Georgia will face TCU in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis at noon on Friday, December 30. ESPN will televise the game. This matchup had been the consensus among most bowl projections since last weekend, and none of Saturday’s results did anything to change the placement of SEC teams.

Georgia is undefeated in three previous meetings with TCU. The most recent game occurred in Athens in 1998, and Georgia came away with a 38-10 victory.

TCU finished the regular season 6-6 overall and 4-5 in Big 12 conference play. Their wins include impressive blowouts against Baylor (66-22) and Texas (31-9), but they have no wins over ranked opponents. They have a couple of near-misses earlier in the season: Arkansas outlasted them 41-38 in 2OT, and Oklahoma outgunned them 52-46 on Oct. 1. They started the season ranked #13 and were still ranked #21 for that Oklahoma game, but they finished the season 3-4.

The Horned Frogs finished the 2015 season ranked #7 after an improbable comeback win over Oregon in the bowl game. They lost a large group of contributors from that team including QB Trevone Boykin and All-American WR Josh Doctson. Texas A&M transfer Kenny Hill leads the TCU offense, but he was injured against Texas. He came off the bench in the season finale against Kansas State but couldn’t kickstart a lackluster offense. You’d expect Hill to be a little healthier in time for the bowl. Hill and his replacement Foster Sawyer have gone back and forth since preseason, and TCU hasn’t been afraid to pull Hill when he’s struggled.

TCU’s offense has put up some big scores this season, but consistency has been an issue. It sounds as if they’ve had some familiar problems at receiver and along the offensive line. A good barometer for Georgia’s success in the bowl game will be the Dawgs’ ability to run: TCU defended the run well in big wins over Baylor and Texas but gave up at least 330 yards on the ground in losses to Oklahoma State and Kansas State.

“They are looking for chunk plays. You want to make them drive it through. They do; they are very methodical. They manage their down and distances really well, and they stay ahead of chains, it makes them tough to stop. So every time you try to give them a negative play or do something to put them behind the chains, you put yourself at risk. They know it’s a numbers game…The key is being sound, tackling and not giving up big plays, and that’s what our goal is, to do that.”

Kirby Smart explained some fundamental concepts of the option offense on Monday, and it’s no secret that the offense can generate a big gain on the ground on just about any play if just one defensive assignment is missed. We’ve all seen the pound-pound-pound-pound-BAM of several short dive plays followed by a devastating pitch for 60 yards when the defense cheats inside against the dive.

Last week against Virginia, Tech had 29 rushing attempts that went for a total of 72 yards. But they had two additional runs that went for touchdowns of 60 and 67 yards. Those are exactly the kind of “chunk plays” that Smart is talking about stopping.

But it’s not just big plays on the ground that the Georgia defense must watch for. Tech quarterback Justin Thomas has been especially effective hitting big pass plays. If teams start to sell out to stop the run, defense will leave receivers wide open. Tech has had at least one completion of 50 yards of more in four of their last five games, and five Tech players have receptions of at least 36 yards this season. The one game without a long pass play was against Virginia Tech – a game Thomas missed due to injury. It’s not just the wide receivers who can make big plays in the passing game. Running backs releasing from the backfield have had some of the biggest receptions. Tailback Clinton Lynch has had receptions of 45 yards or more in five of Tech’s eleven games. Lynch has six of Tech’s nine receiving touchdowns, and Georgia’s secondary must pay attention when he’s in the game.

Tech thrives on these big plays from both the running and passing games. They’re 20th in the nation in yards per play thanks to the ability to hit these explosive plays. They’re at 6.3 YPP for the season and 6.8 over their past three games. (Georgia, by contrast, averages 5.1 YPP this season.) As Smart said, Tech is content to take four or five yards per carry on the dive if it’s there, but limiting these explosive “chunk” plays is what could keep the score in a manageable range for Georgia.

I spent most of Saturday’s game entertaining a four-year-old at his first Georgia game, and that kind of sums up the crowd that ranged from disinterested to, well, absent. It’s unfair to the players who are expected to perform at a certain level regardless of the opponent or juice from the stands, but it was a welcome change to be a little bored at a home game. The performances of McKenzie, Chubb, and the secondary notwithstanding, you’re not going to hear this game celebrated for years to come. On the other hand, it won’t be a game like Nicholls or Vandy that will provoke nausea just by mentioning the opponent’s name.

I was expecting a close game – or at least low-scoring – game because of the identity this team has developed. That’s not a criticism; it’s just what’s come to be over the first ten games of the season:

• Georgia doesn’t push tempo. They’re content to chew clock. That lends itself to fewer possessions and plays.
• They struggle to convert scoring opportunities. The line can’t generate much of a push for power running, and the receivers aren’t built for the fade/jump balls we often see teams use close to the goal line.
• Georgia isn’t an explosive offense. They’re in the bottom third nationally at 5.1 yards per play. Georgia must often drive to get into scoring range, and it’s been tough for this team to sustain and finish drives.

All of that held true to form in the UL-L game with one big exception: Georgia scored three of their five touchdowns on explosive plays. The Dawgs averaged a solid 6.8 yards per play thanks to long scoring plays by McKenzie and Chubb. Otherwise things looked very much the same. Georgia got just seven points off of four UL-L first half turnovers. (To be fair, one of those turnovers came in the final minute of the half.) They had just one scoring drive longer than five plays: a nice 11-play, 93-yard series that really put things out of reach early in the third quarter. Georgia’s other long drives that led to scoring opportunities – an 11-play drive in the first half and an 8-play drive in the second half – ended on turnovers.

Credit McKenzie and special teams for putting Georgia in a good position very quickly. Reggie Davis had perhaps the best kickoff return of the season to open the game, and McKenzie cashed it in with fewer than 30 seconds off the clock. McKenzie then made his own special teams highlight with nice blocking once McKenzie shook free of the initial coverage. Playing with a two-touchdown lead isn’t a luxury Georgia has enjoyed often this year.

