Georgia football: 9 quick takeaways from the Dawgs ninth victory

5. Aggressive fourth-down calls boosted Georgia football to success

One of the best play calls all game was the fourth-down pass from Stetson Bennett to Arian Smith for a touchdown that got the Dawgs’ offense going.

Offensive coordinator Todd Monken gave various looks against the Tigers, and for the most part, they were exciting to watch. He wasn’t afraid to go for things, ask Bennett to make plays or anything in between — he knew this offense could do whatever they needed to win.

He had to get creative when the run game wasn’t working up the middle, and when head coach Kirby Smart figuratively said open up the playbook, Monken did just that.

When James Cook took the snap out of the “Wild-Dawg” formation, it sent chills down my spine and Monken’s trust that the offense could convert made it even better. Georgia wasn’t settling for points on Saturday unless they decided to kick a field goal.

The Dawgs converted 4-of-9 third downs and 2-of-2 fourth-down conversions. Georgia didn’t have to convert much because they were able to gain 25 first downs against Missouri — 10 more than the Tigers.

It was good to see Monken get creative with this offense, but if you think about it, having guys like Jermaine Burton, Smith, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Kearis Jackson healthy allowed him to open it up and have some fun.

Jackson’s 37-yard run was a beautiful decision on his part because it confused the defense, and the Dawgs finally got an explosive run play.

Georgia punted just once, and that was their opening drive of the game. After that punt, it was Monken, and the offense figured out how to gain yardage and do work. The Dawgs need to keep up this aggressive play calling because it’s working, and no one will expect it because usually Georgia plays it safe or takes the field goal.