Even though Georgia football earned its eighth blowout and ninth straight win, fans weren’t satisfied.
As usual, the familiar feeling as a Georgia fan is when things are going well, you expect the other shoe to be falling soon.
However, as we have seen in 2021, Georgia keeps on rolling — no matter the adversity that gets thrown at them.
Offensively against Missouri, the stat sheet does look impressive. Georgia had 505 yards of total offense. Scoring at will and putting 43 points on the scoreboard is a fantastic day, no doubt.
Taking a look at who Georgia was playing — those numbers were expected to be gaudier. If there is anything 2021 has shown college football fans, upsets can happen at any time.
So I will be grateful that if Georgia did not have as great a game as most expected and still won an SEC game by 37, that is an impressive game.
That said, the Dawgs need to clean some areas up on offense. Here are three things Georgia football offense needs to do to stay successful.
Missouri came into the game against Georgia with the 130th ranked rush defense out of 130 teams. Those kids at Missouri are on scholarship and played with a lot of pride. Georgia rushed for 168 yards with James Cook as their leading rusher with 41 yards on nine carries.
Coming into the Tennessee game, we can expect a tired defense from the Vols. On Saturday, Kentucky ran 99 offensive plays gaining over 600 yards and scoring 42 points. Tennessee did win the game 45-42, but their defense was on the field a lot.
This weekend, the Dawgs travel to Knoxville for their annual game against the Volunteers. Here are three things to look for from Georgia’s offense.
Georgia football needs strike first
Georgia football has not scored on their first possession since the Arkansas game back on Oct. 2nd. That was four games ago. Not to mention, the Dawgs have found themselves trailing in two of those games in Auburn and Missouri.
They didn’t trail long at all, but still, the Dawgs need to strike first because it helps prove a point.
Thankfully, it did not hurt Georgia, but it is never a good trend to dig a hole. Luckily Georgia has an elite defense, and it allows the offense to find itself if it does have a sluggish start.
Neyland Stadium will be rocking Saturday night. Georgia does not need to dig a hole and allow Tennessee fans to believe they have a chance to win. Score early and let the Georgia defense do its thing. The longer it’s close, the louder and crazier the environment will be.
The sooner Georgia can get that crowd out of it, the better because if not, the Dawgs will have to fight harder to tune out the noise. Being able to score first means things are clicking on offense and the other team has to score twice as many points to beat you.
Georgia’s offense has been explosive, but it’s taken some time to get there, so a quick start will be extremely helpful.
Georgia football needs those nice long methodical drives
Georgia football needs to win the time of possession battle, and when they have the ball put together long drives, that result in points.
Kentucky dominated the time of possession against Tennessee as they held onto the ball for 46:08. That’s a ton of ticking clock, especially when you lose — that shows you the Vols can score a lot and fast.
However, this Georgia defense is different. They are suffocating. If the Dawgs offense can sustain long, methodical drives, it will keep that high power offense on the sidelines and allow the Dawgs defense more time to rest.
Tennessee likes to go super fast on offense, and so far this season, it has worked for them. The Georgia defense and defense line especially will need to catch their breath.
If the offense controls the ball, it will allow Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Travon Walker, and the company an opportunity to stay as fresh as possible. This defense can stop the Vols. That shouldn’t be a problem, but if they can rest, it’ll make stopping them easier.
Let’s not just watch the defense suffocate the Vols, but how about suffocating Tennessee on offense too. Run the ball consistently well, and Dawgs will be in business for another blowout victory.
Georgia needs to run the ball when it wants
Saturday’s weather will be cold, with expected temperatures in the mid-to-low 40s. At first, Georgia football struggled against Missouri, and the cooler weather may have had to do with the sluggish start. Georgia doesn’t need that to happen, especially against an offense that can score in a blink of an eye.
The Dawgs must establish the run game early on, and that starts with Zamir White as he didn’t have a great game against Missouri. He rushed for 105 yards against Florida, but White only rushed for 14 yards on nine carries against the Tigers.
That has to improve if the Dawgs want to keep being victorious. Even though Georgia had six rushers have a carry go for 10-plus yards, the Dawgs must get a push up front early so White, James Cook, and Kenny McIntosh can do their thing.
As we saw with Missouri, teams will be quick to load the line of scrimmage up with defenders. When the Tennessee defense puts eight defenders in the box, Todd Monken will pull the trigger on some passes.
Georgia showed they could move the ball even when defenses load the box, and that is great when they need it, but running the ball makes the clock move a lot quicker than passing it a ton. So, once they force the defense back some, the offense needs to run the ball efficiently.
All three things go hand in hand. If Georgia can get the ball, drive downfield on their first possession and eat the clock, it will automatically put pressure on Tennessee offense — suffocate their offense and defense. Then the Dawgs can party on the Tennessee River and be two steps closer to achieving a perfect regular season.