Is Todd Monken Changing in Front of Our Eyes?

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart made several changes this offseason. Some of those changes, like the hiring of offensive line coach Matt Luke, were forced upon him by the loss of Sam Pittman, who became the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Others, like the hiring of offensive coordinator Todd Monken, were by choice.

It wasn't just Monken. Smart also hired former Southern Mississippi offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner as an offensive analyst. Both men have a history of being air-raid offensive minds. Simply put, they prefer to throw the football.

Todd Monken:

2019 Cleveland Browns: 55% pass
2018 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 59% pass
2017 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 58% pass
2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 54% pass
2015 Southern Mississippi: 51% pass
2014 Southern Mississippi: 56% pass
2013 Southern Mississippi: 56% pass
2012 Oklahoma State: 48% pass
2011 Oklahoma State: 60% pass

That begs the question: What is happening in 2020 with the Georgia offense? Through five games, they have passed on just 42 percent of the plays. That begs another question: Why the change?

Quarterback Play

The singular season in which Monken operated a run-heavy offense over the last decade of coordinating was 2012 at Oklahoma State. That season, three different quarterbacks played, neither of whom entered the season with more than 30 pass attempts in a single season.

Monken faced an identical situation this season. He entered the 2020 season with a quarterback room that had only one player with starting experience, JT Daniels, who had yet to be fully cleared from an ACL repair until the second game of the season. His current starting quarterback, Stetson Bennett, has thrown five interceptions in the last seven quarters of football.

Monken is known for being a coordinator that aspires to drive the ball down the field in the passing game, yet the longest completion is 29 yards against Kentucky.

Kirby Smart

Smart told the media Monday that Monken has "full autonomy" over the play-calling and decision-making when it comes to the offense. That comment came after telling the media leading up to the matchup with Kentucky that Georgia needed to get back to "Georgia's brand of football." The result was running the ball 42 times compared to just 13 pass attempts against Kentucky.

Smart made the necessary changes to have the offense implement a more modern attack this offseason, but they are running the ball more this year than even last season.

Altered Offseason

The 2020 season has been drastically altered, and though it might sound like an excuse considering every other program has had to deal with the same alterations, it is simply reality.

It's clear the offensive unit is more efficient running the football at this point in the season. They've certainly been more effective using that approach.

From this viewpoint, Monken has often been described as a chameleon coordinator. He takes what he has and attempts to maximize what's available. That's the approach of any coordinator. What he now has is a unit that will consistently run the ball more effectively, which provides the Bulldogs with the best chance to win the "winnable" games. While history says this isn't how he typically attempts to score points and score them in bunches, it's probably the best approach given the talent on the roster.

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