ATLANTA – Georgia’s offense, or lack thereof, was a big topic of conversation in Saturday’s post-game press conference, following the Bulldogs 37-10 loss to LSU in the SEC Championship.

After the game, head coach Kirby Smart was asked point-blank: Is it time for his Bulldogs to go a different direction next year?

His response didn’t really answer the question.

“To be honest with you, we didn't come out with a mentality of running the ball down your throat today,” Smart said. “If you thought we tried to do that, that probably wasn't a good view on the game. We thought we had to score points to win the game.”

Unfortunately, the Bulldogs never had much of a chance.

For those who have watched the Bulldogs over the course of the season, Saturday’s effort was a similar refrain, as Georgia managed just 286 yards of offense, including just 61 on the ground.

“You have an offense that's built around the players you have,” Smart said. “So, you take the players you have, and you use your strengths. With the players we have, we have certain strengths. We usually have good pass protection. We have a good offensive line. We've got good backs.”

Wide receiver Demetris Robertson was surprisingly candid when asked if it was time to reassess some of the things the Bulldogs are doing offensively.

“For sure. Being a receiver, it’s always a dream to catch the ball a lot, but our style of offense is how we run the ball,” Robertson said. “We’ve got great backs, a good offensive line. We just came up short tonight.”

On Georgia’s first offensive play, Jake Fromm dropped back and threw what looked initially like it was going for a quick six points, but Tyler Simmons was unable to come down with the ball.

“That was tough, but it didn’t decide the game,” right tackle Isaiah Wilson said. “We thought we were going to get plenty more opportunities.”

They just never did.

“Our ability to run the ball has not been consistent this year, and people can say, well, ‘Coach Smart wants to play man ball,'" Smart said. “No, Coach Smart wants to win, and we threw the ball 42 times. Now, you can say it was because we were behind, but we threw the ball early in the game, and we had some drops; we had some misses. It's not a matter of what is your offensive philosophy; it's what is the best way to win the game. I honestly think that's what we're trying to do.”

The results would indicate otherwise.

In 11 games against FBS Power 5 schools, the Bulldogs scored 30 or more points just three times (Vanderbilt 30-6, Tennessee 43-14, and Georgia Tech 52-7). In the other eight games against FBS Power 5 schools, the Bulldogs averaged just 20.5 points.

“We just didn’t get the job done,” running back D’Andre Swift said. “We didn’t capitalize.”

Swift admitted that his shoulder injury was worse than many expected, and being without three injured receivers didn't help.

“I still felt like we were going to get it going,” Robertson said. “But it never happened, and when it did, it happened too late.”