Analysis: With 5 games left in the season, a look at where Georgia’s offense stands

It’s been quite an interesting couple of weeks for the Georgia offense.

A unit that averaged over 42 points per game over the season’s first four games has seen praise give way to criticism and scrutiny after lackluster performances in a 20-17 loss to South Carolina and for a large portion of a 21-0 victory over Kentucky.

However, the triumph over the Wildcats also provides glimpses of positivity for the Bulldogs to examine as they look to right the offensive ship in the final five games of the regular season.

While it’s true that it came in very rainy and windy conditions, the first half was the worst half of the season for the Georgia offense. A 0-0 halftime score, along with boos from the home crowd, came after 123 first half yards, including just 28 through the air from quarterback Jake Fromm.

Of the 31 plays before intermission, 16 were in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end) and 12 were in 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends). The Bulldogs were also somewhat predictable in play calling — they ran the ball on both first and second down five times.

Of the 15 run plays called in the first half, five went to the outside. Those plays resulted in 62 yards, including gains of 20 and 23 yards. However, running back Brian Herrien said it’s not just as simple as running to the outside on every play.

“In the SEC, everybody’s fast, the d-linemen are fast,” Herrien said on Thursday. “The tackles are fast enough to catch you running sideways. But at the same time, the inside zone runs open up the outside runs, and the outside zone runs open up the inside zone runs.”

On inside zone runs, Herrien and the other running backs are staring at the linebackers as they receive the handoff. Where the defenders go dictates which hole in the line the backs try to hit.

However, on outside zones, backs watch their offensive linemen instead, seeing how they block the defense’s edge defenders.

“You’ve just got to read one good block, and that’s just going to make the play,” Herrien said.

It was those outside zones that were the most successful for Georgia in the first half. After halftime, they were the plays that got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard.

First, D’Andre Swift took an outside run around the right side of the line 39 yards for the first score of the game. On the next drive, Herrien scored from eight yards out on an outside zone to the right. The savvy senior said he tricked the safety by giving the appearance of running inside before bouncing it around right end.

“I think that’s a wear and tear effect,” Smart said after the game. “You’re not just going to walk out there in those conditions and just walk down the field and score on people — that’s tough. It was tough to get traction, it was tough.”

However, it looks like there was a personnel adjustment made at halftime as well.

After a more even distribution in the first half, Georgia utilized much more 12 personnel in the second half. Counting kneel downs, the Bulldogs had one running back and two tight ends on the field for 17 of 25 plays after the half. By comparison, 11 personnel was utilized on just five plays in the final 30 minutes.

“It means a lot when they trust two tight ends out on the field,” tight end Eli Wolf said on Oct. 23. “We take pride in our position that we think we can get the job done, so for them to say, ‘Hey, this puts us in the best situation,’ it’s a huge tribute to the guys in the tight end room.”

On those first two touchdown runs, as well as Swift’s 3-yard score in the fourth quarter, Georgia aligned in 12 personnel. Herrien’s touchdown had the wrinkle of running behind offensive lineman Cade Mays lined up as a tight end, something the Bulldogs did five times in the second half.

Where the play calls and personnel converge is in the blocking. Outside zone plays especially are dependent on downfield blocking from receivers and tight ends, perhaps factoring into the decision to go more 12 personnel in the second half.

That’s not to say the receivers aren’t capable of blocking, however. Sophomore Kearis Jackson had a stellar downfield block to spring Swift on his first touchdown sprint down the sideline. That run also went to the side of the field where Wolf and fellow tight end Charlie Woerner were lined up.

So, two tight ends and outside zones got the Georgia offense going in the second half against Kentucky. The question is, what does that mean going forward?

As Herrien said, a team can’t run outside on every play. Inside runs set up outside runs, and vice versa. In his press conference on Tuesday, Smart noted that offensive balance also involves keeping play-action elements involved.

There’s also the aspect of wearing teams down in the run game, something Smart said he’s been aware of for a long time coaching in the SEC.

“If a play works, then we’re going to try to repeat that play. That would be not very smart to not repeat that play,” Smart said. “The outside zone the other night was most effective later in the game. You have to ask yourself, was the outside zone most effective later in the game because you chopped wood early in the game?”

Fixing Georgia’s offense isn’t as cut-and-dry as more tight ends or running outside more. Both the players and the coaches will have to better if this offense wants to reach its full potential.

But if the Bulldogs can bottle what they had going in the second half against the Wildcats, it will go a long way in helping them regain the offensive form they had early in the season.