Kirby Smart addresses Georgia football’s offensive woes

Georgia faithful still wonder how the much longer the Dawgs’ D can bail out the struggling offense.

Georgia’s 2019 defense is a statistical anomaly. The Junkyard Dawgs will enter their final regular season game ranked fifth in total defense, second in rushing defense, seventh in passing efficiency defense, and have only allowed one rushing touchdown.

The Bulldog Nation thoroughly enjoys watching a defense that can guarantee a win requiring only 21 points. Georgia is one of two teams (Clemson being the other) that hasn’t given up more than 20 points thus far this season.

That said, Georgia faithful still wonder how the much longer the Dawgs’ D can bail out the struggling offense.

Head coach Kirby Smart acknowledged the fans’ echoed concerns after the Silver Britches’ lackluster offense.

“There were things [against Texas A&M] that we missed that were there. That’s the frustrating thing.”

He continued: “You get an opportunity on first and ten to make the plays that we had, and you’ve got to make those.”

Smart, obviously aware of the situation, added that “some of that had nothing to to with the calls…it had to do with execution.”

“[The defense] got tired toward the end of the game. We’re going to have to overcome that, because two weeks in a row now, we’ve kind of lost momentum late and struggled on a couple drives.”

Quarterback Jake Fromm has thrown under 50% for three consecutive games. Compared to his career percentage of 65.5%, the current trend is surprising.

“Offensively, we’ve got to improve. There’s no bones about it.” Smart The message this week is that the next step is the most important step.”

Kirby Smart: “What Rodrigo has overcome is a story for the ages”

Georgia football HC Kirby Smart discusses how amazing UGA K Rodrigo Blankenship’s Bulldog career has been.

In Kirby Smart’s post-game presser tailing Saturday’s home win over Texas A&M, the coach used his opening remarks to congratulate Georgia’s newest career leader in points, Rodrigo Blankenship.

Blankenship, who also has the highest career field goal percentage of any Bulldog past or present, was flawless against the Aggies and scored 13 of the Dawgs’ 19 points on senior night.

It’s strange to think that the most automatic placekicker in school history didn’t start out on scholarship.

“What Rodrigo has done and overcome is a story for the ages,” Smart said.

Blankenship arrived in Athens as a preferred walk-on, meaning he had a semi-promised scholarship that would be awarded by the end of one season should he progress as the coaches hope.

He did his job, a scholarship still wasn’t awarded, and his dad wrote an open letter addressing the coaching staff that Georgia fans still remember.

The kicker responded by keeping his head down, persisting, and consequently earning his scholarship.

Smart continued:

 “To be a walk-on, to not getting a scholarship, to continue to work, to get a scholarship, and to continue to grind and be as consistent as he has been in some of the toughest conditions you can ask a kicker to kick…he’s just been tremendous.”

The senior out of Sprayberry High School has long been a fan favorite for the obvious football-related rationale. He is, as Smart later remarked, a “weapon.”

His habits of donning rec specs and lacing up the same Nike Mercurial cleats he’s worn since his high school soccer days have earned him fans nationwide for more frivolous reasons.

Blankenship’s tenacity, positive attitude, and grit should earn him even more.

Texas A&M at Georgia: Preview, Prediction, SEC Football, Live Stream, TV, Channel, How to Watch

Stream Georgia vs Texas A&M Live Online.

We have a great SEC matchup on Saturday when the Texas A&M Aggies come to Sanford Stadium to take on the number four Georgia Bulldogs. With rain expected in the forecast, we should see a lot of Zamir White on the ground for Georgia so the Aggies will have to have their battle-tested defensive line ready.

SEC Football: Texas A&M (+13) at #4 Georgia

  • Date: Saturday, November 23rd
  • Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: CBS
  • Live Stream: CBS All Access (Try it FREE now)

The Aggies will look to knock off a top-25 team for the first time this season, they had trouble with Alabama, Auburn, and Clemson but they have this game circled as their chance to knock Georgia out of the SEC Championship. Nothing is guaranteed at Sanford Stadium as we’ve already seen South Carolina come in there as underdogs and beat Georgia on their home field this year.