McKenzie’s touchdown run was a nice counter to a play that UL-L had surely seen a billion times on tape – the toss to Chubb. While the action went with Chubb and the toss, McKenzie went back against the action, got a block from Payne (fortunately not called for holding on the play), and had nothing but space in front of him.

That early lead was tested after Eason’s interception. Chubb and Lamont Gaillard hustled downfield to make sure a bad play didn’t turn into the kind of disastrous turnovers we saw against Nicholls. Still, UL-L had good field position, and it took some good defense and timely penalties to put UL-L in a position to have to go for it on 4th and long. The shutout was intact, at least for the moment, and Georgia soon added a third touchdown for some breathing room.

The defense did well with their discipline on the gadget plays UL-L showed. An early reverse was snuffed out by Aaron Davis with Roquan Smith in fast pursuit. Deandre Baker stayed with his man and had textbook coverage on a reverse flea-flicker not long after UL-L’s interception return.

Nice pick by the umpire on Nauta’s touchdown.

Chubb’s touchdown reception was one of the most encouraging plays of the game. Eason was staring down the slot receiver running a corner route, but it was covered. He checked down to the open Chubb, and Nick was off to the races. This outlet to the tailback has been there a lot this season (most notably on the pick six against Ole Miss), and it’s exciting to see Eason start to look at his options. It helped that he had time – pass protection was generally solid on Saturday.

UL-L’s garbage times scores only matter to Vegas and the coaches trying to develop defensive depth. What was more concerning was UL-L’s ability to get outside on running plays. Georgia didn’t hold the edge very well, and even solid tacklers like Parrish were ineffective once the runs went wide. Those plays become big gains against the option pitch. The defense also struggled to get off the field. A week after a superlative performance against Auburn, the defense allowed UL-L to convert third downs at better than 50%. Three-and-outs were rare: UL-L had only two drives without a first down. As a result, the visitors limited Georgia to only five second half possessions. Fortunately the Dawgs scored on two of those possessions to put the game away at 35-7.

Man, we needed that.

It hasn’t been an especially cheery time at Sanford Stadium lately, and it had been about a year since the last SEC home win. Georgia was in danger of going winless against SEC competition at home, and the Dawgs faced long odds to avoid a losing conference record in Kirby Smart’s first season.

For one night we got Sanford Stadium at its finest. The crowd was engaged from the awesome pregame flyover. Georgia connected on two early deep passes to give us hope that the Dawgs could move the ball. The halftime deficit was concerning, but Auburn wasn’t able to build the kind of lead that would take the crowd out of it. After Georgia equalized on Mo Smith’s pick six, the crowd was locked in.

Defense

The story of the game of course was Georgia’s defense. It cooled off Auburn’s red-hot offense by first limiting big plays in the running game and then choking off any kind of success when it became clear that the Tigers struggled to move the ball through the air. You hadn’t seen a half of defense like that since the 2011 SEC Championship game where Georgia held LSU without a first down in the first half. This time, though, the Dawgs were able to put their dominant second half together with a reasonably good first half and avoided the turnovers and special teams scores that led to a loss in that 2011 game.

Did Auburn have much to do with Georgia’s success? Sure, and that’s probably the case in any half that turns out like the second half did. Sean White was horribly inaccurate despite entering the game as one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the nation in efficieny. His health has been the subject of rumors before and since the game, but he was the quarterback Auburn chose to stick with. There were also a couple of drops, though no Georgia fan will have much sympathy there. Georgia’s pressure did its fair share to disrupt, hurry, and alter several of those incompletions.

I guess we can also thank Auburn’s coaches for insisting that 3rd-and-short was a passing down. On Auburn’s lone scoring drive, they faced 3rd-and-3 and 3rd-and-1. They ran both times and converted both en route to the touchdown. In the second half, Auburn faced 3rd (or 4th)-and-2 five times and chose to pass each time. The results were a sack and four incompletions. My analysis involves gift horses and mouths.

If Georgia tweaked one thing on defense after giving up 20+ points in each of the past two games, it was a more aggressive use of interior blitzes. Auburn’s struggling pass offense meant that Georgia could risk bringing the occasional blitz, and pressure from Roquan Smith and Reggie Carter in particular led to a pair of big third down stops.

The Smith interception was without question the turning point, but another third down stop in the first half kept Georgia in a position to win the game. Early in the second quarter Auburn had put together another promising drive immediately after their lone scoring drive. The Tigers faced a 3rd and 6 at Georgia’s 38, and a conversion would have at least placed Auburn in Daniel Carlson’s range. I think the outlook of the game changes if Auburn is able to score on consecutive possessions and open up a two-score lead. Mel Tucker called a Roquan Smith blitz up the middle, and a retreating White dumped the ball off in the backfield to Kerryon Johnson. Davin Bellamy was waiting and made a shoestring tackle for a 13-yard loss around midfield. Auburn punted. The Tigers managed just one more first down later in the quarter and never entered Georgia territory again.

Offense

It’s odd to praise an offense that, for the first time this season, didn’t score a touchdown. Had Auburn’s offense been more productive, we’d be dwelling on the invisible force that causes Georgia drives to stall around the opponent’s 30-yard line. But Auburn’s offense wasn’t more productive, and the Bulldog offense did just enough to make its own mark on the game.

