Georgia football: Report cards for week 2

Georgia football played another game, meaning it is time to give report cards! We will grade the offense, defense, and special teams each week on a letter-grade scale. There are no D’s because Fulton County Schools System did not believe in giving D’s. You went straight to failure, and I agree with this scale. FCSS’s mission statement has always been, “Where Students Come First.” This blog is “Where All Three Phases Come First.” Probably 99.9% of you reading this have no idea what I am talking about with Fulton County bit, and I’ll do better, I promise. We will give out a player of the game each week. Alright, let’s get into the report card.

Offense: B

Georgia had a decent day on offense. Some of you out there thought the sky was falling after a 0-0 end to the first quarter. The Dawgs should have scored on the opening drive. The first drive was well done by Beck and by Bobo. Easy, quick throws at the sticks gave Beck confidence and moved the ball down the field.

The offense in the second quarter dealt with a short field because of the turnovers the defense created. However, I do not grade based on an offense’s total yards. I grade based on how efficient the offense is. The offense was efficient with a short field, so they get a B. Here is why the offense gets a B.

There are still times when the offense is clunky. It significantly improved from week one to week two. But sometimes the offense boggs down or has moments where it looks off. Georgia should have had two more offensive touchdowns in that game, but they were taken away because of poor officiating. The phantom rub route and the interception that should been called pass interference.

Overall, it was a much-improved game for the offense and Carson Beck. If you are still complaining about Beck, you don’t know ball, son. Smart spoke about how Beck threw a ball in the face of a max-blitz and hit the receiver over the middle.

Smart then added that that type of attribute separates the good QBs from the great QBs. In short, whether you like it or not, Carson Beck stays the starter. The guys around him have to get better. That means receivers need to block on the perimeter, and the O-line blocks better.

Defense: A- 

Honestly, what do y’all want me to say? The Defense has been good, given who they have played the past two weeks. Georgia has only given up 10 points in a total of 8 quarters. That is a pretty good result, no matter who you play.

Last week, Smart said he wanted to see the defense create more turnovers; the defense did against Ball State. The Dawgs defense created three turnovers; 2 of them were the oddest turnovers you will ever see. But hey, they were turnovers; I think Kirby Smart will take them.

Georgia’s defense will be really good again this year. The jury is still out if they will be one of the best in college football this year. In short, they have not played anyone to say the defense is dominant. Let’s see if the Dawgs defense can dominate South Carolina’s offense this Saturday. The defense fixed many minor issues from week one, Turnovers and pursuit angles, all of which were issues when the Dawgs played UT-Martin.

The defense still has not stymied the run. I know the defense gave up only 77 yards on 28 carries. But, the D-line did not get the push I thought they needed. Maybe it is an intensity issue. I can imagine playing Ball State, you might not want to go all out. But it would have been nice to see.

Hopefully, this week against the Gamecocks, the Dawgs’ D-line can get that push up-front and dominate a weak Gamecock offensive line. The defense did their job, so they got an A- on the report card.

Special Teams: A-

Special teams for Georgia in 2023 is going to be interesting. The kicker situation worries me, which is why this phase of the game is getting the grade they are getting. Peyton Woodring missed a field goal on the first drive. Whenever we need a field goal, it will be in the back of my mind that Woodring missed one from a 28-yard attempt. That’s scary.

Georgia has been extremely lucky to have great kickers under Kirby Smart, so hopefully, Woodring falls in the same category as Blankenship and Podlesny. But that miss will give us some concerns down the road. However, the kicking game was okay, besides the missed field goal.

The part of special teams that gets the A is the return game. Mekhi Mews is one of the most electric returners for Georgia since Isaiah McKenzie. Mews returned the opening kickoff almost to the 50-yard line, then on a punt return, scored a touchdown. Any time Mews returns a kick, it feels like it could go for 6.

That is also why Mews is the player of the game. I was debating between Mews and Dillion Bell and decided that Mews once again gets the player of the game. I have a decent feeling that Mews will get the honor a few more times this season. I’m sure Mews and Kirby Smart care that Dawn Of The Dawg gives out players of the game, but I do.

Mews will be a game-changer for the Dawgs for the whole season.  I am excited to see what Mews can do for the rest of the season, not only on special teams but what he can do on offense.

Overall: A 

Georgia football gets an A for last Saturday’s performance. I think the Dawgs handled business. They played vanilla and played a clean game. Furthermore, the Dawgs played well in all three phases of the game. Could it have been a little better? Of course, it could have been, but that is just nitpicking. Georgia did what it needed to do. Hopefully, the Dawgs continue improving and winning next week against South Carolina.