ATLANTA – In need of a little encouragement following a somewhat lackluster first half, Georgia’s offense received some from a somewhat surprising source: the defense.
“Yeah, they got onto us a little bit,” wide receiver Tyler Simmons said after the Bulldogs 52-7 win at Georgia Tech.
Head coach Kirby Smart could not have been more pleased.
“It was just players challenging players. That’s what it’s about. You’ve got leaders on your team, and when they don’t think you’re playing to your capabilities, we’ve got guys willing to challenge guys,” Smart said. “As a coach, I love it when we challenge each other—I don’t have to.”
The choice words apparently worked.
After the Bulldogs scored 17 points in the first quarter, the second quarter was a nightmare. Georgia lost a pair of fumbles (one a muffed punt by Dominick Blaylock and another on a fumble by D’Andre Swift) and managed just 72 total yards.
Georgia’s offense would answer the call in the second half, scoring 35 of its 52 points and finishing the game with 500 total yards.
“For us as an offense, it was up to us,” quarterback Jake Fromm said. “We were kind of stopping ourselves most of the time, and I think we were committed to say, ‘Let’s go out and play football, have a little bit of fun, and score some points.”
Fromm’s day didn’t start off so well.
Georgia entered Saturday’s game hoping to give its quarterback and the offense a bit of a confidence boost, heading into next week’s SEC Championship against LSU.
Instead, questions remain, questions that won’t necessarily instill a ton of confidence in the Bulldogs against the Tigers and their high-powered offense.
Once again, Fromm struggled to start the game. After starting 1-for-5 against Texas A&M, Fromm started 0-for-4 against Georgia Tech before hitting Simmons for a 25-yard pickup to set up the team’s first touchdown on a 2-yard run by Brian Herrien.
At one point, Fromm was 4 of 13 before regrouping and completing 4 of his final 5 throws, ultimately completing 14 of 29 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns. He tied a career high, despite the fact he completed less than 50 percent of his passes for the fourth game in a row.
“Well, we put a lot on him. When you start talking about checks, making decisions, and doing things, they did a good job adjusting. This defense has always been good at disguising things and giving you different looks,” Smart said. “They did some good things, and Jake made some good decisions when they got us. They trick you every now and then,, and you’re like, ‘Ooh, they got us.’ He threw a couple of times that were really good decisions. He’s got to continue to improve and play better, and Jake gets us in and out of a lot of situations. That was big for us. Again, he’ll be the first to tell you he’s not playing perfect, he’s got to play better, but we’ve got to help him. We’ve got to help him with the run game, help him with the passing game, to help him play the way he needs to play.”
Despite the loss of Lawrence Cager and early exit by George Pickens, Fromm and Stetson Bennett, who entered in the third quarter, combined to complete 16 passes to 10 different players.
“I’m with them 100 percent,” said Fromm who, along with Simmons, connected with Pickens, Charlie Woerner, and Blaylock for scores.
“I think every single guy we put on the field is able to make a great play at any given time,” Fromm said. “We’re ready, and I’m behind them 100 percent. Let’s go play football.”
Unfortunately, the Bulldogs won’t have all their bullets to start with, when they return to Atlanta to face LSU for the SEC Championship next Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
After being ejected for fighting with Georgia Tech’s Tre Swilling in the third quarter, Pickens, per SEC rules, will have to sit out the first half of the game against the Tigers.
Running back D’Andre Swift also suffered what Smart deemed a shoulder contusion, but said after the game that he believes his star running back will be OK.
