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Georgia looks to right things as a once-promising season slips away
By John Hollis
Published:
Limping into Jacksonville with losses in two of its previous three games and major question marks on offense and special teams wasn’t exactly how Georgia envisioned itself coming into its annual showdown with Florida prior to the season’s start.
But that’s where coach Mark Richt and the Bulldogs find themselves as they get ready for Saturday’s game at EverBank Field with the 11th-ranked Gators. Once considered by many to be a good bet to win the SEC East and contend for both the league title and a berth in the College Football Playoff, the Dawgs find themselves at a potentially decisive crossroads that could determine whether they might even have a good season, let alone a great one.
A win over their southern rivals would go a long ways toward erasing the sting of the consecutive losses to Alabama and Tennessee, and the ugliness of the 9-6 win over Missouri on Oct. 17. More importantly, it would give Georgia the inside track in the race to reach Atlanta. It’s very unlikely, but winning the SEC championship could still land the Dawgs in the four-team playoff.
But addressing some major issues on offense and special teams is first required before any of that can happen. Georgia’s offensive problems can directly be attributed to its dismal ranking of 109th in third down conversions. The inability to consistently sustain drives is somewhat understandable given the loss of tailback Nick Chubb to season-ending knee injury at Tennessee on Oct. 10, but the Dawgs still have more than enough talent returning to have expected better.
A veteran offensive line that returned four starters from last year’s unit that helped Georgia chew up nearly 260 yards per game to lead the SEC is yet to perform as expected, and the Bulldogs running game has suffered as a result.
Quarterback Greyson Lambert has likewise been wildly inconsistent and is yet to appear comfortable attacking the field vertically as the Bulldogs rank 77th nationally in passing offense.
The conservative play-calling from first-year offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer hasn’t helped things, but it’s likely more an indictment of how Schottenheimer feels overall about his stable of quarterbacks, especially following the loss of Chubb.
Special teams have been anything but in Athens this season as the Dawgs rank a paltry 125th in kickoff returns (15.6 yards per return), tied for 96th in yards per punt (39.5) and 92nd in red zone conversions, thanks in part to the relative struggles of kicker Marshall Morgan, who is just 9 of 13 this year. Morgan, an honorable mention All-SEC pick a year ago, has hit on just 1 of 3 tries of at least 40 yards.
The Dawgs are hoping the nightmare gets no worse on Halloween.
John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.
