Grade Report: Misfires Clouds Georgia's Offensive Performance

How does Georgia's offense grade out in the win over Kent State?

Harrison Reno | Sep 25, 2022

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Georgia Bulldogs

"There is Georgia, then Everybody Else."

That was the biggest takeaway from what we learned after Georgia continued its dominance in its road win over SEC East division rival South Carolina. To that point in the season, the Bulldogs were the only team in the country that hadn't slipped up. Outside of the sloppy win over Samford, where the offense lacked execution in the redzone, Georgia's defense held a shutout; even then, Georgia hadn't looked human.

A week later, it is more blurry what the "tier system" of college football looks like after four weeks of football. The first competitive game of the season for Georgia came against an unexpected opponent at a surprising time in the season. Kent State gave the Bulldogs its best game since the National Championship game a year ago.

So, how did Georgia's offense grade out?

Quarterback: B+

As quarterback Stetson Bennett said in his post-game interview, the Golden Flashes never really stopped the offense, as evidenced by the fact that the Bulldogs never had their punt team take the field.

Yes, the 39-point performance may seem like a let-down when combined with the defense allowing 22-points. However, misfires were the biggest problem for Georgia's offense.

Bennett missed a few throws early in the game and was noticeably adjusting to what he was seeing from Kent State's defense that gave him different looks pre-snap than the one they do mid-play. But, other than the interception on the offense's second drive, the sixth-year signal caller did not have a bad day at the office.

Running Back: A

Whenever you run for 257 yards in a game, it is hard to criticize what the offense had going on in the run game. Yes, 77 yards came from tight end/h-back Brock Bowers; much of that yardage was from his 75-yard rushing touchdown that opened the game up the scoring on the second play. However, that still shouldn't overshadow the performance of the running back room as a whole.

Daijun Edwards rushed for 73 yards on 12 carries, proving he should not be overlooked in Georgia's running back room.

Wide Receiver/Tight End: C+

Turnovers were the story for Georgia; an interception, a muffed punt, and a fumble plagued Georgia, and really, without those mistakes, it may be a different game. But, unfortunately, it was a bad day at the office for Ladd McConkey, who, despite bouncing back with a team-leading 65 yards on six receptions, his muffed punt, and fumble later in the game, undoubtedly cost Georgia points.

While the stat sheet says McConkey shined, it was Brock Bowers who had social media buzzing again. Bowers scored the first touchdown of the day on the aforementioned jet sweep, which was taken 75-yards. That was just the beginning, as he would add 60 yards on five receptions as a receiver.

The turnovers and some drops are a big reason for the grade not being higher than it is for the Bulldogs' wide receiving core.

Offensive Line: A

As we mentioned earlier, when your offense rushes for over 250 yards, and the offensive line only surrenders one sack which could be argued it was another case of Bennett holding onto the ball too long, the offensive line was a stark contrast to Georgia's defensive line which was getting blown off the ball in the second half.

Overall, looking at the fact Georgia's offense was able to score through adversity is a good sign. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken did not call a bad game; maybe he could have helped get the ball to his best playmaker in Brock Bowers more in the second half, but that would be grasping at straws.

Quarterback: B+

Running Back: A

Wide Receiver/Tight End: C+

Offensive Line: A

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