Georgia offense takes step in right direction with balance in Kentucky victory

The Georgia offense was by no means perfect Saturday night, but the team did get closer to a concept head coach Kirby Smart has been preaching all season.

The Bulldogs had arguably their most balanced game of the season in the 27-24 victory over Kentucky, finishing the night with 245 yards through the air and 215 yards on the ground. The game began with a heavy dose of runs in the first quarter before the team upped its passing attempts through each of the remaining three quarters.

Smart was coy about the balanced attack but reiterated how important it was in the team's chances against a Wildcats team that was riding a three-game winning streak.

"I would analyze it 215 to 245, so it was not balanced, but it was close," Smart said. "Because 245 to 245 would be balanced. We're obviously looking for balance, but it's something where you've got to make a decision. We made a decision to go three (wide receivers), open it up a little bit when we started struggling. You could criticize that because we were running the ball good in two-back, but they started stopping us. We've got to have things we can go to, we've got to have ways to use our good players and let them help us in the game."

Smart pointed to Georgia's last drive as a key example of the balance the team was able to display.

With 2:47 left in regulation, the Bulldogs used both the arm of Jacob Eason as well as the legs of Sony Michel and Nick Chubb to their advantage, dishing out four passes and four runs as the team picked up 67 yards en route to a game-winning field goal. 

"We threw and caught the ball on that drive," Smart said. "Imagine that. Throw and catch. We threw and caught the ball. When we do that, we're a balanced team, and when we're a balanced team we're a good team. When we don't catch it or we don't run it efficiently, it hurts us."

Michel and Chubb caught some attention in the days leading up to the Kentucky game when Chubb told reporters that he met with offensive coordinator Jim Chaney about the team's running issues in the loss to Florida. After only taking a combined 12 carries against the Gators, the pair returned to their status as thorns in defenders' sides, reeling off 40 carries for 212 yards against Kentucky.

Michel couldn't decide if it was Georgia's most balanced game, but he understood that the team's success in both the passing and running game propelled the Bulldogs to victory.

"I think we were very effective on offense," Michel said. "We did a great job. The defense also did a good job out there, holding their own. I think our team came out today ready to play."

While the run game finally saw its stars return to form, the passing game featured another solid outing from the team's top receiver. Isaiah McKenzie added to his status as the Bulldogs' top target early on in Saturday's matchup, as he caught a pass from Eason across the middle and took it 38 yards for Georgia's first touchdown of the game. 

McKenzie was one of seven different Georgia receivers to get the ball, which spoke to Eason's continued efforts in moving the ball around. McKenzie explained that balance was once again a big focus for Georgia in practice following the Florida defeat.

This time, the practice paid off. 

"We knew we were going to have to come out and play our best Georgia football," McKenzie said. "That's what we came to do tonight, and we came out with the win. Kentucky's a great team, we just came out and played hard and played the best way we can." 

This story was originally published November 6, 2016 at 1:10 AM with the headline "Georgia offense takes step in right direction with balance in Kentucky victory."