The Bulldogs will need to shut down Texas A&M’s run game and make them a one-dimensional team by flushing the pocket and making Kellen Mond throw the ball. Georgia will count on their defense once again this year to continue to hold teams to an average of 10.5 points a game. With rain in the forecast today, I don’t see them throwing the ball much which may benefit both teams as they have high powered running backs that can really kick it into high gear when needed.

Prediction: Georgia’s offense hasn’t been hot as of late and with some injuries on that side of the ball they may struggle today against a strong Aggies defense. There will be rain in the forecast so expect a lot of ground and pound running from both sides. Thirteen points is a lot of points to give Texas A&M at this point in the year. Take the under (43.5) and the points as the Aggies (+13) give the Bulldogs some tough sledding.

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How to Watch Texas A&M vs. Georgia, NCAA Football Live Stream, Schedule, TV Channel, Start Time

Stream Texas A&M vs. Georgia Live Online.

No. 4 Georgia is peaking at just the right time, especially after a win on the road against No. 16 Auburn. However, can Georgia keep up the same level of intensity with Texas A&M coming to town? This is the first time the two teams have met since Texas A&M joined the SEC and just the fifth time overall.

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Texas A&M vs. Georgia

When: Saturday, November 23

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

After a 21-14 win against Auburn on the road, Georgia (9-1) qualified for the SEC Championship game. Who the Bulldogs will play is still undecided. Georgia’s plan for the season has been to control the clock and the tempo of the game. That’s not going to be easy against an Aggie’s bunch that relies heavily on their running backs. Against Auburn, Bulldogs quarterback Jake Fromm went 13-for-28 with 110 yards and three touchdowns, while running back D’Andre Swift ran for 106 yards on 17 carries. Fromm is efficient, yet hasn’t thrown for more than 175 yards in three of his last four games. Against a run-heavy Aggies team, Georgia’s No. 3 ranked defense has the chance to shine. Only three teams have run for 100 yards or more against the Bulldogs.

While many think Georgia will coast into the SEC Championship game, don’t sleep on Texas A&M. The Aggies (7-3) got their fourth win in a row after a 30-6 victory vs. South Carolina last weekend, outscoring the Gamecocks 17-3 in the second half. That performance moved them to No. 24 in the country. It was an important win for A&M considering South Carolina is the only team Georgia has lost to this season. Quarterback Kellen Mond threw for 221 yards and one touchdown while running back Cordarrian Richardson tallied 130 yards on just six carries and running back Isaiah Spiller rushed for 129 yards. Over the last four games, the Aggies haven’t allowed a team to complete more than 46 percent of its passes, haven’t given up a touchdown throw in three of those four and are allowing fewer than six yards per pass.

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College GameDay crew picks winner of Georgia vs TAMU

The College GameDay crew picked the winner of Georgia vs TAMU.

The College GameDay crew is set up in Columbus, Ohio today for the Ohio State vs Penn State game.

As it always does, the crew picked the winners of the day’s biggest games, and with Georgia vs Texas A&M on the slate for the SEC today, the guys put in their picks for showdown in Athens.

Joined by College Football hall of Famer Eddie George, a Buckeyes legend, the team made their selections with Desmond Howard and George picking the Dawgs to win big. Kirk Herbstreit had the Dawgs winning in a close one, with the weather coming into play.

Here are the picks:

Desmond Howard: Georgia wins big

Eddie George: Georgia wins big

Lee Corso: Georgia

Kirk Herbstreit: Georgia in a close game

Georgia football game day schedule vs TAMU: Senior Day edition

Georgia football’s gameday schedule vs Texas A&M.

Today will be the day a number of Georgia seniors and juniors will play their final game in Athens.

The Bulldogs host Texas A&M at 3:30 on Saturday in what will be Georgia’s last SEC game of the season before taking on Georgia Tech in Atlanta next Saturday.

Going to the game?

Here’s the pre-game schedule:

1:15: Dawg Walk

1:30: Gates open

2:49: Redcoat recognition

3:14: Senior recognition

3:27: National Anthem

3:31: Battle Hymn

3:35: Krypton

3:30: Kickoff

Georgia football tickets vs TAMU: Stats and info on price trend

Stats and info on the price trend for Georgia football tickets vs Texas A&M.

