Georgia Football: Report cards for Georgia vs. Ole Miss

It is now Monday afternoon, meaning it is time to put out report cards for Georgia football. Since last week, a lot has changed. More than likely, the Dawgs are the number-one team after trouncing the Ole Miss Rebels, and now everyone in the media thinks the Dawgs are a machine. I remember a few weeks ago when the media talked about how this Georgia team has not played anybody and is beatable. It’s crazy how one game changes a narrative. But here we are playing Tennessee, and they have nothing to play for other than to dash our hopes of a playoff. So good job, Rocky Top!

Alright, let us get into grades. Remember, we go off of the Fulton County School System grading scale. There are no D’s, only F’s. No team or player is left behind here at the Max Tolbert Football Academy. I don’t think I will give out any F’s today.

Offense: A++

Much like Ralphie’s daydream in the film “Christmas Story,” I could not help but keep giving out pluses! What a beautiful game plan by Mike Bobo and excellent execution by the entire offense. I cannot describe how I felt watching the offense on Saturday. It was very reminiscent of the 2023 National Title game against TCU. Mike Bobo was to quote today’s kids “in his bag.” Georgia had over 600 yards of offense! 600 yards in a football game! They did that against the number 9 team in the country. How crazy is that?

Carson Beck passed for 306 yards and two touchdowns, completing 18 out of 25 attempts. The guy is in complete control of this offense. Beck is brilliant with the football, knows how to read the defense, and puts the ball where the defenders are not. We should all push Carson Beck to be in New York City for the Heisman Ceremony.

Jayden Daniels of LSU is putting up crazy numbers, but he is not on a team contending for a national title. Beck should be in the talks of Heisman contenders, and hopefully, people will start pushing the narrative.

The Dawgs had a great night running the ball on Saturday. Senior Kendal Milton had one of his best nights as a Georgia Bulldog on Senior Day. Milton had only nine carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Adding to that total, Daijun Edwards ran for  59 yards and scored two touchdowns on 12 carries. The offensive line had one of its best games, not only helping run the ball for 300 yards, but they did not allow a single sack.

Furthermore, Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey did what they usually do, both catching a touchdown. The Georgia offense was clicking on all cylinders! Here is how good of a night the offense had. The Dawgs did not have a single play that was for negative yardage. Not a single play went back, even for a yard loss. Do you know how crazy that is?

Ole Miss’s defense was one of the best in preventing negative-yardage plays, and the Dawgs offense did not get a single one. It was that type of night.

Defense: A 

I was debating whether to give the defense an A-minus or an A. I’m not going to be that harsh on a good performance. The first quarter was not an ideal start for the defense, as they gave up 14 points. But soon after that, they did not give up another point until garbage time. I do not know what it is with this defense, but they love giving up opening-drive touchdowns.

I wonder if the opposing team can scheme up a good script or if the defense is trying to figure out the offensive game plan and trying different things. Whatever it is, I hope they continue the trend of not giving anything up after the first drive.

Early in the game, it looked like the Dawgs’ defense could not stop the outside run or, for that matter, Ole Miss’s running game. But soon, they stuffed the running game and made Judkins useless. Judkins only had 75 yards on 22 carries. The Dawgs’ defense did a great job stopping the run.

I was pleasantly surprised by how the Dawgs will handle the QB run. Early on, Dart got yardage when he took off from the pocket. But, during the second quarter, Dart needed help to get meaningful yards rushing.

The Dawgs defense held the Ole Miss offense to 300 yards, but most of that yardage came when the game was basically over. So, probably, the Dawgs gave up 200 yards, all told.

To me, the Dawgs’ defense has gotten better as the season has gone on. We will see a complete defense when the Dawgs face Alabama for the SEC Championship. Many people worried about Jamon Dumas-Johnson’s absence; I was one of them.

But C.J. Allen, a true freshman, stepped up and played fantastic. Allen is the next great Georgia linebacker. The dude was everywhere Saturday night, and I love how he plays football. Allen is fast and can lay the wood. I came away from that game highly impressed by C.J. Allen.

Special Teams: A 

Peyton Woodring did his job and hit a chip shot in the third quarter. Also, Brett Thorson’s streak of not giving up a return is still alive. We are now going into the 11th game of the season, and Thorson has yet to give up a yard; that’s pretty impressive. But it is also easy to do when your offense puts up 52 points in a game. Overall, nothing spectacular from the Dawgs on special teams, but a solid job nonetheless.

Overall: A+ 

I cannot say enough how special of a night it was in Athens, “Between The Hedges.” A large part of that is because this team is outstanding. If the Dawgs continue to play like they did Saturday, they will be almost impossible to beat. Hopefully, there is no drop-off this week when the Dawgs go to Knoxville to play the Vols.

The MVP of the game goes to Brock Bowers. The guy is an alien among humans. Coming back from tightrope surgery in 4 weeks is pretty impressive. Moreover, to come back from tight-rope surgery and play that well is even more special. So even though he did not put up big numbers, Bowers got the game MVP award because of his effort.