Georgia didn’t play its best football this afternoon in Sanford Stadium. But it played good football against a good football team, and in the process got back on the winning track, downing the Auburn Tigers 31-13.
There were some undeniably positive signs. For one, Georgia drove the field and scored a touchdown on its first possession. For another, the Bulldogs never trailed, something they haven’t been able to say in an SEC game in awhile. In fact, when the first quarter closed with a 7-3 Bulldog lead, it was the first time the Bulldogs haven’t trailed during the first quarter in their last nine SEC contests.
Carson Beck was an eminently efficient 23 of 29 passing for 240 yards and 2 touchdowns. He didn’t turn the ball over however after a four turnover effort against Alabama. There were again some throws that weren’t 100% crisp and clean, but overall it was a step back in the right direction.
Speaking of moving in the right direction, Trevor Etienne continues to move toward becoming a mainstay in the Bulldog offense. Etienne accounted for 124 total yards, 88 on the ground and 36 through the air, to go with two touchdowns. The Red and Black finished with 381 workmanlike yards of offense, and while it may have been a little disjointed at times, it was more than enough to get the job done.
Defensively the Dawgs got pressure on Auburn QB Peyton Thorne from the first snap and racked up 3 sacks and 5 tackles in the backfield. With the exception of a 38 yard touchdown scamper they also did a nice job of limiting Tiger tailback Jarquez Hunter, who finished with 13 carries for 91 yards.
The Bulldogs led solidly in time of possession (31:28 to 28:32) and, but for one weird play which accounted for 30 full yards of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, played a generally clean football game. It was a competent effort against a generally competent Auburn team that was once again undone by occasional mistakes.
There remain however some things that are…..concerning. Georgia’s pass rush is fast but remains undisciplined at times. Thorne was harried most of the afternoon but on several occasions escaped for positive yards. It’s one thing to get into the backfield, it’s another thing entirely to keep the quarterback there. Some of that is scheme. But an awful lot of it is awareness. We need better awareness in the pass rush.
The Bulldogs secondary continues to be hampered by inconsistency, surrendering a handful of third and long conversions that a better team than the Plainsmen would take advantage of. Two things can be true at the same time: 1) Daylen Everette is probably our best cover corner at the moment, but 2) Everette is not particularly consistent and Georgia’s opponents have realized it. When you see a cornerback on your television screen a lot it’s a bad thing. It means the opponent thinks they can target him. Teams are targeting Daylen Everette, and he’a winning some of those one-on-one battles, but we need him to win more of them.
The Bulldogs will again be in Sanford Stadium next Saturday to host the Bizarro Dawgs of Mississippi State. It’s another get-right game before the Red and Black go on the road again against a top five Texas team built to take advantage of some of the worries outlined above.
I don’t know that the Georgia team I watched this afternoon can beat that Texas team, but I also think the team that travels to Austin may yet be just a little more dialed in than today’s version. Especially in the 12 team playoff era the college football season is going to be a process of continual improvement, with the hope that you’re playing your best football come mid-December. Georgia’s not there, but today was a step in the right direction.
Also, we didn’t lose to Vanderbilt today. Which is nice. Until later…
Go ‘Dawgs!!!