What We Learned During 2023 Season About Georgia
The University of Georgia Bulldogs finished sixth in the final CFP Rankings prior to the CFP playoff. The (12-1) SEC Eastern division champs were a 3-point loss to rival Alabama away from competing for a third national title in as many years, a feet that hasn't been done in college football since the 1930s. That three-peat will stand by the Minnesota Golden Gophers as the Dawgs could not get the job done in 2023. That being said, there was plenty to take away from the season... plenty to learn from.
What We Learned From 2023 Season
Quarterback Got Developed
Quarterback is a position unlike any other from a preparation standpoint. Most other positions, particularly at Georgia, rotate. You have a multitude of guys bouncing in and out of the lineup throughout any given Saturday, not at quarterback. The guy is the guy, and everyone else is usually left to develop independently.
Carson Beck stepped in year one as a starter and completed a UGA-record 72% of his passes. He led an offensive unit that finished 2nd in the country in 3rd-down conversion rates. He was ready to play Power5 football at an exceptionally clean and efficient level. That's something that not only he should receive credit for, but the program should as well. He hit the ground running after not having played contact football in four calendar years.
Attrition Final Hit the Front
"They don't have a Jalen Carter disruptor." Georgia fans who are reading this heard it all off-season and it ultimately played a major role in the one loss. Georgia's interior defensive line was rolled against Alabama and with an inability to get off the field on critical downs as well as impact the quarterback instantly, you saw this defense fail to make stops they'd almost become accustomed to in years past. It was the defensive back corps, the linebackers were still all world, but for the first since the middle of 2018 when Jordan Davis began starting for Georgia, they were without a first-rounder on the interior of the defensive line and it was felt.
Dec 2, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers (19) attempts to make a catch against Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Trey Amos (9) during the second half in the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Injury & General Luck Still Play a Role
It was unlucky that Georgia's one loss came late in the year by three points and that one loss was enough to keep the two-time champ out of the playoff. That's luck that perhaps you won't need moving forward in terms of getting into the 12-team playoff. However, the injury bug crushed Georgia this season. The Bulldogs were without Brock Bowers, Amarius Mims, and Ladd McConkey for extended periods of time this season and even when they were on the field, they were limited. It was a constant season of nagging injuries and things that hampered the Dawgs chances, something that won't be going by the wayside any time soon.
Other Georgia News:
- Georgia Would Be Favored Against the Two National Championship Contenders
- Georgia Finishes Fourth in Final AP Rankings
- BREAKING: OL Tate Ratledge Returning to Georgia For 2024 Season
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