Georgia football: 3 simple stats from blowout win over Tennessee
Georgia football has an explosive offense to match its defense
We all know by now Georgia football has the best defense in the country, but it’s time to put some respect on the offense’s name too.
The Dawgs put up 487 total offensive yards against the Vols on Saturday, averaging seven yards a play. They almost averaged a first down each time they snapped the ball. While the Vols did a decent job containing Zamir White, they didn’t think James Cook would explode and run over them.
Georgia finished the game with 274 rushing yards, averaging 6.7 yards a carry and scoring four times. Cook paced the Dawgs with 104 yards on the ground on 10 carries, so he was averaging a first down.
Stetson Bennett contributed on the ground game, too, scoring a touchdown and earning four first downs on his eight carries for 40 yards. His ability to run changed the game, that and Cook dominated on the ground and catching the ball.
Through the air, Bennett went 17-of-29 for 213 yards and one score. The Dawgs averaged 7.3 yards an attempt and 12.5 yards a completion.
Do you see the trend here? For the second straight week, the Dawgs showed they could pass the ball when they needed to, but this week, they dominated on the ground to give them a balanced effort.
The Dawgs had two explosive rushes, which are 20-plus yard runs. Cook had a 39-yard touchdown run to score the game’s first points, and Brock Bowers had a 24-yard run to extend a drive.
While, by definition, those are the only explosive plays the Dawgs had, it wasn’t the only big plays that happened. Georgia had five guys record a rush for 13-plus yards and six who caught passes for 14 or more yards.
The Dawgs had three 20 yard completions, with AD Mitchell bringing in a 22 yarder, Cook a 23 yarder for a touchdown, and Jermaine Burton with a 21-yarder.
Georgia was moving that ball down the field successfully, and while yes, Tennessee forced five punts, the Dawgs still outscored the Vols by 24 points.
The Dawgs have an incredible defense, but this offense is potent too. With the No.2 scoring offense in the SEC and No.1 passing team in terms of yards per attempt, they can be explosive too, and it seems like things are just heating up for them.