3 takeaways from Georgia's season-opening win over UT-Martin
Georgia cruised to a Week 1 win over UT-Martin Saturday night, routing the Skyhawks 48-7.
It was a slow offensive start from the Bulldogs, but they began to figure things out in the second half to put up some big points.
Here are some takeaways from Georgia’s first game of the 2023 campaign:
Georgia’s defense is good, but might not be as dominant as 2022 team
The Bulldogs defense was the highlight of their 2022 national championship team.
Through one game of the 2023 season, there weren’t any indicators that the Bulldogs’ defense has the same firepower as it did a year ago.
Though they kept the Skyhawks out of the endzone until the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs gave up 126 rushing yards and 128 passing yards. For context, Georgia gave up 173 passing yards and 140 rushing yards to a much better Oregon team in last year’s season opener.
Of course it’s difficult to judge a defense by one game, but the Bulldogs did not prove to be on par with last year’s defense on Saturday night.
Carson Beck, Bulldogs offense had a slow start, but clicked in the second half
Georgia’s 17-point first half had some fans worried about the state of the Bulldogs’ offense.
Georgia fans on the offense so far tonight…. https://t.co/J57tExHYcB pic.twitter.com/7Ebr8UcsfP
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) September 3, 2023
Carson Beck wasn’t connecting with receivers as he began getting comfortable and Georgia’s drives ended with punts more than the Bulldogs probably expected.
Georgia turned it around in the second half and began clicking well.
In the 3rd quarter, the Bulldogs had as many touchdowns as it did in the first half. Carson Beck ended up having a respectable debut with 294 passing yards and a passing touchdown. He also took one in on the ground.
While Georgia relied heavily on the pass game, Bulldogs’ running backs Kendall Milton and Roderick Robinson combined for over 100 rushing yards.
In the 4th quarter, Georgia’s second string came in and tacked on a pair of touchdowns.
Now that Beck has his first game behind him, the junior quarterback should be well adjusted and ready for Georgia’s Week 2 matchup against Ball State.
Mike Bobo faces criticism after debut, but fans should be hopeful
Georgia’s new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo got slammed by fans after the Bulldogs’ poor offensive start, slamming Bobo’s play-calling decisions.
Mike Bobo Play Calling right now: pic.twitter.com/169rVTAOOl
— Trey (@Trey2Triggerr) September 2, 2023
But fans should hold their criticism for now.
Just a season ago, the Bulldogs scored just 33 points in a win against Samford early in the season and then went on to win the national championship.
Georgia fans shouldn’t raise the banner just yet, but not beating a team by 50+ points in your first game of the year is far from the worst way you can start a season.