The offense’s biggest contribution was in field position and time of possession. The best defense against an offense like Auburn’s is to keep it on the sideline. As much as we made about Auburn’s lack of second half first downs, Georgia posted only two three-and-outs in the game. No, it didn’t lead to many points, but being able to move the chains contributed to the team win:

1. The offense got the Bulldogs out of the few instances when they were pinned deep on their own end.
2. It allowed the Georgia defense to rest up and maintain a consistently high level of play in the second half.
3. It kept field position in Georgia’s favor even when a punt or two was shanked. Auburn’s best starting field position was its own 32 yard line. Nine of their drives started with touchbacks or inside their own 25.
4. It wore down Auburn’s defense to the point that Georgia was able to use up valuable clock on two second half drives that lasted at least 6:45 each. The Tigers had only three possessions after the 5:29 mark of the third quarter.

Georgia’s ability to spread the ball around stood out. Chubb and Michel got their share of touches of course. Entering the game you’d never have expected Georgia to gain more rushing yards than Auburn and for Chubb to be the only back over 100 yards. The offense did well to involve speedy receivers like McKenzie, Godwin, and Ridley – the end-around to Ridley was an effective play that got the ball outside into space. The Dawgs still found opportunities to connect with Nauta on a couple of nice shallow crosses.

Though we can quibble with individual play calls, the overall gameplan was solid. Georgia moved the ball, got the right people involved, and did just enough to capitalize on the amazing work of the defense. Credit Auburn and their outstanding defensive front for being good enough to disrupt several plays that looked as if they could go for big yardage. Linebacker Deshaun Davis seemed to be everywhere and had the awareness to stay with Eason on Georgia’s attempted trick play. But even a defense that’s played as well as Auburn’s can’t spend that much time on the field without it affecting them, and it was enjoyable to watch Georgia run sweep after sweep against a tired defense to salt away the fourth quarter.

The turning point that wasn’t

There was an Auburn punt with nine minutes left in the game that was about 30 seconds of pure horror. First Auburn lined up with 10 men on the punt team. They snuck an additional gunner in along the north sideline, and Georgia didn’t respond to cover up the additional player. The crowd began to stir as they saw an uncovered eligible receiver who could have walked for first down yardage (and then some.) Auburn fortunately executed a routine punt – perhaps they also didn’t recognize the opportunity.

Just as we were about over that little adventure, Georgia dodged another bullet fielding the punt. McKenzie was unable to field the ball cleanly after contact with an Auburn player, and Auburn would have been set up in a position to at least tie the game if their recovery stood. Counting on Saturday’s officials to make a call was a crapshoot, but they managed to flag the catch interference and save Georgia from another special teams disaster. The Dawgs responded with a 14-play drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock that brought us to the closing stages of the game.

The statute of limitations is up, right?

I wondered about this at the game and confirmed it on the re-watch, but it sure looked as if Eason was down with one second left on the clock. I’m probably not the only one who spent the last few minutes of the game trying to figure out how Auburn would one-up Tennessee’s finish, and the possibility of a turnover and one final play for Auburn was terrifying. I’m just surprised it wasn’t even reviewed (whether initiated by the booth or the league office we got to know in Lexington.) It took a while before I could exhale and enjoy the win.

Onward

So now with two close SEC wins under their belts, you’d hope the Dawgs could build on those and finish the season on a roll like 2007 or 2012. Does this team have such a roll in them? Each win has been a close one, and the team hasn’t shown the firepower yet to put up a big score. They’ll also be challenged to get up for a couple of noon games after a big national spotlight for Auburn, and this weekend in particular will be a test of Smart’s ability to get the team focused and just as motivated as they were for Auburn. It didn’t take long for people to start mentioning the Nicholls (let alone the Vandy) game as examples of what can happen when the team isn’t sharp. We’ll see this weekend what’s come of those close games and whether Georgia can finally put a team away.

Courtesy of Marc Weiszer:

UGA defense has had a different leading tackler each of the last six games: Rochester/Carter, Baker, Bellamy, R.Smith, Patrick, Sanders.

— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) November 10, 2016

Better news: no one on that list is a senior.

I think this is one of the first conversations with Georgia’s left tackle I’ve seen since the season started. Tyler Catalina transferred in from Rhode Island and moved right into the starting left tackle position to replace a 5* multi-year starter and NFL draft pick. It hasn’t been a smooth season, but Catalina wouldn’t trade the experience. If anything, he’d like another year to develop after adjusting to the speed of the college game at its highest level. He and his fellow linemen will face perhaps their toughest assignment of the season this weekend against Auburn’s outstanding defensive line.

I’ll say this: I’m glad Catalina is here. The circumstances that led to him starting at left tackle aren’t his fault, and he takes the heat for the consequences of Georgia having no serviceable tackles ready to go after 2015. Unless you have reason to disagree with Sam Pittman’s evaluation of his depth chart, Georgia’s line is better off (however marginal that might be) with Catalina than it would have been without him. It’s fine to be frustrated with the player when mistakes are made that have nothing to do with ability, and Catalina has certainly had his share. But as tempting as it is, I can’t apply a standard to the position that ignores why Catalina is on the field to begin with.

I came to feel the same way about Lambert last season. All he did was come in and set personal career bests in just about every area, but he was criticized for not being Aaron Murray (or even Hutson Mason.) Georgia’s quarterback recruiting and the stunted development of Ramsey wasn’t Lambert’s fault. Just as an FCS transfer stepping into the starting left tackle position tells you all you need to know about Georgia’s recruiting and development of tackles since Theus signed, the state of Georgia’s quarterback position in 2015 was exposed when Lambert earned and then maintained the starting job.

The 2015-2016 Lady Dogs season ended with a first-round NCAA Tournament exit after a 21-10 season and a 6th-place finish in the competitive SEC.

First-year coach Joni Taylor took over the program under favorable conditions. The Georgia program was slumping, but it was by no means starting from scratch. Taylor inherited a veteran-heavy team that included four returning senior starters. She was able to guide the team to a strong start and held on as two starters were lost for the year to injuries. Georgia returned to the NCAA Tournament and avoided the ignominy of becoming part of the first Georgia teams to miss consecutive postseasons in over 30 years.

