It was a tale of two seasons for Georgia football’s offense in 2020, pre-JT Daniels and post-JT Daniels.
Prior to Daniels debut against Mississippi State, Georgia averaged 29 points per contest, and 383 yards of total offense. Certainly not the worst offensive output, but not what Georgia fans had envisioned when Todd Monken was brought on prior to the season to open up the offensive attack.
In Georgia’s four games with Daniels at the helm to close the season, the Dawgs offense scored almost 10 more points per game, scoring an average of 37.2 points per outing, while also averaging more than 100 more total yards per game, at an explosive 486 yards per contest.
To be clear, this is in no way an indictment on Stetson Bennett. The Mailman gave everything he was capable of, and the first half of the season may have looked completely different if not for his steady play.
The arm strength just wasn’t quite there to make all the throws necessary for Todd Monken’s offense to take flight. The vertical passing game was never truly a threat, and opposing defenses slowly crept down in to the box as the season progressed armed with the knowledge that Georgia’s vertical passing game was limited.
Daniels debut against Mississippi State was a revelation, not only because of the quarterback play, but because it was an a-ha moment for Georgia fans to see how explosive Coach Monken’s offense could be with the right tools in place.
It was a coming out party for Georgia’s offense, one they hope continues for the entire 2021 season.
This Saturday night in Charlotte will be a golden opportunity for Georgia’s offense to make a statement on a national stage. In order to do so, they need to do these three things.