It didn’t take long Saturday for the Georgia Bulldogs to set the stage for another big win.
Do not. 1 Georgia State jumped on Vanderbilt early and held the lead with 4 touchdowns in its first five games in a 55-0 victory. The win featured a return to form for the Bulldogs, who built a sizable lead on Saturday with a balanced offensive offense and dominant defensive effort that the Commodores did not threaten at all.
With the Bulldogs heading into bye week, Saturday’s four-quarter game gives us plenty of time to digest. Here are the most notable things that happened at Sanford Stadium.
it’s almost
I think it’s totally fair for fans to be disappointed by Georgia’s offensive performance against Kent State and Missouri, and even Auburn’s performance in the first quarter. The Bulldogs have been terrible in these games, going their own way against the Golden Flashes and Tigers, with turnovers keeping their opponents on the floor much longer than expected.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs came out to shoot and didn’t let up.
Georgia scored 28 points in the first half and 27 in the second, including 21 in the final quarter of the game. The Bulldogs took advantage early and often went up against a Commodores team that looked like an improved product in Clark Lea’s second year, so much so that the game was decided at halftime.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs’ offense was relentless — Georgia kicked just once at the end of the day — while defensive hero Vanderbilt was in control for most of the 60 minutes. Given the difference in talent between the two sidelines, that’s more what most people watching the game would expect.
more balanced attack
What really impressed me about Saturday’s offensive performance was how Georgia attacked Vanderbilt.
The Bulldogs started the season very pass-heavy, but on Saturday they were very balanced. Georgia ran 20 runs and attempted 20 passes in 30 minutes in the first half, during which Georgia averaged 4.2 yards per push and 11.7 yards per completion. Even after the second half, the balance remained nearly the same, as Georgia finished with 41 pass attempts and 38 runs.
It’s worth remembering that Saturday’s success came from Vanderbilt, a team that could be below .500 again. Still, it’s worth avoiding the ability to be one-dimensional, allowing several different players to get involved.
defense finishes it
Vanderbilt couldn’t match Georgia’s defense on Saturday, but to me, the most impressive part of the Bulldogs’ performance was that they didn’t let up at all.
Georgia State was in control at halftime, but the Bulldogs remained unyielding in the second half. The Bulldogs went on four straight 3-pointers in the second half, allowing Georgia to extend the lead even further.
Vanderbilt finished with 150 yards and just 45 in the second half.
“[I’m] Proud of them,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart Speaking of defense. “It was an under-staffed team. We were better than them and when we played against people with the same talent, we had to be able to execute.”
I think it’s easy to expect Georgia to give up more games in the second half, especially when the Bulldogs come off the bench. Instead, the Bulldogs continued to play to their high standards on the way to another full-time win.
other tense endings
We’ve talked about Georgia’s fortunes late in the season, but Saturday’s game is the perfect example of what the Bulldogs have to offer.
Brock Powers Saturday was more or less a non-factor and ended the game with four catches for 19 yards.The other two tight ends have a bigger impact in the passing game because Darnell Washington Put on a show of 4 catches, 78 yards, Arik Gilbert Came late, had 2 catches for 16 yards and a touchdown.
Washington has been a big part of Georgia’s offense heading into Saturday, but against Vanderbilt he shined and put on a show. Meanwhile, Gilbert has been someone fans have been wary of wanting to be involved, and we saw what he could bring to the table against the Commodore.
You can bet no. No. 19 will play a more important role in the upcoming games, but on Saturday he was relegated to a very small gap.
a much-needed breakthrough
I can imagine Smart and the rest of the staff breathing a collective sigh of relief as they entered goodbye week.
Georgia is 7-0 and now has a chance to reset and, more importantly, get healthy before the final five games of the regular season. The Bulldogs have many players in need of rehab before returning to the field on October 10. 29 vs Florida – ie running back Kendall Miltonwide receiver AD Mitchell, defensive tackle Jaylen Carter and inside linebacker Smelmond – Now they have the perfect opportunity to do that.
It would be naive to think that all injured players in Georgia will be back to 100% in a week, but now is the perfect time to recover and everyone can take a valuable step ahead of the game. The Bulldogs will still be working hard for the next few days, but the upside is that there won’t be another fitness game to fit in a week from today.