Georgia vs. UT Martin: Good, Bad, Ugly

The good, the bad, and the ugly from Georgia's week one matchup against UT Martin.

Author:
Jonathan Williams
Sep 2, 2023 10:35 PM EDT

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After a shaky start in the first half, Georgia was able to settle in and route UT Martin by a score of 48-7 in their week one matchup. It took the Bulldogs a few drives to find a rhythm on offense, but once they did, the Bulldogs were able to march their way to a victory and finish the game on a high note on both sides of the ball.

It wasn't a completely perfect game, but it was still another dominant win from head coach Kirby Smart and his Bulldogs as they start their journey to defend their back-to-back national titles. The program also set a new record for most consecutive wins as the Bulldogs picked up their 18th straight victory against the Skyhawks.

So now that the game is over, let's talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly from the football game.

The Good - Georgia's Receiving Corp

Despite being without Ladd McConkey, Georgia's receiving corps produced a very strong showing. From tight end, Brock Bowers being his dominant self and finishing the day with five receptions for 77 yards to wide receiver Mekhi Mews making several explosive plays to help him finish with three receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. It was expected that the Bulldogs would have a very talented group of receivers this season with the additions of Dominic Lovett and RaRa Thomas from the transfer portal, and that looked to be the case tonight.

Lovett and Thomas both had respectable debut games with the Bulldogs, as Lovett reeled in three receptions for 25 yards, and Thomas hauled in a 56-yard catch from quarterback Brock Vandagriff in the second half to help the offense score on the very next play.

In previous seasons, Georgia hasn't exactly been known for their receiver play, but it might be a different story in 2023 if this type of production continues.

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers against LSU during the 2022 SEC Championship game.

The Bad - Slow Start

Georgia's offense was able to get things going and close out the game on a strong note, but it took some time for things to start clicking. The Bulldogs spent the first few drives trying to get settled in and figure out a rhythm, but things never seemed to completely come together until the second half started. While it's a good sign that they were able to bounce back and score 31 points in the second half, Georgia may not be able to spare an entire half once they get into conference play.

It is expected that there will be some growing pains when a team is rolling out a new offensive coordinator while also having a quarterback make his first college start, and if Georgia can build off of what they did in the second half, then they will have nothing to worry about. But slow starts like the one they had today would maybe cost them later on down the road.

The Ugly - Offensive Line Play

It's hard to find any sort of ugly in a 41-point victory in week one, but if there was one ugly spout during this game, it is the offensive line. They didn't allow a single sack all game, and they did a pretty good job keeping their quarterbacks' jerseys clean, but the execution appeared to be inconsistent in the run game.

Coming into this season, Georgia's offensive line was tabbed as potentially the best in the entire country, and they didn't appear to hold up that standard against UT Martin. That isn't to say that it is something to worry about just yet because it is just the first game of the season, and Georgia has all of the talents in the world to be dominant up front, but based on today's showing, Georgia's offensive line will definitely have some room to improve going into week two.

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