Throughout the 2022 season, Georgia has experienced mostly highs but a handful of lows as well. Most have come in the form of injuries, which have, at times, held the Bulldogs back from being as complete a team as they could be.
Receiver AD Mitchell’s absence has had a clear impact on Georgia’s passing game, although Ladd McConkey, Kearis Jackson and Darnell Washington have offset his absence in recent weeks. Linebacker Nolan Smith was lost for the season before the Bulldogs faced Tennessee, which felt like a critical blow to an already pass rush-deficient defense going into a game against one of the nation’s best offenses.
There have been others. But none — so far — has been able to derail Georgia’s season.
As we head into the final weeks of the regular season, the SEC Championship Game and, likely, the College Football Playoff, these are the players I’m thinking about most.
These are the names I think are most irreplaceable in Georgia’s pursuit of a 2nd consecutive national title.
QB Stetson Bennett IV
It’s crazy to think of the transformation here. He was a feel-good story a year ago and an underrated but also overperforming quarterback at the beginning of this season.
Now, he’s thought of as one of the best signal-callers in America, and that’s exactly what he is. You can remove all pretense.
It’s clear that Bennett is at the top of his game, even with 2 unlucky interceptions a week ago against Mississippi State. He’s playing his best against good competition. He’s converting more passes near the end zone. The playbook has expanded, and there’s really not a play in there that Bennett can’t run.
None of that is really what makes him so vital, however. Backup Carson Beck is a fine passer, maybe better than Bennett. I think Georgia has itself a really good starting quarterback when Beck likely takes over the offense in 2023.
But right now, Bennett is the Georgia offense because of his experience, his leadership and the athleticism that makes him just as likely to beat you with his legs as with a 40-yard pass.
There was a viral clip from the win last Saturday in which Bennett broke a defender’s ankles on the way to a rushing touchdown, his 7th of the season. It wasn’t the first time he had done that, either. Remember his score against South Carolina?
Bennett has come so far from his time as a backup, fill-in and bus driver. He’s a bona fide quarterback, and his presence is the single biggest reason this offense continues to hum along as one of the best in the country.
DT Jalen Carter
We’ve seen this defense with Carter, and we’ve seen it without him. And you know what? I think the Dawgs need Carter.
This isn’t to say Georgia can’t win a national title without its massive defensive tackle, but it’d be pretty stinkin’ difficult. Everything takes a step backward without No. 88 on the field — the run defense, the pass rush, a quarterback’s ability to extend plays, complete passes and put Georgia’s defense on its back foot.
Carter may have only 2 sacks this season, 1 each in the past 2 weeks. But the defense has noticeably taken a step forward since he has gotten healthy.
Carter got banged up in the opener against Oregon, and he was affected for the next month. He had a tackle against Samford and 2 against South Carolina, missed the game against Kent State and had 1 tackle against Missouri before suffering another injury, this time an MCL.
Consider those games he missed or was limited in:
- The Dawgs allowed 15-of-22 passing for 188 yards and a 56-yard touchdown pass against Kent State. Not earthshattering numbers, but the game definitely had Georgia concerned going into the 4th quarter.
- Against Missouri — in a game the Dawgs nearly lost — the defense allowed 20-of-32 passing for 192 yards and 1 touchdown. The Tigers had passes of 36 and 46 yards and runs of 63 and 28 yards. They did not turn the ball over.
- Auburn had just 1 play to speak of, but it was a 62-yarder — another big play against a defense that had appeared incredibly stingy early in the season.
In the past 2 games with Carter healthy, the defense has once again been a terror. Carter has a pair of sacks and a number of hurries, and the unit as a whole appears to be playing better front to back.
Tennessee, which has averaged 51 points per game in its 9 wins, scored just 13 against the Dawgs. Mississippi State’s high-powered passing attack was relatively quiet.
The defense is good without Carter. With Carter, it is elite. And it may need to be elite down the stretch in order to win it all.
TE Brock Bowers
Bennett makes the offense tick, but it sure is nice to have an elite weapon like Bowers.
If the Dawgs were forced to remove Bowers from the equation, they could probably make do with Washington, who has turned into an elite tight end in his own right. But Bowers simply takes this offense to another level — a level Georgia needs to continue to play at in the season’s final games.
You don’t really need to hear all of his accomplishments, but I’ll tell you anyway:
- 39 receptions for 615 yards and 4 touchdowns.
- 3 rushing touchdowns.
- He can beat defenses with speed, route running, hands or blocking.
- He sets the tone in the passing game. Once Bennett connects with Bowers, you can watch the offense settle into a groove in real time.
Bowers is the most versatile player in college football. Period.
And while Georgia can probably still score points without him, it isn’t among the country’s best. With him, you can trust the team to go into a shootout with the nation’s best offenses like Ohio State (or a potential rematch with Tennessee) and be able to match the opponent blow for blow.
Honorable mention
A few other players who would be difficult to account for should Georgia lose them: DB Christopher Smith, LB Smael Mondon Jr., OL Tate Ratledge, OL Broderick Jones.
