A win is a win, but most Georgia football fans are not going to be feeling super great heading into next week's road game at Tennessee after how Saturday's showing went vs. FCS Austin Peay. Yes, Georgia was able to win 28-6 Between the Hedges to improve to 2-0 on the year, but it was far from a perfect game for the Dawgs. Mental lapses by Mike Bobo near halftime left a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
However, maybe all the blame and vitriol being shoved into Bobo's face is a bit misguided? Because Austin Peay is not an SEC opponent, Bobo and the offensive staff were never going to open up the playbook. Why on god's green earth would the Dawgs do that before their road game at Tennessee next weekend? Georgia has far better players than Austin Peay, but it should have executed better.
So when you really think about it, Bobo is to blame, but not solely. Much of what temporarily derailed the Dawgs' game plan on Saturday was that of offensive line coach Stacy Searels. Like Bobo, he has worked with Georgia previously. In the same bucket, he is not as well received as his predecessors were. Bobo pails in comparison to one Todd Monken. Searles is no Sam Pittman or even a Matt Luke.
With how good Tim Banks is as a defensive coordinator, Searels may get his lunch eaten next week.
Stacy Searles deserves far more blame for Georgia's bad Week 2 showing
If you look at the team stats from the game, while Georgia's third-down efficiency was not terrible at 7-13, especially when compared to Austin Peay's of 3-13..., the amount of tackles for loss registered by the Governors should not be sitting well with Georgia fans. The Austin Peay defense was able to match Georgia's six combined tackles for a loss. This is what Georgia does on defense, by the way...
Although the Dawgs were able to score all four of its touchdowns on the afternoon by way of the ground, averaging only 4.8 yards per carry on 40 rushing attempts is not going to cut it vs. a talented defensive like that of Tennessee's. On the other side of the ball, Georgia did a great job containing the Governor's rushing attack by allowing only 1.6 yards per carry on 28 rushing attempts on the evening.
Truth be told, bad weather and a slick field in the second half did not help either offense look super impressive down the stretch. What is important to understand is Georgia was being tasked with using its more talented players to execute easier plays at a higher level and it could not consistently do that behind Searles' offensive line. This was always going to be the team's biggest weakness. It was brutal.
The good news for Georgia is the Dawgs still won ugly and should have plenty of intrinsic motivation.