With those four seniors, Taylor was essentially presiding over the end of the Andy Landers era. She made some adjustments and left no question that it was her team and program now, but there was also a strong core that had bonded for three seasons under Landers (with Taylor doing her part as an assistant.) That core is gone now, and there are only a couple of players remaining on the roster for whom Landers was the head coach longer than Taylor has been.

2016 will mark new beginnings for Taylor in several areas. On the court, it will be the first team that largely bears her imprint. She paid her dues as a rookie coach and can begin to take the program in the direction of her vision. On a personal level, Taylor and her husband welcomed their first child just eight days before the start of the season. As she spent last season learning the ropes of being a head coach, she’ll now be a rookie mom and will follow the lead of many professionals who must learn parenthood on the fly while finding the work/family balance that suits them. There is no set return date, and Taylor will likely ease back into the role. Associate Head Coach Karen Lange will be the acting head coach, and a plan for handling Taylor’s absence and gradual return to the program has been worked on for months.

Departures

In addition to the four graduated seniors (Barbee, Griffin, Hempe, and Butler), two other players are no longer with the team. Three-point specialist Amber Skidgel is now at North Georgia. Walk-on guard Hannahkohl Almire has also moved on.

The Roster

The roster features 12 players, and that’s already under the NCAA limit of 15 scholarship players. Freshman post Kortney Eisenman will never play for the team after a medical disqualification. Eisenman was a national top 20 post player and was slotted to be a likely replacement for Merritt Hempe. Two other players, 6’5″ center Bianca Blanaru and guard Taja Cole, will sit out this season as a condition of their transfers.

So that leaves Taylor with eight scholarship players and a walk-on available for 2016-2017, and only six of those are returning players.

There are three seniors on this year’s squad. But unlike last year’s team whose seniors were all multi-year starters, this senior group features a number of role players who will be asked to step into a much larger leadership role. Center Halle Washington became an occasional starter last season after Engram and Barbee were lost to injury. She’s an athletic and capable post player who has improved each season, but foul discipline has been a persistent issue. With Eisenman unavailable, Georgia needs every minute they can get out of Washington. Pachis Roberts is in her third season as a wing after transferring from Syracuse. She has the ability to play on the perimeter but also pulled down over four rebounds per game. Shanea Armbrister was a JUCO transfer who saw limited time in relief of Georgia’s starting guards. Armbrister was brought in as a perimeter threat and will be looked to for offense this year.

Georgia’s underclassmen might be more familiar to fans. Junior forward Mackenzie Engram had an impressive freshman campaign, but her sophomore season was cut short by an upper respiratory illness. Haley Clark spent the past two seasons learning the point guard position behind Marjorie Butler, and now it’s her turn to run the Georgia offense. Georgia’s lone sophomore emerged as one of the brightest new starts in the SEC last season. Forward Caliya Robinson was a SEC All-Freshman Team selection who averaged nearly 15 points per game over Georgia’s last four games. Robinson averaged 8.0 points and was the team’s third-leading rebounder despite only starting one game as a freshman. Look for her to be a focal point of Georgia’s post offense and a tough interior defender on the other end.

Georgia signed two newcomers in addition to Eisenman. Stephanie Paul was the #32-ranked prospect in the country according to Prospects Nation and should earn immediate playing time behind Georgia’s frontcourt starters. Simone Costa is a junior college transfer guard with good 5’10” size who will be asked to back up Armbrister and Clark. The team recently added a walk-on guard, Ari Henderson.

Strengths/Weaknesses

The strengths and weaknesses are fairly apparent. Washington, Engram, and Robinson form a fairly good starting frontcourt, and Georgia’s offense should look to go inside-out. The backcourt is a concern. Georgia’s 173 three-pointers were 6th-best in the SEC last season, but players no longer with the team accounted for 127 of those. Armbrister (2.2 PPG) and Clark (1.4 PPG) haven’t been big scorers. It’s possible that Roberts (7 PPG) could start as the 2-guard. As a wing she’s capable from outside and can cause mismatches for smaller guards, but she’ll also be asked to defend quicker guards on the other end. Georgia can move Roberts to small forward if substitution patterns require, and Paul will be also be part of the frontcourt rotation. Costa will be an option at either guard spot. If Armbrister doesn’t start, she’ll be quick to come in off the bench especially if Roberts has to rotate inside.

The team also looks to be stronger inside on defense. Washington and Robinson can block shots, though Washington must avoid fouls. Robinson is also a solid rebounder, but Georgia will sorely miss Barbee’s work on the glass. There’s not a ton of size available especially if Washington is on the bench. Paul should bring a good shot of toughness to the frontcourt. We just haven’t seen enough of the guards to know if they can play consistent defense for the kinds of minutes they’ll see.

Schedule

Visits from BYU and Virginia highlight the home nonconference schedule, and they’ll travel to face Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, and Oklahoma State. There’s a Thanksgiving tournament in the Bahama where the Lady Dogs will play Minnesota and either South Florida or North Carolina. None of Georgia’s nonconference opponents is currently ranked though several received votes.

The SEC slate is another story. Five of Georgia’s first seven SEC opponents earned a preseason ranking, and the Lady Dogs will face national title contender South Carolina twice during that stretch. The rotating SEC schedule means that Georgia will face South Carolina, Kentucky, and Florida twice. Home fans will get to see several quality teams: Texas A&M, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, and LSU all visit Athens.

