Georgia football: Grading the Bulldogs after their win over Austin Peay

Everyone expected No. 3 Georgia to completely dominate FCS foe Austin Peay in its season opener Saturday at Sanford Stadium, and that’s exactly what happened. The Bulldogs scored on their first six possessions and won easily, 45-0.

The game did very little to show how ready the Bulldogs will be for their SEC opener next week at South Carolina. It’s a shame these mismatches have to be played, but it did.

Here’s what I liked, and what I didn’t like:

What I liked

Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift are totally in sync: Two things we learned last year from these guys was that they were wise beyond their years. As freshmen, Fromm played calm and cool all year and Swift not only ran well but also was a huge threat out of the backfield. That chemistry was obvious early in the opener, with Swift rushing 8 times for 43 yards and catching 4 passes for 33 more.

Playing at a faster pace, Fromm always knew where to find Swift.  “As far as playing fast, that’s a huge asset to our team,” Fromm said. “That’s something we do pretty well. Any time we go fast, it’s nice and easy. Dink-and-dunk and get the playmakers the ball.”

Big plays are part of the Georgia arsenal: Granted, the opponent was overmatched, but it was nice to see the Bulldogs’ speedsters break big plays. Demetris Robertson, the transfer from Cal, broke free on a 72-yard run, Mecole Hardman scored on a 59-yard pass play from Fromm and freshman running back James Cook had runs of 36 and 26 yards when he finally got his chance in the second half.

Justin Fields is impressive enough in his Georgia debut: The highly touted freshman quarterback came in on Georgia’s fourth possession early in the second quarter and led the Dawgs to scores on his first two possessions. He returned in the second half and probably didn’t do enough to change the QB pecking order, but he was very solid for his first game. He completed 7 of 8 passes for 63 yards and a score and ran well, picking up 33 yards on three carries.  “I thought both of us put the team in good situations,” Fromm said of the quarterbacks.

What I didn’t like

James Cook getting suspended for a targeting penalty: Kirby Smart loves using his running backs on punt coverage, so Cook was out there. He clobbered Deangelo Wilson, who had called for a fair catch but Cook didn’t see it. He was called for targeting, which means he’ll miss the first half of Saturday’s huge SEC opener at South Carolina.  “Whether it was a fair catch or not, he needs to break down and never lead with the head,” Smart said.

Austin Peay couldn’t compete at all with Georgia: Scheduling FCS foes shouldn’t happen, but it does. It was clear from the beginning that Austin Peay had no chance of playing with No. 3 Georgia. The Bulldogs scored on their first six possessions and the yardage disparity was a massive 508-152.  Does a game like this really help the Dawgs get better, pushing around such an inferior foe? I doubt it, other than getting the first-game butterflies out of the way prior to the South Carolina trip.

Anything else? I’ve got nothing: That’s how dominant Georgia was, so dominant that it was hard to find anything to nit-pick about. Here’s two stretches. One, Smart was a little grumpy after the win. “We’ve got to grow up and we’ve got to grow up fast, because the team that’s ahead of us is not easy,” Smart said. That’s coach-speak for having nothing to say after a rout. And two, I get shortening the fourth quarter to 10 minutes in a rout, but what about all those end-of-the-roster guys who have worked their butts off for months? Shouldn’t they have had a chance to get in 10 plays or so themselves? Like I said, I’ve got nothing.

Tom Brew

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist and author who is covering SEC football for Saturday Down South.