NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Remember as a kid when you went shopping with your parents for what you thought would be a new pair of Levi’s, just to get saddled with three sets of Lee’s?

Or, maybe heading out on a Florida vacation you were told was to Disney World, only to have dad turn the Chrysler into Silver Springs?

If so, then you can begin to understand how many Georgia fans felt after Saturday night’s 30-6 win over Vanderbilt.

After all, the Bulldogs entered the game as the nation’s third-ranked team, a squad predicted by some to return to the playoffs for the second time in three years.

Obviously, nothing that happened against the Commodores changes any of that. But after all the buildup, hype and expectations, Saturday’s opener didn’t turn out to be the statement of affirmation on Georgia’s greatness that many thought (or hoped) it would be.

Head coach Kirby Smart seemed to echo similar thoughts.

“This team just has to decide if it wants to get better,” he said after the game. “That’s all I’m asking them: Do you want to get better or are you just OK with being good, because good is not going to be good enough.”

Watching the game you were just left wanting more.

That was certainly true as it pertained to the offense.

After Georgia jumped out to a 21-0 lead with touchdowns on its first three possessions, the game had all the markings of the kind of the dominant tail-whipping that many expected they would see. Instead, following the fast start, the Bulldogs’ offense struggled, settling for just three field goals by Rodrigo Blankenship the rest of the way.

A couple of breakdowns by the offensive line caused some eye rolls by frustrated fans--once on a failed 4th-and-3 try and later on a 3rd-and-2, forcing the Bulldogs to settle for Blankenship’s second field goal.

When D’Andre Swift says he felt the team left between 17 and 21 points on the field, he’s not wrong.

Defensively, Georgia’s as athletic as any team you’ll find. Although the Bulldogs didn’t create the kind of havoc they’ll need later on, they did hold Vanderbilt to just a pair of field goals- - not a stat to be glossed over - regardless of what you might think of the Commodores.

Yes, there were examples when the defense didn’t exactly play with great discipline; 10 penalties for 117 yards were certainly disappointing and left a mark.

But was it as bad as all that?

As usual, the truth probably lies somewhere in between.

No, what we saw Saturday did not define the identity of the 2019 Bulldog squad.

Part of the reason some are waking still feeling unfulfilled when it comes to games like Saturday's, is the expectations currently placed upon the program.

When Smart talks about demanding excellence--how he believes the Bulldogs should always be in the conversation when talking about the nation’s best programs--anytime the team doesn’t perform to those exact specifications, it often comes across as worse than what it actually is.

Over-reaction is nothing new when it comes to college football fans, and Georgia is certainly not exempt from that.

After reading some of the doom and gloom after Saturday’s win, separating what some were feeling about the Bulldogs’ victory was like skimming though some of the comments after Tennessee’s loss to Georgia State.

Well, maybe not that bad.

But when expectations are as high for a team as they are for this year’s Bulldog team, any kind of on-the-field failure is going to be viewed as reason to sound the alarm.

Fortunately for Georgia, most of the mistakes all would seem fixable. This isn’t a talent issue.

For all the lamenting of the offense, Georgia’s 479 total yards was still the fourth-most by the SEC in Week 1 behind Missouri (537), Alabama (512), and Mississippi State (497). The Bulldogs’ 325 rushing yards were the most of anyone in the conference.

It’s all about perceptions.

Turn any two of Blankenship’s three field goals into touchdowns, and folks aren’t quite so cranky.

Nobody’s arguing that Saturday’s win over Vanderbilt was not the masterpiece most felt Georgia would paint. But take solace that it was just the first game - a road SEC win - and the Bulldogs will have two excellent opportunities the next two weeks against Murray State and Arkansas State to correct whatever needs doing, before the big showdown with Notre Dame three weeks from now.

While it’s all right to acknowledge that your team didn’t perform to their expectations, there’s obviously a lot of time for Smart and his coaches to work out the kinks.

Championship teams aren’t born; they’re forged over the course of a year. Certainly, nothing we witnessed during Week 1 changes the likely fact that Georgia will be favored in its 11 remaining regular season games.

So, take heart.

Saturday’s win 30-6 win over Vandy might not have met the criteria for a championship-caliber team, but there’s still plenty of time for the Bulldogs to make good on the expectations most have for this team.

Don’t go booking that trip to Silver Springs just quite yet.