Georgia Football State of the Program

With the 2019 Georgia football season now in the books, we take a quick look at where the program is after a difficult week.

Everyone’s heard the timeless ballad by Rush called “Tom Sawyer.” There’s a line in there that says, “He knows changes aren’t permanent, but change is.” A profound line indeed, it perfectly sums up Georgia football in the wee days of 2019. Friday afternoon, juniors Mecole Hardman, Isaac Nauta and Riley Ridley announced they would no longer be amateur football players and sought to earn a paycheck. Justin Fields, the highly-rated potential oozing quarterback, also announced he would be taking his talents to Ohio State to play for Ryan Day. All of this coupled with a two-game losing streak, the last of which was an uninspired performance in New Orleans’ Sugar Bowl, has Bulldog fans in the doldrums.

Take heart, Bulldog Nation, for things are never as good or as bad as they seem. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the Dawgs were more focused on the prospects of cotton or oranges than of sugar. The Cotton and Orange bowls were 2018’s playoff semifinal sites. Judging by various tweets from the men in red and black, they believed that was where they belonged. So it should come as no surprise that their heads were probably in the same place their hearts appeared to be.

Yes, there was sugar falling out of the sky, or um, dome ceiling. But it was a humbling shade of burnt orange. Sam Ehlinger and the Texas Longhorns took it to Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs for the duration of the game. That should not be overlooked and should not be discounted. However, it is hard to imagine that an inspired Georgia team who had a dynasty on the ropes a month earlier is two touchdowns worse than a 9-4 Texas squad. These Dawgs wanted a different yard to play in. They didn’t earn it, but they felt they had a right to it. Therein lies a multitude of problems.

In 2018, there was no Nick Chubb. There was no Sony Michel. There was no Roquan Smith. It was hard to identify a true heart and soul of this Bulldog team. Its best player, the talented corner Deandre Baker, chose to forgo the game entirely. DeAndre Walker, the best pass rusher  this team could deploy, had a bad groin. That meant that a lot of young pups had to play. When young pups have to play with very little vocal leadership to guide them, bad things tend to happen. Azeez Ojulari whiffed on a sack of Ehlinger. Divaad Wilson, seeing his first action all season, understandably had a few problems in coverage. Adam Anderson was on the wrong end of a collision with Lil’Jordan Humphrey. Georgia lost 28-21. So what should the response be to all of that?

Good.

Yes, that’s right. Good. The ending to this season is exactly what this program needed. Don’t misunderstand, it’s not good for the seniors. They deserved better. But it’s good for the overall future of the program. A roster with 68% freshmen and sophomores now understands that humility is indeed a week away. They are owed nothing. They are entitled to only what they earn. Now the young crop of defensive players, including Anderson and Channing Tindall, must step up. Now the incoming class of freshmen, including Dom Blaylock and Nolan Smith, must step up and play major contributing roles.

The state of the program? The sky is not falling. It is simply overcast. The great thing about an overcast sky is that the sun usually breaks through. Georgia fans might have to wait until August 31st in Nashville for that to happen, but it will happen.

When it does, we’ll look back on these overcast days with joy.