It’s a question that’s been bandied about for the better part of two weeks since Georgia’s loss to South Carolina two Saturday’s ago: What’s wrong with the offense?
Opinions have varied, depending on who you talk to. Wednesday, it was running back Brian Herrien’s turn to field reporters' questions.
Last week, fellow back D’Andre Swift surmised that perhaps the Bulldogs could stand to get a bit more creative, suggesting more outside zones compared to what’s been recently seen. The following week, UGA used a lot of outside zone plays to pull away in the second half.
Although he wasn’t quite so opinionated, Herrien did acknowledge issues that resulted in the loss to South Carolina.
“I feel like it was just one game. We’ve got to execute the plays that are called and make sure we go out as an offense and play as best we can,” said Herrien, who watched the game from the sidelines due to back spasms.
“Watching that game, I feel like there were times we didn’t execute. Sometimes we weren’t focused, and sometimes we were complacent about what we were doing. We’ve just got to stay focused and keep going forward,” Herrien said. “We can’t take off plays and think we can just throw our hats out there and win the game.”
Last week’s 21-0 win over Kentucky didn’t make fans feel much better, despite the fact the contest was played in a steady downpour of rain throughout the course of the game.
Herrien returned to action against the Wildcats, rushing 13 times for 60 yards and a touchdown, one of three second-half scores by the Bulldogs.
“We knew going into halftime we weren’t playing as good as we should have been,” Herrien said. “But we take what we take and go to work.”
There’s plenty still of work to do.
The Bulldogs have scored just 38 points over their last two games, after averaging 37 in their first five. Those are numbers that will have to improve, starting next week in Jacksonville against Florida.
However, as tight end Eli Wolf sees it, the recent lack of points is not indicative of the way the Bulldogs have actually been moving the football.
Wolf cites the four turnovers against the Gamecocks (three interceptions and a fumble by quarterback Jake Fromm) as the reason, noting that Georgia piled up almost 500 yards of offense in the game.
Despite its recent woes, Georgia still ranks fourth in the SEC in scoring offense (36.0) and third in total offense (471.6).
“In the South Carolina game, one thing led to another. We turned the ball over, and the turnover margin is one of the biggest stats for winning and losing games,” Wolf said. “Kentucky was played in a monsoon; it was hard to throw in those conditions, but we made the run game work and came away with the win.
“I don’t know what more you can ask for from an offense than winning SEC games. We hold our standards high. We’re never pleased, but we’re not concerned. I like where we’re at, and I think we’re going to keep getting better.”
