Georgia football: What we miss on offense with G-Day canceled

The debut of Todd Monken’s offense

Georgia’s offense in 2019 was frustrating. Outside of a few outings throughout the 2017 and 2018 seasons, those offenses weren’t much better. Georgia’s offense seemed ancient at times and was unable to make plays on the best modern defenses.

In response, Kirby Smart hired Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Todd Monken after the 2019 season ended. Monken has improved offenses everywhere he’s been in the collegiate and professional levels.

Monken has some head coaching experience. He led the Southern Mississippi Eagles from 2013-to-2015 and its that tenure which should have fans excited the most. The depleted Southern Mississippi program went 0-12 the year before Monken took over. He built that team and its offense from the ground up and that offense was spectacular in 2015.

That year, the Eagles had over 4,500 passing yards with one receiver reaching 1,300 yards, another just shy of 1,000 and two more combining for almost 1,300 yards. The Eagles weren’t just good at passing, they ran the ball very well and had two running backs pass 1,000 yards. As a team, Southern Mississippi finished 9-5 and won the Conference USA West Division Championship.

It’s that balance and dynamic style that Georgia’s offense sorely missed. Too often Coley’s play calls seemed to come from a script and not in response to the opposing defenses. Monken’s arrival in Athens signals the return of Georgia’s offense being aggressive and seeking out explosive plays instead of just hoping for them. Bulldog fans were raring to see that offense in action this spring.