Georgia vs Texas A&M this Saturday will mark the first time the two two programs have met since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012.

And with this being No. 4 Georgia’s final home game of the season, ticket prices are not coming cheap. However, they are cheaper now than if you were to buy them just a few days ago.

This weekend’s game is averaging $317 per ticket on the secondary market and the get-in price is currently $88, down $50 earlier this week, according to TicketIQ. The average price has gone down 21% over the course of the week.

Also, with Georgia having secured a spot in the SEC Championship Game, tickets for the conference title game have skyrocketed.

Tickets for the 2019 SEC Championship are the most expensive of any conference championship, by a lot. Currently, the average asking price for a ticket to the game on the secondary market is $1,285, up from $820 last year, and the highest it’s been this decade. The next priciest game was the 2017 Georgia-Auburn game, which settled at a $945 average asking price. The cheapest ticket in the 71,00-seat stadium is trending at $343. The next most expensive 2019 conference championship is the Big 10 Championship,  starting at $92.

The Bulldogs have a real shot at making another visit to the College Football Playoff, and with Georgia’s success comes an increase in ticket prices. Playoff tickets are up over the last two weeks, as you can see below.

Fiesta Bowl: 

Average price: $445

Two week % avg price change: 25%

Get in price: $160

Two week % avg get-in change: 11%

Peach Bowl:

Average price: $817

Two week % avg price change: 47%

Get in price: $248

Two week % avg get-in change: 23%

National Championship:

Average price: $1,920

Two week % avg price change: 9%

Get in price: $971

Two week % avg get-in change: 27%

Message board encroachment: TAMU fans discuss upcoming Georgia game

I spent the week exploring various Texas A&M message boards to get a feel for how Aggie fanatics view their football team. As often as I spend Saturdays glued to a television, I figured that it’d be best to get a feel for Georgia’s next opponent …

I spent the week exploring various Texas A&M message boards to get a feel for how Aggie fanatics view their football team. As often as I spend Saturdays glued to a television, I figured that it’d be best to get a feel for Georgia’s next opponent through engaging with the people who watch all sixty minutes every Saturday.

Considering this will be the first ever conference matchup between Georgia and A&M since they joined the SEC in 2012, neither team’s fan base has a much of a point of reference of how these teams stack up outside of statistical information we have available. After all, the last time these two squads had to worry about one another was in preparation for the 2009 Independence Bowl.

Among the most shared sentiments were the following:

Their fans feel that the Aggies are a very balanced team with no overwhelming strengths and no glaring weaknesses.

Several fans did say that if one unit is better than the other, it’s the defense, but only slightly. One Ag pointed out that, between last season and this one, they’ve had to replace their most productive tailback and tight end in school history with a freshman and sophomore, respectively.

As the fan noted, “If we cannot get the ground game moving or get decent production from tight end, our offense will get crushed,” acknowledging Georgia’s “stout” 2019 defense.

Other fans believe the offensive onus will be placed squarely upon QB Kellen Mond in getting the ball moving. He’s a solid pocket passer and has thrown for the third most yards of any quarterback in the conference behind LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, the latter of whom won’t play again this season.

What sets him apart from other quarterbacks Georgia’s defense has seen thus far in 2019 is his ability to extend plays and throw while rolling out beyond the hash marks. The Dawgs saw a decent bit of that in the most recent win at Auburn and contained it well, setting the edge and keeping a spy linebacker focusing on the signal caller.

“The entire offense plays at the level [Mond] plays,” one fan said. “We don’t really have any game breakers that can do it themselves.”

Kellen Mond is faster on his feet and more experienced than Bo Nix, but a number of A&M fans agreed that if there is one position group of weakness, it would be their offensive line. The Aggies have given up 24 sacks on the year. Compare that to Auburn’s 16 allowed. Now compare that to Georgia’s six.

If Georgia’s front seven can adequately pressure Mond behind his pedestrian offensive line, Texas A&M fans expect doom and gloom.

Looking on the other side of the ball, the Internet’s Aggies don’t fear Georgia’s passing game nearly as much as they fear the rushing attack.

