Is There Something Wrong With Georgia Football?

Is there something wrong with Georgia football?

That question has been on the minds of many Bulldog fans since the start of the season. From the outside looking in, that is a fair question to ask. Halfway through the 2024 season, Georgia hasn’t been able to put a complete game together. There have been multiple games where it took the offense a couple of quarters to get going. There have also been multiple games where the defense had 10+ missed tackles, which is very uncharacteristic for a Kirby Smart coached team. Just as surprising, there have been instances on offense and defense where players just looked out of sync.

Georgia scored 28 points in the second half of its opener after having just a 6-3 lead at halftime of its contest against Clemson in Atlanta. The real questions started the week after the Tennessee Tech game. The Georgia offense struggled to get anything going against a stout Kentucky defensive line, but still squeaked by the Wildcats 13-12.

Next came the Alabama game, where the Crimson Tide had their way with the Georgia defense in the first 20 minutes, taking a 28-0 lead in their first conference game without Nick Saban at the helm. The Dawgs were almost able to pull off the miraculous comeback, eventually falling to Alabama by a score of 41-34. Auburn is always a tough matchup, but Hugh Freeze is still trying to turn things around for the Tigers. Georgia won the game by a score of 31-13.

The Bulldogs were able to get things going early on offense against Mississippi State, taking a 27-10 lead into halftime. The problem? Georgia’s defense had some coverage lapses that led to explosive plays for the other Bulldogs. Those busted coverages contributed to Mississippi State scoring 21 points in the second half. The game never seemed to be in jeopardy, and Georgia secured a 41-31 victory. They also secured another week of questions from both fans and the media.

So what’s going on with this team? What is happening? Kirby Smart is still the coach. Coordinators Mike Bobo and Glenn Schumann are back as well. Carson Beck returned at quarterback, and the Bulldogs still have one of the most talented rosters in the nation. All should be well, right? 

Those decorated coaches and players didn’t just suddenly forget how to do their jobs. This is the same program that won two straight national championships and was three points away from making the playoffs last season.

I submit to you that there is nothing wrong with this UGA football program. There isn't a talent issue in Athens, and there isn't a coaching issue, but there has been a lot of transition. With that transition comes some of the inconsistencies we have seen.

This is a team that has been in more transition at the beginning of the season than a lot of fans may want to admit. The Dawgs lost eight players to the NFL draft this past year, with four more departed players signing contracts as undrafted free agents. Yes, Carson Beck returned as the starting quarterback and a Heisman trophy contender. Georgia also lost 1,671 yards rushing from the backfield when Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton moved onto the NFL. They also lost 1,727 receiving yards with three of Georgia’s top five receivers (Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey, and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint) all playing in the NFL this season. It didn’t help matters when starting WR Rara Thomas was dismissed from the team this offseason. 

That’s just the offensive side of the ball. Georgia also lost three of their top seven leading tacklers from 2023. Tykee Smith, Javon Bullard, and Kamari Lassiter headed to the NFL, and Jamon Dumas-Johnson transferred to Kentucky.

That is a lot of production to lose, but it is important to understand that Georgia also lost a lot of leadership. All three of the defensive backs mentioned above are already starting in the NFL. Malaki Starks is just as talented or even more talented than these former Dawgs, but he has now been thrust into a much larger leadership role. CJ Allen, Smael Mondon, and Raylen Wilson received more playing time towards the end of last season, but Dumas-Johnson was still the vocal leader of the group. He was there everyday at practice to help lead and keep the group focused. The defensive line lost talented players like Zion Logue, but they returned the most leadership of any position group on defense.

Offenses are always going to look to the quarterback as the leader of the unit and one of the biggest leaders on the team. I believe Carson Beck did a good job taking on more of a leadership role last season, but he also had a lot of help. Some led by example like Brock Bowers, while others were outspoken. One of the biggest losses from last year is center Sedrick Van Pran. The three-year starter was the outspoken leader of the team. Tate Ratledge was taking on more of that role this season, but has been injured since the first-half of the Kentucky game.

"But this is Georgia, we don’t regroup, we reload!"

Many fans will echo the refrain above. This is true, and some of the underclassmen who are now starting may even be more physically talented than the players that left. Despite that, many fans underestimate how important it is to have strong player leadership within a football program. Georgia fans need to give these “new guys” time to move into and embrace these new leadership roles. The Bulldogs still have plenty of talent in the receiver room. Dominic Lovett will play on Sundays, but he’s only in his second season with UGA. Leading rusher Trevor Etienne is in his first and likely only year with the program. He had to come in and earn respect before trying to take command and lead. You always want your center to be in command of the offensive line, but that doesn’t just automatically happen before the first game of the season. Jared Wilson had to be given a chance to move into that role, and of course he has been injured. As mentioned above, the new outspoken team leader (Ratledge) has been injured. Oscar Delp was thrust into the spotlight, as the heir apparent to Brock Bowers. Nobody in their right mind would want that role, but Delp has faced the scrutiny that comes with playing TE at UGA. He needs to be allowed time to move into that role. Beck is the main player left on offense and now looked upon to be the senior leader of the rest of the leaders. He also needed to be allowed time to embrace that role.

It’s not a coincidence that the most consistent group on defense has been the senior-laden defensive line. Nazir Stackhouse and Mykel Williams have the Georgia defensive line playing at a pretty high level, despite Williams suffering an injury in the opener. Of course they can improve, but they have been playing well. Smael Mondon came into the season as the most experienced player in the linebacker room and is now injured. As mentioned above, Starks has all of the talent in the world. Last year he was able to react and play ball, but he has been thrust into more spotlight this season. He is often seen getting the defense set and making sure his teammates know their responsibilities. He too needed time to master that responsibility. Jalon Walker has transitioned from a third down edge rush machine to a team leader in his time in Athens.

All of that transition has been happening with four new assistant coaches on the staff. Yes, they get paid a lot of money to get things right and make it happen quickly, but this also doesn’t just happen automatically. It’s no secret that the most questions and frustrations so far this season have come from receivers dropping passes and DB’s blowing coverages in the secondary. This doesn’t mean new receivers coach James Coley and new secondary coaches Donte Williams and Travaris Robinson aren’t good coaches. They too should be allowed some time to transition into their new roles. Yes, they had spring and fall practices, but some of things can’t be known until you’re playing against other teams in the fall. We’d be remiss not to mention Will Muschamp’s role change. He is still in the facility throughout the week as an analyst, but what were his responsibilities on Saturdays? How much did his absence change for defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann?

This piece isn’t meant to downplay how inconsistent Georgia has been at times this season, and it isn’t meant to make excuses for any players or coaches. They all get paid to do their jobs and the ultimate factor in determining how successful they are is the team’s win/loss record. I can guarantee you they were just as or more disappointed than anyone else to have the program’s 42-game regular season win streak ended. 

These Dawgs are 5-1 with a No. 5 ranking in the country. Every goal for this 2024 team is still on the table. The Bulldogs still have a chance to play for a SEC Championship and make the playoffs. The open ended question is how much time does UGA need to get everyone playing at their best consistently? Everyone in Bulldog Nation hopes the answer is six games. Saturday will be the ultimate test to determine if this team is ready to take that next step. If the Georgia Bulldogs can take care of the top ranked Texas Longhorns on the road, then they will once again be talked about around the country as a favorite to win it all.

If this Bulldogs squad can finally put together a complete game this season, I think they can beat the Longhorns. If they can’t, then the team with the toughest schedule in the nation will have to win against Florida, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Georgia Tech to feel secure about their chances of making the 12-team playoff field. 

Photo courtesy of UGAA