COLUMBIA, S.C. – As one might expect, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart doled out plenty of accolades to Todd Monken and the rest of the Bulldogs’ offensive coaches during Saturday’s post-game press conference.
With good reason.
For the third time this season, Georgia’s offense topped the 500-yard mark, piling up 547 yards of total offense in Saturday’s 48-7 win over the Gamecocks. For those counting, Georgia is averaging 42.3 points heading into next week’s game against Kent State.
"I mean, he was aggressive. He did a good job calling it,” Smart said of Monken said. “He puts together a good plan. He'll tell you himself: he's got a great offensive staff. I mean, he's got guys that are in the room that have coached in the SEC, that understand the SEC.”
Smart’s not kidding about that.
Between Monken, offensive line coach Stacy Searels, wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon, offensive aides Mike Bobo and Buster Faulkner, the Bulldogs boast five offensive coaches with extensive experience in the SEC. Through three games, Bulldog fans are watching it pay off.
“You know, the addition of Searels, B-Mac, Bobo, I mean, those guys come up with game plan things. They know these teams,” Smart said. “They know the personnel of these teams. So, it really helps when you have a good game plan, and you actually have people that can execute it because they have experience.”
Players like tight end Brock Bowers say Monken makes game days fun.
“Every week, Coach Monken puts in something new,” Bowers said. “He makes up new stuff all the time. It’s always something new.”
Of course, it helps to have a quarterback capable of running Monken’s deep playbook; Stetson Bennett continues to impress.
Despite an upset stomach, which caused him to throw up several times during the game, Bennett completed 16 of 23 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed three times for 36 yards and a score.
For the year, Bennett has completed 65 of 88 passes for 952 yards and five touchdowns, with zero interceptions.
It didn’t take the offense long to get clicking against the Gamecocks.
Bennett and the offense scored touchdown on their first three trips down the field, extending the first-team offense’s streak of 11 straight possessions resulting in a touchdown, against P5 opposition, dating back to last year’s national championship against Alabama.
“It’s hard to defend a quarterback that can check things, make throws, has weapons and then can run on top of it,” Smart said. “But we've got to keep getting better, and we've got to execute at a high level. But the biggest thing for them and for our offense is getting points."
Bennett agreed.
“I think we did a good job after the first play,” Bennett said. “You know, composure, resiliency, you know? We came back and didn’t have any other problems.”
That’s especially true when you have 6-foot-7, 270-pound tight end Darnell Washington helping to open holes.
Washington caught one pass for 15 yards, but it was his blocking that helped spring teammates on a number of big plays.
“Darnell Washington, on one of the little crack screens we run, pins a guy. And the hole, guys, holes are created through displacement, not just blocking. Darnell displaces people,” Smart said. “So, I think Brock would be the first one to tell you that his success comes from a lot of perimeter and things like that, touches that other guys make great blocks for. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint had two or three.”
Even without wide receiver AD Mitchell, Georgia’s receivers enjoyed a big day with six different wideouts among the 11 players who caught passes.
“I thought Ladd did a nice job. I thought Monk did a nice job of utilizing the skill set of the players we had. We had to use Dom (Blaylock) and Kearis (Jackson) a little more for their experience on the road. I think De'Nylon (Morrissette), and Dillon Bell are talented players that have to grow up,” Smart said. “They can't grow up fast enough. We needed them to play really well today. I thought both of them had some freshman jitters, and we have to get that out of them, because they're talented players. I thought Jackson and Ladd continue to be dependable.”
