Bulldogs expect to pass more vs. South Carolina

Continually fielding the “can Georgia throw deep?” question since the conclusion of the Bulldogs’ win over Clemson on Saturday, Chris Conley finally decided to issue an apology on behalf of the UGA passing game.

“Unfortunately when you have talented backs like we do, sometimes when you run the ball you have success,” the senior flanker said sarcastically.

Conley’s right. There’s really no need to pass vertically when your ground game is wearing down your opponent.

Georgia ran for 328 yards and four touchdowns in the 45-21 win over the Tigers. Todd Gurley led the way with 198 yards. Along with Nick Chubb, Sony Michel and Keith Marshall, the Bulldogs’ tailbacks averaged 6.7 yards per carry. That’s getting it done.

But that won’t always get it done, not in the rough-and-tumble SEC, and especially not against South Carolina, the opponent on Sept. 13.

Georgia’s sample size is one game. But Clemson went into that contest expecting the Bulldogs to be a run-first team. And they were.

Georgia ran on 41 of 67 plays against the Tigers (61 percent). The Bulldogs threw for only 131 yards. That was their lowest passing total since October, when they had 113 in a loss at Vanderbilt.

“I know we can throw and catch well here at Georgia,” coach Mark Richt assured. “The (Clemson) game was just a little unusual in that we got in a position in the second half where we could hammer the ball.”

The Bulldogs did not attempt a pass in the fourth quarter, but they tried a lot before that. In fact, Georgia attempted 11 passes in the third quarter. It completed seven of them, but only for 63 yards.

And that was the chief issue. The Bulldogs averaged only 7.3 yards per completion, and they weren’t necessarily “going for it” even when they didn’t complete them.

Senior quarterback Hutson Mason was 18-of-26 for a nice healthy completion percentage of 69 percent. But with the exception of one throwaway, 11 of his attempts were directed toward running backs or tight ends.

“I just try to execute what’s being called,” Mason said.

Georgia’s longest completion was 23 yards to split end Michael Bennett, who shook a tackler on an out-route in the third quarter to get further downfield. The Bulldogs tried to go deep early in the game to flankers Conley and Reggie Davis and came away with defensive pass-interference calls. Otherwise, they never really connected vertically.

“A couple of times we had guys, and we didn’t pull the trigger,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “But that’s easy to see on Sunday when you’re going over the tape and you’re looking at it from up above. It’s not as easy when a guy’s standing in there and got guys breathing down his neck. But that’s part of playing the position. You’ve got to cut it loose.”

Cutting it loose was Georgia’s reputation the past couple of seasons under quarterback Aaron Murray. During that run ESPN analyst Jon Gruden identified the Bulldogs as “the best vertical passing team in the country.”

But just because the Bulldogs haven’t done that yet doesn’t mean they won’t. At the moment they’re still missing two of their best “field stretchers” in Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley, who remain sidelined with leg injuries. If they’re not back next week they will be soon.

“I’m sure South Carolina, when they get to prepping for us, is going to think ‘load the box,’” said Mason, who averaged 309 yards passing in his two starts last season. “I hope they do. We’re going to throw it, and I hope we throw it the first play of the game.”