The No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs (9-2) had a tune-up game against UMass after a satisfying victory over the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers. The Tennessee game wrapped up UGA’s SEC schedule, and Georgia was in a perfect position to make the College Football Playoff if they won out. Against the UMass Minutemen, Georgia had a few objectives: win by a lot, see what they have in younger players, and make sure no key players get hurt.
Bearing this in mind, the game was a disappointment. Sure, the Georgia Bulldogs won 59-21, but it’s hard not to feel worried about the Bulldog defense after letting up 21 points and 351 yards to a non-Power Four opponent. A lot of people, including head coach Kirby Smart, were unhappy with Georgia’s tackling.
Believe it or not, the Minutemen had a seven-point lead in the first quarter. UMass was within one score until the two-minute warning in the second quarter when Carson Beck tossed a 34-yard touchdown pass to Arian Smith.
Because this game was close, not many freshmen or sophomores got extended looks. Georgia freshman Nate Frazier had his best game with 136 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. Sophomore linebacker Gabe Harris had a sack and two tackles for loss and freshman Chris Cole recovered a fumble for a touchdown. Other than that, there wasn’t much impact from the underclassman of Georgia’s roster.
Georgia also couldn’t avoid injuries to key contributors either. Standout defensive lineman Christen Miller suffered an apparent right shoulder injury and was taken out of the game in the first half. The Bulldogs have an amazing front seven, but Miller’s loss hurts.
Georgia moves to 9-2, and thanks to other losses in the SEC, they could enter the top 10 in the playoff rankings, but they looked very shaky against weaker competition. The UMass Minutemen fell to 2-9 and earned a lot of money for playing the Bulldogs.
Here are four key takeaways from Georgia’s win over UMAss:
Georgia’s run defense could be an issue
The Minutemen running game was the biggest reason they stayed in the game for so long. They racked up 226 yards on just 40 carries, and the running game helped the Minutemen score on three offensive drives and enter the red zone on five drives.
“We’ve got to tackle better,” said Smart in a halftime interview. The antidote against a potent running attack is solid tackling in the trenches. The Georgia defense will need to tackle better next week against Georgia Tech, who has a much better run offense, racking up 180 yards per game.
Georgia’s offense is rounding into form?
The Georgia offense has turned a corner in the past few weeks. There have been times when the offense was a concern, but since the Tennessee game, they have looked in sync.
Carson Beck is the biggest reason why. Sure, it was against an inferior opponent, but Beck was throwing pinpoint dimes nearly the whole game. Nate Frazier looked refreshed after a tough couple of weeks and solidified himself as the next man up once Trevor Etienne leaves. Overall, the Bulldog offense has scored 90 points and over 1,000 yards in the past two weeks.
Oscar Delp might finally be breaking out
Oscar Delp, a former four-star recruit, hasn’t had much production in his first two years as a Bulldog, and in his third year, he looked overshadowed in the tight-end depth chart. However, in these past two weeks, he has finally looked like a game-changer.
Delp had just one reception for 17 yards and a touchdown against UMass, but now he has three touchdowns in the last two games. He is evolving into a red zone threat, and the Georgia passing attack has been better off for it.
Georgia has struggled with trap games
Despite the offense looking spectacular, the defense looked mortal again. Inconsistent play from either side of the ball has been a trend the entire year. One week the defense shines and the offense falls flat, and the next week, vice versa.
This has caused the Bulldogs to look quite mortal against inferior competition, mucking out close games against Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Florida. Sure, the UMass game wasn’t close, but that speaks to how good one side of the ball is.
Georgia Tech (7-4) is better than any unranked team Georgia has faced. It’s less likely that Georgia can win with only one side of the ball producing against the Yellow Jackets.