Outlook

Given the departures, Georgia either needed a loaded group of returning players or a stellar recruiting class to not miss a beat. They don’t have either. There is some talent on the roster and a couple of promising newcomers, but the depth of a well-rounded roster isn’t there. The SEC coaches pick Georgia to finish 12th out of 14 teams, and the Lady Dogs don’t place anyone on the preseason All-SEC teams. Georgia must finish at least 10th to avoid playing in the Wednesday play-in games at the SEC Tournament, and a finish in the bottom half of the league would likely mean that Georgia misses the postseason for the second time in three years.

The future is bright: Blanaru and Cole will make instant contributions after sitting out. Georgia also has four top-100 prospects already committed to a 2017 class that’s currently rated #5 in the nation. Taylor knows that the talent level has to be raised, and we’re seeing indications that Georgia won’t be down for long. In the meantime, though, it looks like a transitional year and one in which Georgia will be considered more of a spoiler than a contender.

I don’t think this game was a corner-turn in the sense that we’ll look back and track how different things were after the Kentucky game. It was very much in character with the rest of the season: talented but flawed defense, inconsistent but occasionally brilliant QB play, a mixed bag on special teams, and an offense that went as its running game went.

What was also in character was the calmness and lack of panic with which Georgia mounted another second half comeback and a last-minute scoring drive. We’ve seen it in four games now, and Jacob Eason is developing a good reputation for his poise at the end of close games. Eason had gone through a rough 6-of-14 stretch after a decent start, but he finished the game 7-of-9 on Georgia’s fourth quarter scoring drives.

We’ve already seen the sneers about Georgia getting excited over a win against Kentucky. Had the Wildcats won, they’d have headed into their final SEC game with a puncher’s chance of winning the division. This game was billed as a meeting of two teams on opposite vectors. The Dawgs had enjoyed a win just once in the last six weeks, and they had to go on the road to face a hot team that was motivated by a realistic chance at a title. No, it wasn’t a program-changing win over a ranked rival (hopefully we can write about one of those next week.) Instead, it was a gut check after some very disappointing losses. We can talk later about how the goals for the season have changed in a bad way, but it looks at the very least as if Georgia’s bowl streak will live on.

On a related note, if you can’t smile and enjoy the sudden viral stardom of Rodrigo Blankenship, you’re taking this all too seriously. Blankenship has nailed eight field goals in the past three games, handled the gamewinner on Saturday with ease, and has all the quirkiness you’d hope for from a kicker. The win was nice, but the spontaneous over-the-top embrace of Blankenship made the win fun, and it’s a rare moment of levity in a season without many of them. Relish it.

Defense

Kirby Smart told the sideline reporter at halftime that the game would be decided by turnovers and tackling. It’s amazing then that Georgia won the game: they turned the ball over three times and had some costly missed tackles right up until Kentucky’s final goal-to-go sequence. It’s not worth singling out individuals; few defenders really distinguished themselves with their tackling. Georgia’s run defense got one of its strongest tests of the season, and it struggled at times with Kentucky’s wildcat look. The strength of the defense was the interior line – Julian Rochester ended up leading the team in tackles in relief of an injured Trenton Thompson, and Georgia’s freshmen up front were a bright spot.

The Dawgs limited a weak Kentucky passing attack to just 103 yards and 5 yards per attempt through the air. Georgia did dodge a bullet on Deandre Baker’s interception, but they generally did well once Kentucky was forced into standard passing situations. Florida’s third down conversions were a big part of their success last week (converting 9 of 18 against Georgia.) The Dawgs did much better this week limiting Kentucky to one third down conversion all game – until the final drive. The Wildcats converted twice on their long drive to tie the game.

Offense

The move of Jim Chaney to the box isn’t very interesting to me for two reasons: first, reporters have no way of interviewing him to get his perspective. Second, I still haven’t seen any adjustment, benefit, or mistake that can be attributed to the move. Yes, the offense was more balanced and productive. It also struggled to turn scoring opportunities into touchdowns. Both the good and bad were elements of the offense we’d seen all season. If they want to use the move to the box as a talisman going forward, great.

Georgia’s running game was a big part of the story all week. No one, least of all Chubb or Michel, was satisfied with the performance at Florida. We knew Georgia would redouble their efforts on the ground in Lexington, and the Wildcats had to expect it too. Early runs were hit-or-miss. It didn’t take Georgia long to surpass their Jacksonville output, but the Dawgs had trouble sustaining drives after their initial score. Kentucky had seven tackles for loss in the first half alone, leaving Georgia behind schedule on second and third downs. At one point late in the first half, 25% of Georgia’s carries had resulted in a loss.

Whether there was a scheme adjustment or just a fire lit underneath the offense, the Dawgs finished the game with 19 straight positive rushing plays. That didn’t necessarily lead to big gains – Michel’s 26-yard scoring run was the lone explosive run – but eliminating lost yardage plays kept things manageable for Georgia’s comeback. The tailbacks helped too. Brian Herrien’s lone run came in the third quarter, and he turned contact in the backfield into a modest two-yard gain. 2nd-and-8 isn’t the best, but it looks a lot better and gives you more playcalling options than 2nd-and-13.

I had started to wonder if Georgia had abandoned the run again when Eason came out firing on six straight plays early in the fourth quarter down by five points. The spread passing attack worked to move the ball inside the Kentucky 30. With the Wildcat defense on their heels after giving up chunks of yards through the air, Georgia ran Sony Michel wide between right guard and tackle. McKenzie and Ridley made good blocks downfield against defenders dropping into coverage, and Michel had enough speed to bounce outside and down the sideline for the go-ahead score. We haven’t seen the Georgia passing game work to soften up the run defense all that often, but here it worked at the best possible time.

Sony Michel’s contribution to the final drive made the win a whole lot easier. Terry Godwin’s nice run after catch along the sideline got Georgia inside the mythical field goal range, and we’ve seen a lot of teams accept that much and settle for the field goal after a couple of centering runs. Michel was able to add an extra 22 yards on 3 runs in the final minute to turn a pressure-packed attempt of 40 yards or so into a glorified extra point.

