Just how good are these Georgia Bulldogs?
At 3-0, Kirby Smart’s squad is rocking merrily along. Georgia has looked quite impressive in vanquishing its three foes by a combined total of 135 to 24. From appearances, it's every bit the nation’s No. 3 team.
For those wondering when the Bulldogs last started a season scoring 40-plus points in consecutive games, you don’t have to go all that far back. In 2012, Georgia opened the year by tallying 40-plus points in its first five contests, a mark the team can tie or eclipse: the next three contests are against Missouri, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt before traveling to Baton Rouge to challenge LSU.
Statistically, Jake Fromm has been magnificent. The sophomore has completed 37 of 46 passes for 479 passes and six touchdowns with one interception, while Justin Fields continues to show glimpses of why he’s considered such a big deal.
Although this is Fromm’s team, and rightfully so, it’s clear that co-offensive coordinators Jim Chaney and James Coley will go into each game with a plan for Fields, gradually giving him more responsibility with the playbook each week.
Hopefully, he’ll stay healthy.
Fields has taken a couple of wicked shots in two of Georgia’s first three games, and that’s an area he’ll need to be mindful of in every contest he plays.
How coaches employ Fromm and Fields will continue to be a season-long story for Georgia’s offense, which despite the loss of Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Javon Wims, continues to show a plethora of weapons.
The Bulldogs have boasted some very fine receivers over the years, but this may be the deepest pool of wideouts we’ve seen here in some time.
We’re just approaching Week 4, and already six different wide receivers have scored touchdowns for the Bulldogs. That doesn’t count tight end Isaac Nauta who also has a score.
As for the running game, even without Chubb and Michel, Georgia is averaging 272 rushing yards through its first three contests—an average 6.8 yards per rush.
Last year, in the first three games against Appalachian State, Notre Dame, and Samford, Georgia averaged 230 rushing yards per contest, or 4.8 yards per attempt.
Speed sweeps of 72 yards by Demetris Robertson against Austin Peay and 56 yards by Simmons against Middle Tennessee have helped boost this year’s totals, but they still count and support the notion that the Bulldogs’ offense could in fact be more productive than it was in 2017.
However, if Georgia truly wants to maintain its status as one of the nation’s best teams, there are still some areas that need cleaning.
Despite the lopsided score, the Bulldogs left plenty of meat on the bone for Kirby Smart and his assistants to gnaw on during what’s sure to be another intense week of practice before taking on Missouri this Saturday (Noon, ESPN).
Georgia committed a season-high seven penalties for 54 yards, including a pair of big holding calls against Cade Mays and Charlie Woerner that hindered two of its first three possessions.
The Bulldogs were able to overcome Woerner’s penalty to score their second touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Fromm to Holloman, but those are the types of mistakes the team can ill afford once Georgia gets deeper into conference play.
Defensively, my biggest concern heading into the year was how quickly Georgia’s young players would take to adjust to the speed of the college game.
While we get a better idea in the weeks to come—so far, so good. Georgia is playing hard, showing tremendous effort, and for Smart, that’s a huge deal.
The Bulldogs still only have one sack through three games, and while that number will need to improve, Smart appears to be tiring of the question constantly coming up in press conferences.
Georgia’s head coach grew a little testy when asked about it after Saturday’s game. This leads me to believe it’s an area he’s not overly concerned with, or perhaps there’s a plan in place, a defensive tweak to get more pressure on opposing QBs.
With Missouri and Drew Lock up next on Saturday, it would behoove the Bulldogs to up the ante in the pass rush area. Even so, worrying over perceived chinks in the Georgia’s armor isn’t quite the same daily pastime that it once was for nervous Dawg fans.
Georgia is not a perfect team; far from it. There are many areas in which the Bulldogs must improve if they want to stay in the running for a return trip to the College Football Playoffs. Teams can always improve.
For now though, there’s the belief that whatever blemishes need smoothing out, Smart will find the appropriate salve. The question about how good Georgia can be will be answered in due time.
