The final steps needed for Georgia's offense to be elite

Three years. Three different offensive coordinators.

Georgia averaged 34 points and 454 yards per game against SEC competition in 2018 under Jim Chaney—then took a big step back in 2019 under James Coley (23.5 points and 362 yards per game). In 2020, Todd Monken brought life, open receivers, and more touchdowns back to the Georgia offense (33.2 points and 421 yards per game), especially after JT Daniels was able to play quarterback.

With Daniels, a cupboard full of returning playmakers, and talented linemen, 2021 is the year for the Georgia offense to take the final steps to become one of college football's elite.

Alabama is giving Georgia the perfect blueprint to be the type of offense that I believe Kirby Smart wants.

Steve Sarkisian has the Tide on another level. Against Florida, Alabama ran 86 plays, gained over 400 yards and five touchdowns from its quarterback, yet still managed to rush for almost 200 yards and dominate time of possession. How has he done it? Primarily by figuring out a way to be explosive and analytically sound, while remaining balanced and physical when needed—all without a mobile quarterback. Thus, here are three areas where Georgia should change from a scheme and play-calling standpoint to truly create an Alabama-like offense.

When you examine overall metrics like run vs. pass distribution and personnel usage over the past three seasons, Georgia's offenses have not really been that different from Alabama's, outside of Chaney's run-heavy offense in 2018. However, when you break it down further, there's one distinct area where Alabama is different: throwing the ball on early downs (first and second) and getting big plays off it. The John Metchie touchdown above and Jaylen Waddle's 90-yard touchdown in the same game came on first and second down, respectively. We've shown before how passing is just more valuable in today's football. Thus it would follow that passing on early downs brings more value over time.

Here's the breakdown of Alabama's 2020 offense versus the Georgia offenses of the past three seasons on early downs (without end-of-game garbage time included):

2018 Georgia - 42% pass (56th in the Power 5)

2019 Georgia - 42% pass (54th in the Power 5)

2020 Georgia - 45% pass (51st in the Power 5)

2020 Georgia (with Daniels) - 46% pass

2020 Alabama - 51.3% pass (28th in the Power 5)

In addition to throwing consistently more often on early downs, the Tide hit explosive plays in the passing game better than anyone. Alabama was number one in the Power 5 in explosive pass-play percentage on first and second down (23.3 percent). In part because of the fear its passing game creates, it was also 13th in explosive run play percentage.

For Georgia, the improved quarterback play with Daniels helped the offense be more explosive over the final month of season, as its explosive run (18.6 percent) and pass play percentages (22.4 percent) significantly improved. In fact, the early-down explosive play percentage in essence doubled with Daniels (11.6 percent prior). Overall, Georgia's offense under Todd Monken took baby steps in the right direction in this area and improved a little bit more once JT Daniels became the quarterback. It must continue to increase.

I'm a broken record when it comes to mentioning the use of play-action passing—primarily because it works and the best offenses do it at a high rate. Re-examine the Metchie touchdown and then look at the clips above and below this text. Look at the space with which the receiver has to work. Also, notice how all three clips only have either two or three receivers in the pattern. Thus, Alabama and Sarkisian not only create optimal space and matchups (Metchie on a safety and Waddle on a linebacker and safety), but Mac Jones has a clean pocket in every instance. Over the past two seasons, 248 of Jones' 536 drop-backs have been off play-action (46 percent). On those 248 play-action drop-backs, he's also only been pressured 48 times (19 percent), the second lowest rate in the FBS.

Both clips in this section show an alignment that Alabama does as much as anyone: the pistol formation (running back behind the quarterback in the shotgun). Almost 30 percent of Alabama's plays are from the pistol formation. As opposed to the offset back formation (the back to the right or left of the quarterback), the pistol allows the running game to attack either side without the defense knowing which way (e.g., in the offset formation, the attack point is overwhelmingly to the right if the back is to the left of the quarterback). In addition, when the Tide throws from the pistol, it is almost always off play-action. Of its 72 pass attempts from the pistol formation, 66 (91.7 percent) were off play-action. In the SEC Championship against Florida, Jones was 7-8 for 97 yards and a touchdown off play-action from the pistol.

Georgia, on the other hand, despite it's commitment to the running game, has never been higher than 43rd in the Power 5 in percent play-action over the past three years. The Bulldogs have only used the pistol alignment 15 total times this season. Overall, while play-action is traditionally not something Monken has done a lot with in his offenses, it's a great way to give receivers more space and time to work down the field, cause one false step on the second or third levels, and slow down the pass rush to help protect your relatively immobile quarterback.

Confusion. Much like a little motion caused the slightest moment of confusion between Tyrique Stevenson and Tyson Campbell on Waddle's big touchdown in the Georgia game, the Tide used shifts and motion to create the matchups it wanted. In this case, instead of the corner drifting back because of no receiving threat (and the right inside linebacker's eyes and alignment moved as well), Harris' late motion created the void for Devonta Smith to attack. Florida was constantly re-aligning its defense in response to the Tide's shifts/motion. Alabama shifts or motions on almost two-thirds of its plays (64.9 percent), the second-highest rate in the FBS.

Georgia has improved in this category over the past three seasons, up to 13th in the FBS (47.5 percent) this year. However, in addition to Alabama, elite NFL offensive coordinators are using this concept, as the Chiefs, 49ers (Shanahan), and Bills are all at or above 60 percent shift/motion percentage. Once Daniels took over at quarterback, this became a more prevalent part of Georgia's offense (62 percent) during the final month, and it must continue.