Washington and Bowers Represent Georgia's Offensive Identity
We’ll see and read plenty of pieces this week titled something like “The Most Important Players in the College Football Playoff”. Names like CJ Stroud and Stetson Bennett; Jalen Carter and Miyan Williams; Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kelee Ringo.
All of those players are outstanding, but none have fundamentally transformed their side of the ball like Georgia tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington have. It’s been a rapid transformation.
Last year’s season-opening game against Clemson saw a freshman Brock Bowers on the Field for roughly 80% of the snaps, and fellow tight end John FitzPatrick was on the field for just north of 50%. Darnell Washington didn’t see the field due to an injury. Flash forward to the semifinal matchup against Michigan; Bowers played nearly three-fourths of the offensive snaps, Darnell Washington wasn't far behind him, and John FitzPatrick played over half of the snaps as well.
Translation: Georgia went from a team that utilized 3 receivers and 1 tight end, to a team that almost always has 2 tight ends on the field, and sometimes 3.
In that time, Georgia has gone from one of the more offensively-constipated teams in college football, to one of its most explosive.
It seems counterintuitive that removing a receiver and replacing him with a tight end would make your offense more explosive, but that’s exactly what happened. The fact is that it puts the defense in a quandary on every snap.
Put an extra linebacker in to deal with the added size, and Georgia will attack you through the air. Replace that linebacker with an extra defensive back, and the Bulldogs are running the football right at you. Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken - like all good coordinators do - has found a plan that puts his team in positive situations almost every snap. So many teams rely solely on “Plan A” and only go to “Plan B” if it’s absolutely necessary. Some teams don’t have a “Plan B” (Tennessee vs Georgia).
Georgia, however, has multiple options on every play. Quarterback Stetson Bennett simply has to identify personnel (number of linebackers and defensive backs) and then count how many defenders are in the box. If the defense stacks 9 players near the line, he’s going to let his guys know that the pass-option is on. If they keep guys back to help in the secondary, Bennett’s simply going to hand the ball off.
Give tight ends coach Todd Hartley a lot of credit. Most elite tight ends are considered that because of their pass-catching abilities, but Georgia’s players pride themselves on their run blocking. Darnell Washington is an extra tackle at 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, and Brock Bowers is about as good as it gets at the seal blocks that spring runs and screens to the outside.
As you’re watching the College Football Playoffs on New Year’s Eve, consider the different offensive identities and philosophies of the teams. It’s about as a unique contrast as you’re going to see.
TCU is the Max Duggan Show.
Michigan is power football and play action.
Ohio State is all about creating space.
For Georgia, think “options’’. Watch Stetson Bennett get to the line and identify what the defense is trying to do. Then watch those tight ends execute the plays with ruthless efficiency.
Washington is likely off to the NFL following this season, and Brock Bowers has just one more season before he'll be a top pick in the NFL Draft, but don't expect Georgia's identity to change. The Bulldogs have been elite at signing top tight end prospects. Oscar Delp, the No. 2 tight end in the 2022 recruiting class per 247Sports, is just a freshman. In the 2023 class, Georgia signed the No. 3 and No. 8 tight ends, in Pearce Spurlin and Lawson Luckie.
