What Georgia Needs to Fine-Tune Before Next Week's SEC Opener
Georgia's SEC Championship defense begins next Saturday at home against border rival South Carolina.
With the Gamecocks just on the horizon, Georgia's full attention is on this week's opponent Ball State. The Cardinals enter the game on a four-game losing skid dating back to last year and shouldn't pose a threat, but that doesn't mean the Bulldogs are in for a meaningless 60 minutes.
With a plethora of wide receivers and a sure-tackling defense, Ball State will provide enough of a challenge to allow Georgia to sure-up its game ahead of the SEC opener. After last week's slow start against UT-Martin, the Bulldogs have plenty of areas to focus on this week.
Run Blocking
Georgia finished the season opener with 159 yards on 30 carries, not bad numbers until you find out 60 of those yards came on just two plays.
When in the open field Kendall Milton looked like a running back ready to carry on Georgia's rich tradition at the position. The problem is he rarely found open field behind an offensive line that struggled to create a push against a supposedly over-matched UT-Martin front seven. Take away Milton's 37-yard run in the second quarter and he tallied just 16 yards on eight carries (two yards per carry).
Roderick Robinson also looked good in the open field, but he didn't fare much better than Milton. Remove his game-best 23-yard carry from the equation and he finished with just 27 yards on seven carries (three yards per carry).
Those YACs aren't good, and they're not Georgia's standard. Part of those struggles can be attributed to the vanilla offense, the Bulldogs were never going to display much variety against UT-Martin. But Georgia's offensive line is still expected to dominate a lesser foe.
The left side of the line, in particular, needs to improve. That's the direction most run plays went Saturday, and it's also where most of Georgia's youth is on the offensive line. Redshirt freshman Earnest Greene III earned the start against UT-Martin at left tackle. His backups are Austin Blaske and Monroe Freeling. Blaske served in a reserve role last year, while Freeling is a true freshman.
Kirby Smart reacts during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Tennessee Martin in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.
Hit the Deep Ball
Georgia had a few explosive plays versus UT-Martin. There were Milton and Robinson's aforementioned runs; Mehki Mews' dazzling 54-yard catch-and-run; and C.J. Smith 47-yard rumble on a screen pass.
Those four plays have something in common, the ball carrier was close to the line of scrimmage when they received the ball. None of quarterback Carson Beck's deep passes connected, and he missed a few wide-open receives. To throw gas on the fire, backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff hit Rara Thomas in stride for a 56-yard catch.
Even with Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint on the shelf, Georgia is too talented at receiver to not hit on most deep balls. Thomas, Arian Smith, and Dominic Lovett are outstanding deep threats, and Beck needs to make the most of their presence on the field.
How to Watch Georgia vs. UT-Martin
- Gameday: Saturday, Sept. 2. 2023
- Game time: 6:00 pm ET
- TV: ESPN+, SECNetwork+
- Location: Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium (Athens, Georgia)
- Live stream on fuboTV: Start with a 7-day free trial!
- Stream on ESPN - HERE
- Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Aaron Murray (color) will both be on the call.
How to Listen
The Georgia Bulldogs Radio Network is readily available with Scott Howard on the call.
Other Georgia News:
- Despite Injuries, Smart Bullish on Georgia's Running Backs
- Practice Observations - Georgia Priming for Second Scrimmage
- Preseason All-SEC Teams Released
Join the Community:
Follow Brooks Austin on Twitter: @BrooksAustinBA
Subscribe to our YouTube Page HERE.
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @BulldogMaven & follow us on Twitter at @DawgsDailyFN
