Georgia’s passing game seeks improvement before South Carolina game

ATHENS -- What a difference one week makes.

A week ago at this time, it felt Georgia would be fine in the passing game. Quarterback Greyson Lambert was coming off a season-opening win over Louisiana-Monroe in which he went 8-of-12 for 141 yards and two touchdowns, with both of his scoring throws looking impressive.

Then the Vanderbilt game came, with Lambert beginning 0-of-7. This ignited a mini-controversy as to what the Bulldogs should do at the position and with the passing game. And with the schedule getting tougher, the Bulldogs will need Lambert and the passing game to open up and produce with more efficiency.

“We know as we get going in the season that we have to be balanced,” Georgia offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “I’m very confident the passing game will get going.”

At least through two games, it has been clear what Georgia’s approach to its offense has been. The Bulldogs have attempted nine throws to 48 rushes on first down, meaning Georgia is averaging one throw roughly every six times it gets a new set of downs.

It has only been two games, and that statistic could signal where the coaches think the passing game is.

Head coach Mark Richt doesn’t necessarily think that’s the case. He believes the passing game will see improvement, saying it looked sharp through this week of practice.

“I know we’re gonna get better,” Richt said. “Not perfect by any means. It’s not like we’re inept in any way. You can’t have over 400 yards of offense and say it was an awful day. We’ll be fine.”

Lambert took plenty of heat for his first-half performance against Vanderbilt. But as tight end Jeb Blazevich pointed out, the sample size is rather small to jump to conclusions. While the passing game needs work, the 0-for-7 start isn’t indicative of where everything stands.

“It’s tough when you’re in that spotlight and everything is so statistical,” Blazevich said. “If I have a bad block, people might notice it, but not in the same sense as a bad throw because you don’t watch the ball. Everybody has bad games, and I know he’ll bounce back and be ready.”

Schottenheimer pointed out it wasn’t just Lambert who had a bad game against Vanderbilt. He cited pass protection in certain situations and play calls, especially early against Vanderbilt, that backfired.

The quarterback will receive the blame for most of an offense’s failure to move the ball, especially through the air. But it sure helps when everyone else is on the same page.

“That’s the hard thing with the passing game,” Schottenheimer said. “It takes all 11 guys to function as one, and we didn’t really do a very good job of that, both players and coaches.”

Said running back Nick Chubb, “We can throw the ball. It’s just game two. We gotta get settled in. There were a lot of protection things we messed up on, not giving him enough time. He was under pressure sometimes. It’s an overall team effort.”

At the same time, if something is working, it might not be in the best interest to switch things up too much. Georgia’s averaging 262 rushing yards per game and has been able to break a few big runs despite the stacked boxes it has seen.

But at some point, and probably against South Carolina, it’s going to take the coaching staff to place more faith in Lambert and the passing game. Richt said one key to a passing game’s success is simply going with what you believe can work and not looking back.

“When I’ve always called plays over the years, you certainly want to use your skill players the best you can and use the talent that you have, but just feel free to attack the defense in the same way we attacked it all week in the film room,” Richt said. “Call what we believe and let’s go.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Georgia’s passing game seeks improvement before South Carolina game."