It’s no knock on Chubb, but I wouldn’t have an issue with Michel announced as a starter.

Coaching

Kirby Smart has taken some hits for clock managament this year, but the end of this one went about as well as you could hope for. It started with the defensive timeout with four minutes remaning. Smart admitted that the timeout had more to do with some freshmen out of position than slowing the Kentucky running game that had pounded its way inside the Georgia 10. Still, the Bulldog defense stiffened on the next two plays and forced a throw into the endzone on third down that was well-defended by Parrish. Georgia had two minutes and two timeouts for their winning drive, and everything from playcalling to clock management to execution was on point. It helps that there wasn’t a sack, penalty, or long third down to strain Georgia’s cool temperament, but that’s what being in command of the moment will get you.

When a sitting assistant coach uses a term like “mutiny” to describe the coaching staff at the end of the 2015 season, it’s fair to say that it was on the players to hold things together after a bad loss in Jacksonville. To their credit, they did hold things together, and Georgia closed the season winning five consecutive games despite an imploding staff that was eventually cut loose.

The cohesiveness of the staff isn’t nearly as much of an issue this year though I expect and hope that no one feels comfortable in their position after losing four of five games. But we’re back in a similar situation. The record is about the same as it was a year ago (the loss to Vanderbilt being the biggest difference.) The bye week and the Florida game didn’t provide many answers to Georgia’s woes in either 2015 or 2016.

One thing that did come out of the 2015 Cocktail Party was an identity that would serve them down the stretch. Accepting a limited role for the quarterback, Georgia leaned on Sony Michel, some wildcat plays, and strong defense to manage their way through several low-scoring games.

Though that same identity might not necessarily serve the 2016 team, once again it’s the players that are taking it on themselves to keep fighting through this midseason slide. They intended to push each other through the bye week. Michel and Chubb have every reason to be frustrated with their production, but they’re remaining positive and stepping up as leaders. Outside linebackers used a marathon gaming session to let go of the frustration and remain tight. “We’re trying as hard as we can to stay positive, and stay close to each other, and make sure nobody kind of wanders off on their own,” said senior Chuks Amaechi.

None of that is going to fix the blocking or third down defense or special teams or any of Georgia’s other problems, but it’s still good to see. To start with, if the team can find one or two answers to get them through November, it’s going to take less effort to get everyone moving in the same direction. It’s also a positive sign that the coaches aren’t losing the team and that the players haven’t packed it in. More importantly, the leaders and tone for the offseason are being identified and developed right now. A young team is learning that they have a choice about how they respond to this season.

A few wins down the stretch couldn’t hurt, either.

There was no 95-yard kick return or blocked punt or kickoff fielded on the 3. There were no explosive, back-breaking Florida plays: the Gators had no run longer than 12 yards and no reception longer than 21 yards. Georgia, for the second straight game, didn’t turn the ball over. In fact, they – once again – came out on top in turnover margin. In a game without many big highlight-worthy moments to turn the tide, Georgia’s deficiencies on the offensive line and in the punt game were more than enough to tilt things in Florida’s favor.

Sony Michel didn’t promise a win over Florida, but he was confident that we would see a more competitive game. “I guarantee this year is going to be different…I can guarantee we’re going to leave it all on the field.” He was right. Georgia led twice in the game. It was a one-possession game until late in the third quarter. I saw nothing that made me question the effort or desire of the players, especially when the game threatened to turn in an ugly way following Florida’s third quarter touchdown.

When you’re down on the coast for several days before this game, you get a lot of chances to talk with other fans about what to expect. Not many were especially high on Georgia’s chances (backed up by the volume of tickets available on the street), but almost every conversation came back to a single glimmer of hope: the opponent. Florida isn’t the ’85 Bears. They had struggled on offense at times, and if Georgia could avoid giving Florida a defensive or special teams score, anything could happen in a low-scoring game.

And that’s just what we got. The Gators were able to turn favorable field position into points, and Georgia couldn’t. The early Florida turnover led to just a field goal for the Dawgs. And though the Georgia defense generally played well, they offered little resistance on the few occasions that Florida got into the red zone. Georgia’s inability to move the chains left them unable to flip the field, and even weak offenses will do some damage given the starting field position that Florida enjoyed.

So, yes, Georgia looked more or less the same after the bye week. Just a year after the disastrous quarterback experiment, I wasn’t expecting (and hoped not to see) any radical new looks. That disappointed some people. We know by now that unless the coaches plugged Trinton Sturdivant or A.J. Green into the lineup over the bye week some of the more fundamental problems with the team weren’t going to be fixed in two weeks. That doesn’t absolve the coaches from criticism for not getting the ball to the team’s playmakers, but the game plan wasn’t going to vary much. Georgia just didn’t have the special teams to win the field position game they’d need to beat a good defense like Florida.

Eason doesn’t trust his line, and that leads to all sorts of problems. A former lineman remarked after the game that Eason’s first read was his own left tackle. In other words, before he can begin to read his defensive keys, he has to first figure out if he’s going to be upright long enough to even get into the play that was called. Eason has had to develop some sharp self-preservation skills, and it’s to his credit (or just plain luck) that he was able to hold onto the ball on a few of the shots he took. But that distrust also leads to poor decisions even when the protection is adequate. Eason has rushed throws, missed receivers open for bigger plays, and gotten into some questionable mechanical habits because he senses pressure that isn’t there.

Georgia’s lone productive drive featured some great improvisation by Eason and his receivers. As a result there’s been some postgame chatter wondering whether the offense would be more productive if Eason were given more freedom to improvise and take more risks. I don’t know that the staff is all that willing to go that route especially with the presence of two great tailbacks. Zero turnovers in the last two games has been a welcome development, but is it an indication that an offense that’s averaged 13 points in those two games is trading some production for risk management?

