worried. I was weaned at the nipple of Larry Munson’s scratch, so here’s what does worry me about the 2025 iteration of your Georgia Bulldogs:
First off, I don’t expect the Glen Schumann Bulldog defense to have much trouble from the Mountaineers. Macondawg gave you the rundown a couple weeks back and frankly Marshall is a team rebuild in the most literal sense of the phrase. They’ve got some weapons, but we’ve got enough experience across the front, the backers, and the secondary to prevent too much chaos or absurd things happening from an opponent that doesn’t have much chemistry and game reps together. Famous last words, but I’ll focus instead on what worries me when the Bulldogs take possession.
1. A passing game. You know the kind: the one where a player throws the ball and another player actually catches the ball and gains yardage on the play. It’s a novel concept, but one I think we fans need to embrace to support our lads on the gridiron.
Here’s some sobering news: Passing yards per attempt in 2024 was the lowest in 5 seasons. Passing yards per completion was 79th in the nation. The completion ratio dropped over 6 percentage points from 2023, even though the total number of receptions was the highest in a decade. The other side of that coin is that I don’t think Georgia has ever attempted to throw the ball that many times. But it was also with a fairly experienced line and a returning veteran quarterback coming off one of the best passing seasons in UGA history.
The loss of Colbie Young really hurt the receiving corps more than we thought it would. Lovett and Humphreys weren’t quite the additions we were hoping for, at least for stepping up. Dillon Bell and Arian Smith regressed much of the season. Third down specialist Cash Jones was the 5th leading receiver, but out of the backfield. No one was expecting a Brock Bowers or Ladd McConkey to emerge, but they weren’t able to come close to replacing that production in the aggregate either. We threw it a lot because we didn’t complete it the play before, having to attempt comebacks against teams like Tech, Texas, Alabama, and Ole Miss. And we threw it a lot because we couldn’t seem to run the dang ball. Speaking of which…
2. A running game. The Bulldogs rushing attack was the worst in the last 9 years and it isn’t particularly close. 124 measly yards per game; 1,742 ground yards in total which is the same as the 2020 season (in 4 less games!); less than half of the 2017 Bulldogs; next to last in the Southeastern Conference, and 102nd in the nation. That isn’t exactly the offense Georgia is known for, especially under Kirby Smart.
There are some reasonable explanations for this, and injuries certainly played a major role. Trevor Etienne’s heroics were accomplished while missing 4 games, Roderick Robinson was lost early in the season, and even the electric Nate Frazier was limited and missed 1 game and parts of others. 3 of the top 8 rushers for Georgia were Carson Beck (including his sack yardage), Dillon Bell, and Arian Smith. They are not running backs. I guess try to run them if they won’t catch the ball.
These numbers simply must be quickly swept into the dustbin of history, and a return to the glory days of 4th quarter death marches and RBU. Let’s hope the injury bug is quarantined, and some better scheme execution by the big uglies up front. Speaking of which…
3. A blocking game. 2024 Georgia gave up more sacks than any other season in the Kirby Smart era. I’ve already enumerated the lack of a running game, which is frankly nauseating to revisit. And while injuries hit the RB room hard, they also had their usual visit to the Offensive Line at inopportune times.
Are we feeling good about Monroe Feeling holding down the blind side for Gunner Stockton? What about Ernest Greene bookending the line on the other side? Drew Bobo has shown to be solid under center, but we’re replacing Tate Ratledge with Daniel Calhoun, with Micah Morris taking the left A gap and pulling on power. It might be just my perception, but this feels a little more piecemeal than it has in years past. There’s experience and game reps there, but not all together at one time. Here’s to finding a starting 5, keeping them healthy, and watching them develop.
Gunner Stockton is definitely more of a runner than Carson Beck, but Beck had serviceable legs and scrambled for quite a few first downs when contain was broken. And that is about the frequency I’d prefer to see from Stockton. Aside from a few more QB powers and draws when they get the right looks, I don’t want Stockton to get in a habit of having to run from pressure. Especially in these first couple of contests, let’s keep his jersey clean and let him develop some timing with the guys trying to catch the football.
If this was Clemson, or Oregon, or some other big P4 opener I would definitely be more worried about specific matchups. Instead I want to see some positives from UGA, and improvements that show a return to the Georgia Way of suffering defenses, ball control offenses, and explosive plays from the explosive players.
Let us know in the comments what you’re feeling about the season opener, about the visitors from the Mountain State, and if you’re looking forward to the new barbecue options in Sanford Stadium. And as always…
GO ‘DAWGS!!!
