Mike Bobo opens up on why Georgia looks to simplify offense at Ole Miss
ATHENS — Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is all about the results, and the 27-8 win over Florida represented success in what Bobo says is a “bottom-line business.”
The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs look to take another step toward defending their SEC title and locking down a College Football Playoff spot when they play at No. 12 Ole Miss at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Bobo’s UGA offense leads the SEC in scoring (41 points per game) and passing efficiency (171.46 rating), and is second in the conference in third-down conversion rate (51.7%) and third in rushing (200.1 yards per game).
Statistics, however, can sometimes be circumstantial, and that has been the case for Georgia in at least two games, as the defense forced turnovers that led to a 28-0 halftime lead against Oklahoma and a 24-0 advantage against Florida.
It didn’t take an expert to realize the only way the Bulldogs could lose games with sizable leads of that nature would be if they turned the ball over, hence more conservative game plans for the second halves of both contests.
Against Florida, it fit right into the physical, ground-oriented game plan Georgia had for the Gators from the onset.
“It wasn’t perfect for us by any stretch on Saturday,” Bobo said in his interview with UGA’s NIL media website, Glory Glory, “but it’s a bottom-line business and our defense played outstanding and we were able to run the ball.”
Georgia pounded out 217 yards rushing, averaging a robust 5.2 yards per carry, while passing for 101 yards as Gunner Stockton attempted only nine passes in the second half while protecting the lead.
“It’s hard to run the ball in this league, but I felt like we were moving those guys early,” said Bobo, whose 2014 UGA offense still holds the school mark for scoring (41.3 points per game).
“We didn’t hit some of our shots downfield, but I felt good about how we were running the ball. Our guys take pride in running the ball …”
That includes Stockton, whose grit and efficiency fits the makeup of this team even if he’s not destined to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft like Matthew Stafford was under Bobo, or the all-time leading SEC passer as Aaron Murray was playing in a Bobo offense.
“He had some dirty yards that were huge in the (Florida) football game … he’s always a threat, and the bigger the game we’re probably going to run him a little more,” Bobo said of Stockton, who had 45 yards rushing on a season-high 12 carries in the win over the Gators.
“He’s doing a good job of protecting himself when he’s going down and going headfirst. He’s protecting the ball and he’s protecting himself with his shoulder pads.”
Bobo said the Ole Miss defense will present a challenge with the nature of its scheme.
“They do a lot defensively, they do a lot with their front, they’re not afraid to move their front,” Bobo said of how coach Pete Golding’s Rebels complicate blocking schemes.
“He plays coverage on the back end by blitzing a lot, so he doesn’t give up the explosive play, and he makes you beat him, and it’s hard offensively to have eight- and 10- play drives and score touchdowns.”
Indeed, Georgia was just 3-of-13 on third-down conversions in the most recent meeting between the teams in the CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal on Jan. 1 in New Orleans.
The Bulldogs had five offensive scoring drives consisting of seven plays, 12 plays, 10 plays, six plays and 12 plays, having to go 56 yards or more on each.
The Georgia offense produced just two plays of more than 25 yards, both going to players no longer on the team (Cash Jones, 26 yards; Colbie Young, 31 yards).
“They don’t give up a lot of explosives,” Bobo said, “and they make you earn it.”
Ole Miss has won 16 straight home games at Vaught Hemingway Stadium, and Bobo anticipates the venue will produce the biggest challenge of the season to date.
“I’ve been watching some tape and a lot of people are having some false starts against these guys, especially at their place,” Bobo said. “We have to do a good job of handling that, communication is at a premium.
“We’ve got to simplify some things so we can play fast and don’t let the crowd take us out of executing our offense.”