It may not be the most exciting game of the season, but the Georgia Bulldogs have a lot of opportunities to get better in their second to last game of the year vs. the Charlotte 49ers. Georgia is pretty much a lock to make the College Football Playoff at this point, while Charlotte is a one-win team under new head coach Tim Albin. This football game was going to get out of hand eventually.
So with the first half in the books, let's take a look at some key points from the first two quarters. It was nice to see Georgia play dominant from opening kickoff and into halftime. The Bulldogs were not a perfect team vs. Charlotte, but this looks like a group nobody wants to face going forward. Georgia was not going to show much on offense vs. a lesser opponent, but it was still able to get some points.
Here are three notable, first-half observations from a Georgia standpoint when taking on Charlotte.
Georgia Bulldogs' high-octane offense remains balanced throughout
Georgia’s offense has been very productive on the ground today. Its leading rusher has been Nate Frazier, who has 10 carries on 46 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns entering halftime. But the real standout from the first half has been freshman running back Bo Walker...
Walker had three carries for 30 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the first half, with an average of 10 yards per carry. The young running back has made a great impression on his three carries, delivering explosiveness and hard running on his runs. You can only imagine the impression he is putting on this coaching staff.
For the aerial attack, Gunner Stockton has had a great day throwing the football thus far. He was 15-for-19 for 147 yards with a rating of 133.4. Stockton has been poised in the pocket, and even made plays throwing on the run, showing off his composure and ability to get away from pressure.
Despite throwing an interception late in the second quarter, Stockton has done a good job processing his reads and making tight and accurate throws.
Zachariah Branch has been also impressive today, showing off his elusiveness and ability to make the first guy miss. Branch had three first-half catches for 50 receiving yards, while Lawson Luckie had two receptions for 33 receiving yards.
The aerial attack is spreading around the love with all the receivers. You have to love the chemistry that is being shown in this game from the Georgia offense.
Georgia Bulldogs' defense remains hots and committed to getting better
Georgia’s defense has remained hot throughout these last few games, showing up once again vs. Charlotte. So far today, it has shut down Charlotte’s attempts to run the football. Georgia has only allowed 17 yards on the ground with just 1.9 yards per carry.
Georgia defense has made this Charlotte offense very uncomfortable and not being able to get anything on the ground game. Its secondary has also been impressive so far today. It has only allowed 21 passing yards and has been playing very aggressive in man-to-man coverage on the Charlotte receivers.
It has dialed up blitzes and is trying to make Charlotte quarter Grayson Loftis uncomfortable to throw. Georgia has allowed only 38 total yards of offense in the first half, which is the least that they have allowed in the first half all season long.
Georgia also has only allowed two first downs in the game and have been playing very stingy on the field, forcing Charlotte to go 1-for-6 on thirds downs. It is allowing 1.8 yards per play, showing off the insufferable play that it has been doing.
Younger Georgia Bulldogs are starting to see the field a bit more now
We have seen a few younger guys come in and make an impact in the first half already. Freshman running back Bo Walker has already made a impact with his two rushing touchdowns on three carries for 30 rushing yards. He’s looked great so far on his carries, showing off the ability to break tackles and show a burst of speed running through the open gaps.
Then we saw freshman tight end Elyiss Williams continuing to get more reps, as he caught an eight-yard reception for a first down. Expect for these two freshmen to get a lot more playing time in the second half of this game, as Georgia’s staff may want to unleash the second-stringers and see what these younger players can do.
With Georgia in cruise control, we should expect to see more younger players get even more run.