Georgia Football: The two most vulnerable areas for Dawgs

Georgia football has been quite dominant against Clemson and UAB. However, there are two places the Dawgs are pretty vulnerable in — field goals and run blocking.

While this article may come as nitpicky, but there are two things Georgia hasn’t fully succeeded at yet.

For the second week in a row, starting field goal kicker Jack Podlesny missed a field goal in the 30-36 yard range. Against Clemson, he missed a 36 yarder to start the game, and then against the Blazers, Podlesny missed a 32-yarder in the fourth quarter.

He has made 1-of-3 field goals through two games, with a 22-yarder being the only one made, and  Podlesny is 9-of-9 in PATs. Those kicks don’t seem to bother him because they are almost automatic. However, something feels off when he backs up to 30-plus yards.

I’m not saying it’s something to worry too much about, but after this guy went 13-of-16  in field goals last year with 3-of-3 of them being from 50-plus yards, it’s weird to see him not be successful from 32 and 36 yards.

Even though neither of those kicks ended up mattering during the last two games, Georgia needs to trust he will make a kick if he needs to. Podlesny proved he could last year, but being 1-of-3 to start the year is something to think about, especially when those two misses were well within his wheelhouse.

After seeing what the former walk-on could do last season, it’s odd to see him start off the season so cold. Jack Frost needs to hit up his buddy Rodrigo Blankenship and get a pep talk because the Dawgs need a kicker with ice in his veins. However, if last year told us anything, he will likely figure it out.

For now, though, keep an eye on it. If he continues to struggle, the Dawgs could look to Jared Zirkel, a highly touted kicker from Texas who Podlesny beat out last year.

The other area the Dawgs need to work on is its rush blocking. While the pass blocking continues to give Stetson Bennett, JT Daniels and Carson Beck plenty of time to throw the ball, Georgia has struggled to run the ball consistently.

When Tate Ratledge got hurt last week against Clemson, I knew it could be a significant issue but didn’t really expect it to. Georgia has always had success running the ball, so why wouldn’t that keep happening.

Granted, it’s only game two of the season, and the new rotation could be just getting used to things, but it doesn’t feel as good as it usually is. Again it’s a nitpicky thing to notice, but when the Dawgs struggle to run the ball consistently against UAB, I  must point it out and talk about it.

I’m going to need Warren Ericson, Sedrick Van-Pran and Justin Shaffer to step up and get the push off the line. The interior offensive line is a glaring weak spot for Georgia, and it needs to be fixed as they head into SEC play. While the Blazers have a tough defensive front, the Dawgs took too long to get it going on Saturday for my liking.

South Carolina and the rest of the SEC will make a note of this and focus on it. Again, it’s only game two of the year, but if they want to go all the way, Georgia football will have to win the trench battle each week, and that includes running the ball successfully.

The Dawgs have almost looked invincible the last two weeks, but there are places to improve on as Georgia opens up SEC play next week against South Carolina. So look for Georgia to work on the interior offensive line this week, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Podlesny get right back on track.

Georgia has something special, but these are two areas that could ruin a season if they aren’t fixed.