Georgia’s defense dominated teams in 2021. In 2022, it will be looking for more of the same, but also hoping that its offense can take the next step.

The Bulldogs scored 39.4 points per game, 2nd in the conference. That’s a jump from 32.3 points per game in 2020, the first year in Georgia for offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and a 30.8 output in 2019. But they were 6th in the SEC in passing yards last year while finishing 9th in rushing.

During a press availability on Thursday, Monken pushed back on assertions that his offensive philosophy is at odds with that of head coach Kirby Smart when it comes to “opening things up”.

“I’m paid to score, I’m not paid to win. That’s part of that…to score, but I’m also paid to be responsible to winning, and so there’s a big part of that where they think that Kirby dictates what we do on offense,” Monken said. “No, he dictates that we be smart. He dictates that we be explosive, and that we utilize our personnel and do everything in our power to win games for the University of Georgia, and that’s what we should be doing.”

Monken, who is known for his air raid offenses, discussed the importance of a strong running game in order to win.

“You can’t control the game if you can’t run the ball comfortably,” he said. “You can have a bunch of statistics that make it look better, make you feel better, but if you can’t run the ball comfortably, you can’t win the game, and that’s from a guy who wants to throw it.”