I’m sure you can imagine that I came across some toxic and blatantly non-factual posts disparaging Jake Fromm. After one poster declared everything aside from Fromm’s career completion percentage as “totally unimpressive,” several more rational A&M fans pointed out that the Dawgs don’t go long often simply because of the “monsters” the Bulldogs showcase in the backfield.

Georgia’s offense has long been based on controlling the clock with a run-first offense balanced between three or more top-self tailbacks. Any Texas A&M supporter who can recognize this has admittedly watched more Georgia football this season than I have watched Texas A&M football.

Georgia Football Week 13: Expert picks and predictions (UGA vs Texas AM)

The UGA Wire staff has put together its weekly Georgia football game, stat and score predictions prior to Saturday’s matchup against TAMU.

[jwplayer awrcuYrl-er0jUifI]

The Georgia Bulldogs secured their trip to the 2019 SEC Championship game last week with a seven point victory at Auburn.  The #4 Bulldogs have just one more SEC matchup this Saturday in Athens against Texas A&M.

The un-ranked Aggies are not to be taken lightly.  They’ve had one of the hardest schedules in college football and will be playing four top 5 teams, including three #1 teams (Alabama, Clemson, LSU).

Jimbo Fisher’s squad has lost to Alabama, Auburn and Clemson, but have steamrolled just about everybody else.  Those are three very quality losses that make it harder to predict what the outcome of the Georgia game will be.

The two teams kickoff at 3:30 p.m. EST this Saturday on Dooley Field and should be the Dawgs last test before meeting LSU in Atlanta.

The UGA Wire staff has put together a list of score, stat and game predictions ahead of Saturdays matchup.

Here are the picks:

The money makers:

#4 Georgia (-13.5) vs Texas A&M

Game pick: If you think Georgia will win and cover, Georgia. If you think Georgia will win, but not cover, Georgia*. If you think Texas A&M will win, Texas A&M.  (Georgia -13.5)

Jackson Fryburger: UGAWire.com- Georgia

Joe Vitale: UGAWire.com-  Georgia

James Morgan: UGAWire.com- Georgia

Jackson Stone: UGAWire.com- Georgia 

Henry Sillen: UGAWire.com- Georgia

Garrett Shearman: UGAWire.com- Georgia*

Over/under (45.5) 

If you think the total will go over, over. If you think the total will go under, under.

Jackson Fryburger: UGAWire.com- Under

Joe Vitale: UGAWire.com-  Under

James Morgan: UGAWire.com- Over

Jackson Stone: UGAWire.com- Under

Henry Sillen: UGAWire.com- Over

Garrett Shearman: UGAWire.com- Under

Score prediction:

Jackson Fryburger: UGAWire.com- Georgia 31, Texas A&M 14

Joe Vitale: UGAWire.com- Georgia 30, Texas A&M 13

James Morgan: UGAWire.com- Georgia 29, Texas A&M 17

Jackson Stone: UGAWire.com- Georgia 34 , Texas A&M 10

Henry Sillen: UGAWire.com- Georgia 34, Texas A&M 17

Garrett Shearman: UGAWire.com- Georgia 27, Texas A&M 16

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 5 p.m.

Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.

Georgia football TBT: Herschel Walker’s 76 yard TD run vs TAMU

The Georgia Bulldogs are hosting the Texas A&M Aggies for the first time since 1980. UGA’s Herschel Walker scored three touchdowns that day.

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The Georgia Bulldogs are hosting the Texas A&M Aggies for the first time since 1980, the last season the Bulldogs won a national championship. Freshman sensation Herschel Walker lead the Dawgs to a 42-0 shutout on the day. Walker had 21 carries for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Walker scored a 76 yard touchdown in the third quarter. Video (with Larry Munson on the call) is courtesy of UGA Sports/Rival’s Patrick Garbin:

Georgia fans can hope the Bulldogs will host the Aggies 39 years later in another championship-winning season. D’Andre Swift will try to impersonate Herschel Walker in what may be Swift’s final game in Athens.

Texas A&M comes into the game at 7-3 with their losses coming to: Clemson, Alabama, and Auburn. The Aggies are certainly battled-tested. Kellen Mond and company are playing their best football of the season. Georgia’s defense will look to shutdown Jimbo Fisher’s offense in what’s expected to be a rainy game.

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