Even if quarterback Stetson Bennett was not nursing an AC Joint sprain, one glaring reality suggests why head coach Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken should consider making a change.
The numbers don't lie.
If you combine the statistics posted against Florida by quarterbacks Stetson Bennett and D’Wan Mathis, the Bulldogs completed only 9 of 29 passes for 112 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions (two by Mathis) against a Florida secondary that came in ranked 12th in the SEC, giving up 300 yards per game.
Add in Bennett’s stats from the previous two games against Alabama and Kentucky, and Georgia has completed just 36 of 82 passes with eight interceptions—not exactly the numbers you want to see if you expect to be a contender in the SEC.
Smart acknowledged the obvious during Monday’s Zoom press conference to preview Saturday’s game at Missouri (Noon, ESPN).
“I think the No. 1 thing is accuracy. It’s not that we protect the quarterback better; it’s accuracy in terms of completion percentage, getting open receivers,” Smart said. “We always say that you have to make your layups, and that’s the most disappointing thing about the last couple games—the accuracy and the ability to hit the open guys, and defensively, not giving gifts away.”
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they've been giving away plenty.
"It was just one of those days where we couldn't complete balls, so it's something we have to work on,” said wide receiver Kearis Jackson, when asked about the recent disconnect between the two positions.
“Has it been a problem all season?” he said. “No, we do our thing in practice. We just have to transfer it over to the games."
Unfortunately, right now that's an issue.
Getting open has not necessarily been a problem, but locating the open targets and getting them the ball has.
“I do feel like we've gotten open more this year—whether that’s by alignment, assignment, the level of competition,” Smart said. “We’ve gotten open, and we’ve missed some, but we’ve hit some. I think we've improved in the passing game. We just haven't reaped the benefits of it; we're not accurate enough. We don't hit enough open guys.”
Will a new starting quarterback fix the issue?
Georgia fans could be on the verge of finding out. Monday, Smart confirmed that Mathis, JT Daniels, and Carson Beck would each receive opportunities this week, with whoever is the most consistent, possibly getting a shot to start Saturday’s game at Missouri.
Depending on Bennett’s shoulder, he shouldn't be ruled out either, although Smart said, “That’s a good question,” when asked if a healthy Bennett would be back in his starting role.
“You have to improve your accuracy. You have to improve, number one, when a guy gets the chance to catch a ball, catch it—but when you have him open, you can’t overthrow him,” Smart said. “We missed out on some opportunities there. A lot of that can be held to a good run game. We've shown the ability at times to run the ball on some hard boxes. Missouri gives you hard boxes almost every single snap. It's one of those challenges we have to improve on.”
