KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Kirby Smart made it a point last week to tell reporters that one of the goals moving forward for his offense was hopefully to mix the plays up more than the Bulldogs had done in their previous four games.
As it turned out, Smart wasn’t joking.
The Bulldogs produced what was statistically their most balanced attack of the year, rushing 41 times for 238 yards, with quarterback Jake Fromm attempting 29 passes, completing 24 for 288.
"We didn't make a decision to pass it more. That was not the decision. The decision was to be able to mix it up and try to do a good job of keeping people off balance. That's perimeter runs, screens, play-action pass, a little bit of everything,” Smart said. “So, it wasn't like we came in and said, 'Throw the ball more.' We just know we've got to be able to score points, and we've got to be able to protect the quarterback. We know we can run the ball; we've just got to be able to do it."
Nine different receivers caught passes from Fromm, including running back D’Andre Swift, who finished with 144 total yards (72 receiving, 72 rushing).
“I think we had one of our better days,” said Swift, who scored Georgia’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run. “I see us getting better and better each week.”
Lawrence Cager added a team-high five catches for 58 yards, and caught a touchdown with freshman George Pickens adding three catches for 23 yards and an 8-yard score.
“I think Jake has confidence in all our wideouts. All our wideouts are doing a really good job, and a lot of guys caught balls,” Smart said. “Jake spreads the wealth, and when guys catch the ball, you’re talking about D’Andre Swift, James Cook, Matt Landers—we’ve got a lot of guys who catch the ball who are hard to tackle. When you spread the ball around, it makes you a more efficient team, and Jake did a nice job of that. Cager is playing well, too. He’s got to continue to lead and help us grow; he’s done a good job of that.”
Smart said it will be important for the Bulldogs to continue to be as balanced as possible.
“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to win, you know what I mean? If that game is whatever, 40-40, then it might not be that way—we might have to throw it. You want to keep people off balance. To protect the quarterback, you have to run the ball, you cannot drop back and pass it every play,” Smart said. “That’s what hurt them. When you can’t run the ball, it eventually wears you down, because people keep rushing at you, rushing at you, and eventually get to your quarterback. The run game protects your quarterback.”
But there’s also more work to be done.
The fact the Bulldogs had to settle for a trio of field goals by Rodrigo Blankenship did not sit well with the Bulldogs’ head coach, who said that’s an area that must quickly improve.
“Offensively, we were spending more time with our defense than our offense,” Smart said. “Our offense was doing a good job moving it. We just couldn’t get touchdowns and had to keep kicking field goals. Eventually, you’re going to play a really good team, and you need touchdowns, not field goals.”
