UGA waited too long to make adjustments. It’ll cost depleted team SEC title game spot
A three-year run of contending for conference championships ended prematurely at another NFL stadium for Georgia.
The scoreboards wrapped around TIAA Bank Field read 44-28. It could’ve said that the inevitable caught up to the Bulldogs. Despite a late-game rally to make the final score seem close, a pattern of events led to this result.
Georgia stuck with quarterback Stetson Bennett for 10 quarters too long. Head coach Kirby Smart finally turned to D’Wan Mathis, who he trusted with the duties to start the season, but the move happened too late to matter. Smart reiterated his “confidence” in the former walk-on, but the performance of six interceptions through three games didn’t match that.
He couldn’t lead the Bulldogs to points in the second half against Alabama. Loss, no change.
Georgia scored 14 points against Kentucky, winning by two scores, and Bennett threw two interceptions. A narrow win against a team with less talent, no change.
On Saturday, against an elite offense in Florida, it mattered.
Bennett threw for 79 yards at a 5-for-16 clip. He overthrew four different receivers on potentially-large gains. After two drives, Georgia’s offense couldn’t accrue significant production until Mathis entered with his career-first passing touchdown.
Bennett’s run ended with talking to Smart on the sideline about his mistakes and repeating “I know” with body language that resembled disappointment.
So, Georgia changed gears despite its persistence. The only problem is that another option should’ve been tried long ago. This week, it bit the Bulldogs and the results snapped a streak.
Georgia (4-2) falls to second place in the SEC East. Florida sits atop the standings and in the captain’s seat to earn an SEC championship game berth. The Bulldogs have made Mercedes-Benz Stadium their home for the past three seasons, playing with an opportunity for meaningful postseason action. It’s unlikely to happen this year, as Georgia has two regular-season losses for the first time since Smart’s debut season in 2016.
Georgia once controlled its own destiny despite losing at Alabama. Saturday’s loss to its rival forces the Bulldogs to need help. Florida needs to slip up with five games remaining — Arkansas, at Vanderbilt, Kentucky, at Tennessee, LSU. So Georgia’s chances might be a long shot, as the Gators could be double-digit favorites in each of those games.
Georgia lost to Florida by result of the missed opportunities. A dropped interception — which would’ve been the second pick-6 and put the Bulldogs within one score — by Mark Webb became the final blow. There were missed plays. The Bulldogs shied away from the run game after a 73-yard touchdown from Zamir White to open the game.
The offensive issues were the result of adjustments. The other bad breaks for Georgia mostly came defensively and out of the team’s control.
It started a week ago at Kentucky. The writing was on the wall come Saturday.
All-SEC defensive lineman Jordan Davis was held out with an elbow injury. Safety Richard LeCounte is out for the foreseeable future after his motorcycle accident. To compound matters, fellow safeties Lewis Cine (targeting) and Major Burns (injury) went down. The Bulldogs were playing mainly a second-team defense against the Gators.
As could be expected, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask lit up the secondary. He threw for 474 yards (a Georgia-Florida game high), four touchdowns and the only miscue was a pick-6 to cornerback Eric Stokes.
The offense didn’t leave unscathed either as wide receiver George Pickens didn’t travel. Freshman receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint suffered a gruesome ankle injury. Late in the game, freshman running back Kendall Milton went down.
One miscue followed by another — controllable or not — had this result in the cards. Georgia has an uphill climb with plenty of questions remaining.
This story was originally published November 7, 2020 at 7:37 PM.