For the first time since the Sugar Bowl versus Texas following the 2018 season, Georgia enters the offseason coming off a loss as the Fighting Irish beat the Bulldogs at their own game to punch a ticket to the College Football Playoff semifinals next week vs. Penn State.

Run the ball. Don't turn it over. Win the kicking game. Physical at every level. Aggressive defensive front six that makes impact plays and creates turnovers. That's usually the team from Athens. Last night it was Notre Dame.

In a nutshell, that's what Coach Donnan said last night during the Watch Along show and I mentioned the same. With a backup quarterback making his first start and the score only 6-3, this was going to be a one score game that came down to who made the big play or mistake. Georgia went aggressive (below) and it beyond backfired.

Played well and admirably given the situation he was put in for his first career start. Let throws rip inside the numbers. Wasn't afraid to push the ball down the field. There were obvious 'feel in the pocket' issues and it's clear he's not a "dual-threat" quarterback, but was overall very solid. If you'd told me before the game he would complete 63 percent of his throws for 234 yards, a touchdown and zero interceptions, I would have told you Georgia won by 10-plus.

In the end, though, Georgia was just not good enough offensively. Last night. All season. Starting quarterback. Backup quarterback. As healthy as they could be. Not healthy. No matter how you slice it or which element you want to point to as a weak link, Georgia wasn't consistent offensively. Drops. Tackle play. Turnovers. Miscommunications. Slow starts. It was all there.

Why? Ultimately, this was a team whose identity should have been much like Notre Dame or Penn State. Finding a way to be running game focused and make it work. Feed Trevor Etienne and Nate Frazier. Attack through the air with play-action. The inability to run the ball consistently (or lack of commitment to it), however, led to a quarterback and passing game driven offense.

Will there be coaching staff changes? Undoubtedly so.

How many players leave via the transfer portal? My guess is the number is in the mid-to-upper teens when all is said and done.

Does someone go pro that you don't expect to? We'll see.

Is Gunner Stockton QB1 going into the spring? At this point, I would say yes.

Is there a development problem given the coaching turnover? Maybe.

Which brings me to my biggest question going into next season, who are the returning difference makers/elite players?

Trevor Etienne and Nate Frazier at running back can be. Maybe Monroe Freeling takes a leap in year two as a starter. After that, what's your answer on offense? On defense, KJ Bolden is definitely one. Christen Miller is a great run defender. CJ Allen is very solid at linebacker. Beyond there, I honestly don't know.

Forget the portal this year. It's meh. Depth pieces at best. It's time to just roll with the freshmen and any capable young guy, especially at wide receiver. Will there be ups and downs, of course. But particularly on the outside, it likely can't be worse than this past season. Elyiss Williams at whatever position. Tayln Taylor, CJ Wiley or whichever one shows the ability to make plays on the ball or with the ball in their hands. Maybe you'll find one or two over the course of the season who can be a true go-to guy.