The defense played a decent game. After giving up 418 and 258 yards on the ground in the previous two Cocktail Parties, the Dawgs held the Gators to 100 rushing yards and 2.1 yards per carry. Granted, this isn’t the strongest backfield Florida has ever fielded, but they still average over 170 yards per game. More impressive to me was not allowing a carry over 12 yards.

With some good rushing attacks ahead in coming weeks, there is one quibble with the run defense. You’d like to see more tackles closer to or behind the line of scrimmage. Even when Georgia was able to stuff Florida’s runs, the runs still often resulted in about three yards gained thanks in large part to a good push from the Florida line. Kirby Smart long ago identified size on the defensive line as a concern, and this is where that deficiency manifests itself. Even with good tackling, run fits, and other fundamentals under control, there’s no substitute for being able to push back against a big offensive line. As Georgia’s #13 rushing defense is tested in November, keep an eye on the line of scrimmage to see if the line can do a better job with the initial push.

As weak as the Georgia offense was, Florida wasn’t much better. The big difference, and the one significant blight on Georgia’s defense, was Florida’s ability to convert 9 third downs (and one fourth down.) That was enough to finish off a couple of scoring drives and, just as important, helped Florida establish the field position advantage that would set up those scoring drives.

Isaiah McKenzie spoke yesterday about the 4th-and-1 against Vanderbilt and his overall role in the offense. The play didn’t fail because of anything he did or didn’t do, but he still dwells on it and can’t wait for an opportunity for redemption. I hope he gets it.

McKenzie’s production in both the passing and rushing attacks has been a big part of Georgia’s success this season. As opponents tighten up the box around the line of scrimmage to snuff out Georgia’s tailbacks, McKenzie has been effective on jet sweeps. He’s found the going tougher thanks to increased attention from defenses, and hopefully that can open things up for other skill players.

But as McKenzie’s role in the offense has taken off this year, his production on special teams has dropped off a cliff. McKenzie had a punt return of 55 yards early in the third quarter of the Nicholls game which led to a field goal. Since that game, McKenzie has a total of 45 return yards with no single return longer than 16 yards.

• Missouri: 2 ret for 25 yds (16 long)
• Ole Miss: 1 ret for 8 yds (8 long)
• Tennessee: 1 ret for 13 yds (13 long)
• SC: 0 ret for 0 yds
• Vanderbilt: 3 ret for -1 yds (4 long)

That loss of production in the return game is arguably more important than what McKenzie brings to the offense. Though he’s a valuable option on offense, Georgia has other ways to get yards running and passing. Few are able to match what he can do on returns. It’s not necessarily on McKenzie. We’ve seen some unconventional punters with different kicking styles that make returning bouncing balls difficult or unwise. The punt return unit on the whole hasn’t done much to distinguish itself from the rest of Georgia’s special teams.

Still, it was as if we were watching someone else field punts against Vanderbilt, and it hasn’t been anywhere near the same Human Joystick since the fumbled punt return that let Nicholls back in the game. McKenzie has always been one to take a few risks that made you hold your breath, but his hesitancy and lack of confidence in which punts to field and which to let go has all but neutralized one of Georgia’s few special teams advantages. With hidden yards potentially so meaningful against a good Florida defense, there are few specific things Georgia is more capable of doing to turn the game than for McKenzie to have a big play in the return game. The Gators are 84th in the nation in punt return defense, giving up 8.54 yards per return.

This post by Senator Blutarsky last week really resonated, and since we’ve come off a bye week we’ve had nothing but time to think about it. Even once you get past the obvious response (winning is more fun than losing), the “chore” description still seems apt. The tie-in to last season is especially appropriate and helps frame how even a 10-win season in 2015 could struggle to move the needle.

Homecoming has always meant a little more to me, and I wondered after last Saturday’s game just what playing at home has meant lately. Georgia’s performance at Sanford Stadium over the past year has left a lot to be desired and, at least for me, has led to many of the sentiments evoked by Blutarsky’s post. Even as we’re asked to do and give more as fans, we haven’t had a lot to cheer about.

There have been eight home games since we celebrated a rout of South Carolina and sent Steve Spurrier riding off into the sunset. Over that stretch the Dawgs are 2-3 at home against SEC opponents and needed second half comebacks to edge past Georgia Southern and Nicholls.

(Sep. 26, 2015) Southern: A rainy day remembered for a tragic injury. Georgia didn’t put the game away until the second half, and the visiting band might’ve been the highlight of the day.

(Oct. 3, 2015) Alabama: Moving along…

(Oct. 17, 2015) Missouri: A 9-6 horror show. Until Eason hit Nauta in the third quarter of last Saturday’s game, Georgia would go six quarters without a Homecoming touchdown.

(Nov. 7, 2015) Kentucky: A clean and business-like 27-3 win was one of the few breathers Georgia had in the last two months of the 2015 season and was arguably the standout of this group of games.

(Nov. 21, 2015) Ga. Southern: Ho boy. A fumble return early in the second half flipped the script in this game and had Georgia playing from behind just to get to overtime.

(Sep. 10, 2016) Nicholls: The Dawgs needed a late 3rd-down conversion to clinch a sleepy win over an average FCS team.

(Oct. 1, 2016) Tennessee: A rare objectively entertaining game for a national audience, but the home team gave up a 17-point lead and lost despite retaking the lead with 10 seconds remaining.

(Oct. 15, 2016) Vanderbilt: Georgia’s first Homecoming loss since 2006. A typical noon crowd was taken out of it right from the opening kickoff.

