Georgia Football: Is Kirby Smart being too conservative?

Is Kirby Smart holding Georgia back with his conservative approach? Is a more aggressive attack plan the better way to go? Can you win playing not to lose?

When Kirby Smart first got on campus after becoming Georgia football’s head coach, one of the first things he started saying was “Attack the Day.”

Yet his offense does not reflect this.

It is as conservative as they come. Smart runs an offense based on holding on to the ball rather than pushing the ball down the field.

He believes in wearing a team down rather than coming out and attacking. I believe this is because he doesn’t want to put the ball in harm’s way.

More from Dawn of the Dawg

• Georgia Football: Top 5 Nick Chubb Moments at Georgia
• Georgia Football: Know the enemy UAB Blazers
• Nick Chubb is America’s running back, and he will return
• Georgia Football: Should laundry list of injuries be a cause to panic?
• Georgia Football: Report cards for Week 3 game against South Carolina

However, I think that if you do not risk anything, you aren’t rewarded with anything. As the saying goes, “you have to risk it for the biscuit.”

Georgia has just 13 passing plays this year that went for more than 25 yards. That is good for No. 66 in the nation.

To help illustrate how bad this is, here are the teams tied with Georgia: Florida State, Syracuse, Utah, Ohio, Tennessee, California, and Georgia Tech.

None of those teams are competing for a CFP Championship.

There is no surprise that LSU leads the nation in 25+ yard pass plays with 27, double what Georgia has.

Washington State has 25, Alabama has 23, Oklahoma has 23, even Arkansas State has 22. Three of the top five teams in the nation take chances and shove the ball down the field.

Why has Kirby not picked up on this?

Georgia is a running team, but I believe everyone has caught on to their formula.

The Bulldogs’ offense runs on first down, runs on second down, and passes when they have to on third.

Everyone in the country knows this. Not only does the entire college football world know this, but the offense keeps calling plays between the tackles even when the offensive line is not creating holes.

This strategy gives away opportunities. It is because of this lackluster play calling that Georgia hasn’t been able to get over the hump. 

It’s time to change up the formula. It’s time to take more shots downfield.

I believe if Smart were to tweak his philosophy just a little and take more shots down the field, it would make Georgia’s offense even more dangerous. They have got to come out at the beginning of games and attack people from the first offensive snap.

If Smart were to do this, there are very few teams in the nation that could hang with him. Playing not to lose is a very good way to lose games.

It is time for Georgia to start playing to not only win but to dominate their opponents. It is time for Smart to shake off being the nice guy and start stepping on necks.

If Georgia is ever going to be taken seriously as an elite team, they need to start dominating their competition. Their first opportunity to do so is this weekend against Kentucky, and I believe Smart will make an example out of the Wildcats.