Georgia football: Dawgs have a problem they haven’t experienced in a long time

The Georgia football program is experiencing a problem that hasn’t been seen in Athens in quite some time.

If you watched Georgia and South Carolina play in Week 3, you probably saw a problem rear its ugly head that the Bulldogs haven’t had to deal with in quite some time.

No, I’m not talking about Carson Beck and any perceived quarterback controversy, nor am I referring to Mike Bobo and his supposed lack of play-calling acumen. I’ll let you impatient fans wrangle with those topics.

This is something that Georgia football fans have taken for granted for many years, and now it looks like there may be a problem.

I’m talking about the kicking game.

Georgia football has a history of kicking excellence with a lot to live up to

Freshman kicker Peyton Woodring is stepping into some pretty big shoes (no pun intended) and thus far the young man from LaFayette, Louisiana is stumbling in the dark to find his way.

In Georgia’s first two games against some relatively weak competition, there was no pressure on Woodring. No game-tying or winning situations, just get out there and kick.

Against UT Martin, the freshman placekicker was perfect, going two-for-two on field goal attempts, and converting all six extra-point attempts. So far, so good, the Bulldog Nation probably thought.

Then when Ball State came calling, Woodring squandered a chance to score on Georgia’s first drive by missing a 28-yard chip shot. Nobody makes them all, and Georgia won by 42 points so the missed attempt was just a blip on the radar.

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However, against South Carolina, things started ugly for the Georgia kicking game and got worse as the time went on.

The game began with Jared Zirkel sailing the opening kickoff out of bounds, giving the Gamecocks excellent field position to start their first drive – on which they scored a touchdown. Was the gifted yardage a factor? Could Georgia have stopped them or held them to a field goal otherwise? Maybe.

Then on Georgia’s third drive, with the Bulldogs trailing 7-3, Woodring missed another chip shot attempt of 28 yards, and it wasn’t even close, sailing to the far left of the uprights. He missed another field goal of 43 yards in the 3rd quarter that would have extended Georgia’s lead.

Three missed field goals and an out-of-bounds kickoff in three weeks may not sound like the sky is falling on Georgia’s kicking game, but compared to what Georgia fans are used to seeing, it is indeed a little frightening.

Georgia has become somewhat spoiled when it comes to placekickers, having been dependent on the sure feet of Jack Podlesny, Rodrigo Blankenship, Marshall Morgan, and Blair Walsh. Essentially, for the last 15 years, the kicker position at Georgia has been manned by some of the best to ever lace them up.

That streak of greatness may now be in jeopardy.

Sure, it’s only three games and this kid is a true freshman suddenly thrust on the big stage. But as it stands right now if there’s a crucial game situation that hinges on either attempting a field goal or leaving the offense on the field, which way does Kirby Smart lean?

And it’s not just that Woodring is missing some kicks, it’s that he’s missing some relatively easy kicks and missing them wildly. If one or two of these doinked off the upright or slightly hooked in the wind just as it was approaching the goalposts, that would be different.

These are just bad kicks. No bad holds. No bad snaps. Just bad kicks.

This is no little concern, either. Championship-caliber teams have had their seasons blown up by poor kicking (see; Alabama, Florida State, West Virginia, et al)

Kirby Smart has assembled an excellent coaching staff, and that includes special teams analyst, Kirk Benedict, who hopefully will be able to spot where the problem lies and coach this young man up. Because if things continue as they’ve been doing, Woodring will have his confidence destroyed, as will the confidence of his coaches.