NASHVILLE - Georgia is a perfect 7-0 heading into its bye week. But like it has many times this season, the Bulldogs looked anything but perfect in Saturday's 37-20 win over Vanderbilt.
Georgia turned the ball over twice. It allowed a 49-yard touchdown pass on a busted coverage. A game that could have easily been a blowout closed to a 10-point gap in the fourth quarter.
"We didn’t play bad, we just had some sloppy moments," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. "I still think this team’s growing up."
That perfectly sums up Georgia's performance. The Bulldogs never felt in real danger of losing, but they made things much harder on themselves than needed.
It all started on Vanderbilt's first possession. A blown assignment in the secondary resulted in a 49-yard touchdown pass and a quick 7-0 deficit.
"That’s on me. I take complete blame for that," defensive back Tykee Smith said. "I had two (receiver two, slot receiver). But one stalled, so I was supposed to drop two for one. But it was on different levels. We went to the drawing board and kind of fixed it. We were looking to see it again in the game, but we didn’t get it again."
On Georgia's first series, quarterback Carson Beck fumbled after a sack on third down. The defense forced a stop and a missed field goal, but it's still a mistake Beck knows can't happen.
"I take credit for that. That’s my fault," Beck said. "We’ll try to limit turnovers, because when you do that, you give [opponents] the opportunity to score, especially when it’s on the minus side of the field. So, just try to go back, watch the film, and see where we can improve."
A fumbled snap, recovered by Georgia, served as another near-miss in a first half where the Bulldogs led 24-7 at intermission.
But instead of putting the pedal down in the second half, Georgia made mistakes to keep Vanderbilt breathing.
The Bulldogs chewed up over eight minutes of game time on the first drive of the second half. But Beck took a sack in the red zone, killing the drive and forcing a field goal.
Georgia's goal each week is to score touchdowns on 70 percent of its red zone trips. That sack turned what could have been seven into three.
"I was frustrated by some decisions, taking a sack that almost knocked us out of field goal (range)," Smart said. "Peyton (Woodring) went out and knocked it, but that was just not smart. If it's not there, throw it away, let's get the three points, and let's go. I think everything for him has to be, 'I want to get a completion. I'm going to run for it.' It's okay. We've got a good defense, we don't have to score every possession."
A muffed punt (again recovered by Georgia) and a couple of big pass plays allowed also marred the second half. Smith said the defense is mainly focused on improving its communication heading into the off week.
"That’s the biggest thing. Being on the same page and being able to execute. So mainly communication," Smith said. "Give a signal, get a signal. Get a signal and give a signal, and also verbal communication, being able to talk. Once you get a signal, make sure the person to your right and to your left get it."
Beck also missed a few open throws that could have been big gains or touchdowns. But the biggest mistake came in the closing minutes.
With the Bulldogs leading 30-14 and under seven minutes to play, Beck tried to loft a pass to the right side. A Vanderbilt defender tipped the ball, leading to an interception, a return to the 1-yard line, and a touchdown that cut the score to 30-20.
"(The defender) just made a good play," Beck said. "We just had a little slip behind him, and then he jumped up and tipped it. I tried to throw it around him."
Georgia scored on its next possession, putting a 37-20 win on ice. Despite the mistakes, they won by three scores on the road in the SEC. That's something Smart never takes for granted, no matter the opponent.
But the Bulldogs also know these miscues can't continue to happen at this level if they want to once again hoist a national championship trophy this January.