The good news? Georgia has three more home games this year and two big opportunities against rivals to recapture some homefield advantage. Beating Auburn and Tech at home is always good for morale. The risk of course is if Georgia continues their lackluster play Between the Hedges. Kirby Smart has done plenty of work to lay a foundation for rebuilding the program, but he’ll still need some degree of success in front of the home crowd to avoid having to work against a disengaged or even adversarial fan base.

Georgia and South Carolina were able to get their game in this weekend, but LSU and Florida still have business to attend to. While it’s still a possibility that the game won’t be played at all, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey maintains that “it’s important to play that game.” The sticking point of course is finding a date that works for both programs, and that’s where Georgia’s name surfaced over the weekend.

Usually I’d dismiss this idea without a second thought, but when it’s coming from someone in the SEC office we have to pay a little more attention. From ESPN:

An SEC official told the Baton Rouge Advocate on Friday that two dates are on the table for a makeup game: Oct. 29 and Nov. 19. … Playing Oct. 29 would require Florida to sacrifice its open date on Oct. 22 and instead play Georgia a week early and LSU the next Saturday. LSU also would lose its open date that weekend prior to the Alabama game the following Saturday.

The November date isn’t without its own pain: it would require both teams to compensate non-conference opponents and might also move the LSU @ Texas A&M game scheduled for Thanksgiving Day (Thursday Nov. 24th) to be pushed back a few days to Saturday. Florida would have to give up a relatively easy game in advance of their traditional rivalry game with FSU.

This is where you’d expect Georgia’s administration to send a very clear signal to the league about October 29th. Seth Emerson was able to catch up with Greg McGarity at the South Carolina game for comment. McGarity was skeptical of the idea, but he also wouldn’t (or couldn’t) say that moving the GA/FL game was off the table.

If you need reasons why McGarity and Jere Morehead should be out in front against this plan, start with this list:

• Georgia has already taken a scheduling hit due to the storm. They’d be the only SEC team that would have to reschedule two games to their own disadvantage.
• Georgia would be playing the game without having had their scheduled bye week. This past weekend wasn’t exactly a bye for the Gators, but they didn’t play either.
• As McGarity pointed out, the Jaguars have a home game on October 23rd. EverBank Field would have to be reconfigured in a day including the removal of 15,000 temporary seats.
• This isn’t a typical road game where some hotel rooms have to be re-shuffled. It’s a destination game for both Georgia and Florida fans, many of whom have put down nonrefundable deposits on their travel arrangements for at least two or three nights. Fans of both Georgia and Florida stand to lose money with no restitution if the game is rescheduled.
• Most importantly, the northeast Florida coast just took a hit from a major hurricane. Asking the area to regroup to host a major regional event in three weeks is going to be asking a lot, let alone two weeks. The GA/FL game is always a big economic shot in the arm to areas in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia that depend on tourism, and moving the game would greatly diminish the number of people who travel, how long they stay, and how much they spend.
• If playing in Jacksonville is too difficult, blowing the whole thing up and playing the game on campus is an even worse idea that won’t be palatable to either team or their partners in Jacksonville.

If there’s even a small chance of this option being considered, the Georgia program needs to be unequivocally opposed to it, and it wouldn’t hurt to reassure Georgia fans with a stronger public statement.

While the running game was the big beneficiary of Georgia’s adjustments on offense against Tennessee, one other consequence was the role of the tight ends. The position was limited anyway by an injury to Charlie Woerner, but the wider formations meant a lot less of the three-TE sets favored when Georgia attempted to establish a power running game earlier in the year. It seemed as if the tight ends were more involved thanks to Nauta’s productive game and big score, but Smart chuckled at a question about the position’s role in the Tennessee game. “I thought they were used less (against Tennessee). We had less tight ends on the field.”

The tights ends did have a place in the spread formations: tight ends were often kept in tight to block or – as on Nauta’s TD reception – release down the middle of the field, but they also occasionally lined up as the outermost receiver with a wide receiver in the slot. That look forced Tennessee to either cover the split TE with a cornerback (creating a size mismatch) or move a bigger defender over from the middle of the field (reducing the number of defenders in the box.) It just meant that we saw a lot more one and two-TE sets rather than three at a time required by some of the tight formations. “We had less tight ends on the field than we’ve had in previous weeks,” explained Smart.

Even as the coaches consider changes to open up the running game and get the most out of the talent at tailback, they still have to weigh the tradeoff of fewer snaps for the offense’s other deep and talented position group. Smart concluded, “We’ve got to continue to use those guys because they’re good blockers and they give us an opportunity to do more things. They create problems for the defense, too.”

We got the good news on Monday that Nick Chubb was not expected to be limited at practice this week and should be available for the next game. There’s been nothing to suggest a setback after three days of practice, so we should expect to see much more of #27 if and when the next game is played.

How much more we’ll see of Chubb is a question that seems pointless to consider. “As much as possible” is the answer, right? While concluding that the “Bulldogs didn’t miss Chubb” against Tennessee is stretching things a bit, it’s reasonable that a different approach to offense might suit some backs more than others. Sony Michel’s shiftiness got him through the spaces created by a shift from the tight formations we saw earlier in the season to a more spread look against Tennessee. If Georgia has settled on a spread look as a way to scheme around teams stacking the box against the run, will the distribution of carries change to get more touches for Michel?

That’s not to say that Chubb is only effective as a straight-ahead power runner. He’s a very well-rounded back who can be devastating on outside runs. Some of his most iconic runs have been toss sweeps to the right side. He’s not just an I-formation guy either: Chubb’s lone moment of glory against Alabama in 2015 came from a spread formation with only six defenders in the box.

We’ve yet to see a healthy Chubb featured in a gameplan similar to the one that led to 181 yards last week. When we do, we’ll get a much better sense of how productive he can be relative to Michel and the other backs. I expect he’ll be fine and just as able to take advantage of the fewer defenders crowding the line.