No one really expected the Georgia Bulldogs to come out sharp as a tack against the UMSs Minutemen this afternoon. I mean, we might have expected that from the 2021 Georgia Bulldogs. Maybe even the 2022 national championship team that habitually started slowly. But not this group, who don’t seem to know how to handle themselves if they aren’t on upset alert.
And so it was that the Georgia Bulldogs sleepwalked on defense through most of the first half, but played the type of offense we had hoped to see from them all season and pulled away against the visitors from Amherst to win 59-21.
The Bulldogs scored touchdowns on their first four offensive possessions thanks to four Carson Beck touchdown passes. Beck hit his first 11 passes and finished 20 of 31 for 297 yards. Nate Frazier also had a breakout day, going for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries. Georgia again avoided turning the ball over, and again that did a lot to allay fears that Beck could be irrevocably broken.
Defensively, things could have been better. Georgia gave up more yards rushing to the UMass Minutemen in the first half than they have given up to an SEC team all season. Frankly, it was a lazy-looking effort in the first half, with poor gap discipline, poor angles, and most of all slothful tackling. Thankfully the defense woke up a little in the second half, giving up only 62 yards on the ground in the second half. Still, I have seen enough Georgia teams lose to underdog Georgia Tech squads in the past by missing tackles to get a very bad, gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. There’s work to be done still in 2024, but the UGA defense hasn’t tackled as well in 2024 as we’ve become accustomed to, and fixing that will certainly be an offseason emphasis.
Make no mistake, Carson Beck absolutely should not have been on the field taking shots from blitzing linebackers with eleven minutes left in this game. Those who, like me, were hoping we’d see the immediate killer instinct that mature teams demonstrate in this type of game were disappointed. Again, I assess that this football team is very good but just doesn’t have the elite mental makeup and leadership to do that. If they did, we would have seen it by now.
Neverthelss, Georgia will take the field in six days with a chance to clinch a spot in the college football playoff against their hated instate rival. With all the frustration and uncertainty this season has brought, it’s at least a little exhilarating to still be in that position. Bear the rush, hate Tech early. And…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!