Georgia has never made it to the SEC Championship Game with an undefeated team, and it won’t this year, if it makes it all.
The difference this time around is it wasn’t a highly ranked opponent that vanquished the Bulldogs. It was a 2-3 South Carolina team playing with its third-string quarterback.
The last two years when Georgia made it to Atlanta, it did so after losing on the road to No. 10 Auburn and No. 13 LSU, respectively. But Kirby Smart believes the Bulldogs (5-1, 2-1 SEC) still can achieve that goal, even after falling 20-17 in a mistaken-ridden, double-overtime loss to the Gamecocks.
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“Absolutely,” Smart said. “I’ve been a part of a lot of good football teams that have lost a game. … I know that people find it hard to believe that Georgia, the No. 3-ranked team in the country, just lost to South Carolina. But when you look at it, Kentucky has a good football team, too. Everybody we play has good football players. You have got to go out, execute, and be able to play at a high level week to week in this conference.”
The thinking before Saturday was the Bulldogs would have to get through Florida in Jacksonville to make a third consecutive SEC Championship appearance. The seventh-ranked Gators lost to No. 5 LSU 42-28 Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
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But the Kentucky Wildcats (3-3, 1-3 SEC) are next up for Georgia following a 24-20 win over Arkansas in Lexington, and the Bulldogs would be well advised to have all their focus on that one.
Here are some considerations for the Bulldogs as they seek to make reparations:
Predictably on offense
Nine times against the Gamecocks, Georgia started an offensive series with back-to-back runs, followed by a Jake Fromm pass on third down. The Bulldogs managed to convert third downs nine-out-of-18 times, but Smart was asked if the offense was becoming too predictable and putting too much pressure on Fromm to convert.
“If the strength of your team is your backs, you feel like they can make guys miss, and the strength of your team is your offensive line, you try to rely on your strength,” Smart said. “Once they negate that, and you’re not able to move them up front, you've got to try other things. We tried to do both. We opened it up and threw it over the middle to George (Pickens) a couple of times and took a shot one time coming out. We tried those things offensively.”
At the end of it all, Georgia ran a season-high 95 offensive plays, with 43 rushes and 52 passes. But it averaged a season low 4.9 yards per play. The Bulldogs outgained South Carolina 468 to 267.
Hold onto the football
Moving the football actually wasn’t a problem for Georgia — holding onto it was. And that’s was an unusual issue for the Bulldogs.
They entered Saturday’s game with only four turnovers all season and none committed by Fromm. But after not throwing an interception all season, the junior quarterback from Warner Robins had three against the Gamecocks. Fromm also mishandled a snap from center in South Carolina territory. As a result, Georgia lost the turnover battle 4-0.
One of Fromm’s interceptions was returned 53 yards for a touchdown. All three picks were by South Carolina cornerback Israel Mukuamu.
“When you get the ball from the other team four times and one of them scores, it’s like a 90 percent chance they’re going to win,” Smart said. “And we still almost overcame that. But you can’t turn the ball over four times and win.”
No separation
It was a tough day for Fromm, but it also was a bad day for Georgia’s receiving corps.
As much talk as there has been able the Bulldogs not throwing the ball downfield, there’s not enough about the receivers’ inability to get open deep. Fromm connected with freshman Pickens seven times for 98 yards, including one 33-yard reception. But Georgia averaged just 5.7 yards on 51 pass attempts, and 10.5 yards per completion.
“We called a lot of deep opportunities but, if you notice, there was no space,” Smart said. “We’ve got to do a good job of winning the one-on-one, and when the pass pro’s there and you give Jake time he’s very accurate. But you’ve got to win the one-on-ones.”
Fromm was sacked a season-high three times. He completed passes to eight different receivers. Cager had the second-longest catch for 18 yards.
Banged up Bulldogs
Georgia hasn’t had any serious, season-ending injuries as of yet, but they enter Week 8 a beat-up football team with a concentration of the issues on the offensive line.
The Bulldogs appeared to be getting healthy coming in. Solomon Kindley was cleared to play after an ankle injury had sidelined him since the Notre Dame game. But the junior from Jacksonville was unable come through when called upon Saturday.
Kindley was needed because Justin Shaffer, getting his second start of the season at right guard, went out with a sprained neck. Georgia shuffled in Cade Mays, Ben Cleveland and Jamaree Salyer, but struggled against South Carolina’s stout front seven, which registered three sacks.
Running back Brian Herrien did not play because of back spasms that started on Friday, then the Bulldogs lost receiver Lawrence Cager (shoulder) and defensive back Mark Webb (knee) in the course of the game. Meanwhile, cornerback Tyson Campbell remained sidelined with a toe injury.
Where’s the havoc?
The Bulldogs have put a heavy emphasis on creating defensive havoc this season, but they created virtually none on Saturday.
Georgia did not record a sack or a quarterback hurry against the Gamecocks. They also did not create a turnover and had just three pass break-ups and three tackles for loss.
“There were a couple of times we got to (the quarterback) and he got loose,” Smart said. “We didn’t finish, especially on the second kid who came in. The first kid (Ryan Hilinski), I knew all week he was a guy who got rid of the ball quick. The other kid (Dakereon Joyner) came in and we got pressure several times, especially late when they were in empty, but he's a really athletic kid.”
