Rest & React: Georgia fights through ups and downs for opening W

Georgia comes away victorious in an opener that’ll leave folks wanting more. The Bulldogs won 48-7, but fans won’t be thrilled that it took 31 points in the second half to run away from the inferior competition.

As I’ve done the past two seasons after every outing, I like to share with you my reactions having removed myself from the situation a little bit and taken some time to think things over. We call it Rest & React…

We’ll start with quarterback Carson Beck because a) I know that’s where the majority of the conversation will be this week and b) he plays a position that has such a large impact on the game. The first-time starter finished 21-of-31 for 294 yards and a touchdown. That’s not a bad stat line at all, but there were definitely moments when it looked worse than what the stats say about his day.

That’s the kind of roller coaster you should expect to ride with somebody in Beck’s position. He had moments of that brilliance, but he also had moments where he looked like the first-time starter he is. Furthermore, he was operating without two of the team’s top pass catching options with Ladd McConkey and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint both on the sideline.

I’m not going to make excuses for Beck because he wouldn’t want that. I feel certain he knows things could’ve been better, but for a first outing without a couple of important weapons around him (add in Daijun Edwards too), he settled in well and looked better in the second half when it seemed the offense opened up a little bit more and attacked downfield.

On the topic of those wide receivers Beck was missing, the guys that played in their place had a chance to grow up. We all heard Kirby Smart say that he thought the receiver room was a little bit thin here recently, and the way I took that was with experience. Numbers wise, of the 13 scholarship players at the position, nine were available (and 10 were healthy, Rosemy-Jacksaint’s absence was a result of an internal discipline issue). That’s just fine. However, of those nine, only Dillon Bell and Arian Smith had previously caught a pass in a UGA uniform and even they are both relatively inexperienced.

Very similarly to Beck – and probably going hand-in-hand because of how intertwined the positions are – there were times that the receivers looked great (i.e. Dominic Lovett’s slot fade during the first half 2:00 drill), but there were also moments where Smart explained that the quarterback and pass catchers weren’t quite on the same page. That’s something that will come more consistently with time and experience, and something that was missing tonight with those two veterans on the sideline.

Brock Bowers did Brock Bowers things once again, and he is absolutely somebody that Georgia can count on. We knew that, the coaches knew that, UT-Martin and everybody that plays Georgia this season knows that. There’s only so much that can be done to take him away. However, in a game like this where the goal is to grow, I get the sense that Georgia’s staff didn’t want to use their ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card too much and wanted to figure out about others on offense. Walk-on Mekhi Mews and redshirt freshman C.J. Smith certainly made the most of that opportunity. Even when McConkey and Rosemy-Jacksaint are back in the rotation, I’d expect Mews and Smith to be part of it too, earning the trust of their coaches given the circumstances tonight.

Good to see Kendall Milton back out there, leading the team in yards and carries. Georgia wasn’t able to run the ball the way we all thought they might, but I think some of that is probably on a defense selling out to stop the run and forcing the first-time starter to beat them.

Was impressed with the effort of Roderick Robinson. Even as somebody still getting used to the speed of the game at this level, Robinson did not look afraid one bit to put his head in there and cut up field quick.

Georgia does lack the running threat of the quarterback in a big way with Beck in there as opposed to Bennett last year and even his two backups. Beck took off with it a couple of times on the 2:00 drill and kept it himself for a second quarter touchdown. Still, it’s not what he wants to do, and a defense only has to respect that possibility so much with him in there.

Always hard to come away with a ton of defensive observations, but I was very impressed with this group. Obviously they are more talented than the opponent, but I’ll give them credit for keeping UT-Martin out of the end zone until the fourth quarter and even that was questionable.

Georgia’s defensive backs just always seem to be around the ball. Tykee Smith was standing out early from the STAR spot, and Malaki Starks finished first on the team in tackles. Smith was between Starks and Javon Bullard while Julian Humphrey, Dan Jackson and JaCorey Thomas showed up strong in fewer snaps.

Will have more on him later but linebacker CJ Allen stood out. He was one of a few freshmen it seemed was getting some opportunities with the first-team defense and fit right in. That says a lot about his future there in the middle.

That’s all for now. Might have to come back with a second round of thoughts at some point this week. Feel free to share yours with me as well, and maybe it sparks a mailbag/Q&A of sorts for some back and forth. Overall, excited to be back at Sanford Stadium and seeing some football on that field. It was a long offseason for all involved, and I think I speak for everybody here in saying it was certainly welcomed to see the pads poppin’.

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