Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo sounds off on explosive success

ATHENS — Kirby Smart wanted an explosive Georgia offense, and to this point, Mike Bobo and Gunner Stockton have delivered.

“We’re going to call shots and some of them we don’t get off or might have to scramble or go to a check down,” Bobo said in an exclusive interview with UGA’s NIL-incentivized website, “Glory, Glory” after the Bulldogs’ 41-13 win over Oklahoma.

“We had some advantageous looks there on Saturday, and we were able to protect long enough to get the ball pushed downfield.”

Heading into Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt, the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring with 54.8 points per game, more than a point better than runner-up Florida (53.5), 3 points ahead of third-place Miami (51.8) and more than 6 points better than fourth-place Alabama (48.0).

Stockton is also second in the nation in passing efficiency — behind Miami QB Darian Mensah — despite not yet playing a complete game because of the comfortable leads Georgia has held in its wins.

The Bulldogs have taken care of business early in games, outscoring opponents 63-0 in the first quarter this season and 133-12 in the first half.

Georgia is tied for ninth in the nation with five plays of 40 yards or more and tied for seventh in the country with three plays of 50 yards or more, and the Bulldogs’ two plays of 60 yards or more is also tied for seventh.

This, even though Talyn Taylor, arguably the fastest and most explosive wideout in the receiving corps, isn’t among the 50-yard catch-plus group — yet.

Taylor, a former 5-star prospect, had the breakout performance Georgia coaches and fans have been waiting for against the Sooners with four catches for 110 yards — including a 41-yard, one-handed catch.

“We got really tight coverage and the guy makes a one-handed catch,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said, tipping his cap to Taylor. “They’ve recruited really well at Georgia — and so have we — and the guy makes a competitive play.”

Bobo was among those impressed with Taylor’s performance.

“Talyn ran an excellent route on the first one (a 35-yard touchdown catch) versus man coverage, and then he made an unbelievable catch (41 yards) down the field, kind of a one-handed catch on a shot, one-on-one to him,” Bobo said.

“He’s got explosive speed and it’s Gunner’s job — and a quarterback’s job — to get those guys a chance to make those plays,” Bobo said.

“If we do that enough, we’ll come down with some explosive stuff to help us win.”

Stockton has been working for two seasons with Taylor waiting for such moments.

“Talyn had some great catches, he’s been making plays all camp and all this week and he did a great job today,” Stockton said. “It was fun to see him celebrate and be explosive.”

Smart, ever the perfectionist, made it clear the offense still has work to do.

“We didn’t convert a lot of third downs today …,” Smart said after the win over Oklahoma. “They were 2-of-14 and we were 3-of-12. Obviously, that’s not good. We’ve got to be better than that, and we can’t get in third-and-longs.”

The Sooners are tied for fourth in the nation with Alabama in third-down conversion defense at 23.1%.