FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Don’t get him wrong. Mike Bobo is glad to be here at the Orange Bowl. Thrilled, in fact. But that the loss to Alabama cost Georgia the SEC Championship game and knocked it out of the College Football Playoff sits fresh on his mind.
Bobo didn’t hesitate even a nanosecond when asked Thursday what went wrong for the Bulldogs’ offense in the 27-24 defeat that reshaped the postseason for the entirety of college football.
“I look back at that game as we didn’t convert third downs that we needed to convert in that ballgame,” said Bobo, the former Georgia quarterback who’s in the first season of his second stint as the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator. “We’ve been very good at converting third downs all year, consistently. We did a good job of having ‘third-and-manageable’ all year. In that game, we didn’t do well on third down and, quite frankly, it was third-and-1s and -2s that didn’t continue drives.”
Georgia entered the conference championship game ranked No. 2 nationally in third-down conversion rate, at 57%. Against the Crimson Tide, they were 4-of-12 (33.3%), including 2-of-6 on third downs with two yards or fewer to go. The Bulldogs did, however convert both fourth downs they attempted.
Hats off to Alabama, though, because it held Georgia to 175 yards less than the season’s average (496.4 ypg) and 15 points below the scoring average. It didn’t help the Bulldogs’ cause that offensive all-stars Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey were severely limited because of injuries, and starting right tackle Amarius Mims left the game after aggravating his surgically repaired ankle in the first quarter.
“If they’re out there, they’re healthy enough to play,” Bobo said. “We didn’t execute in the right moments to be successful. It comes down to executing situational football, third-down and red zone. We settled for field goals and turned the ball over in our own territory. That cost us.”
Truly, though, that was the only blemish in an otherwise perfect season for Bobo and the Bulldogs. Bobo was promoted into the Georgia’s offensive play-caller role in February after spending a year back at his alma mater in an analyst role.
Earlier this month, sophomore offensive lineman Dylan Fairchild said Bobo told the team he had a “point to prove” this season. Bobo laughed Thursday, saying he didn’t recall ever saying that, but he didn’t deny that his motivational level getting back in the coaches’ booth this season was high.
“You’ve got a point to prove every time you go out there on the field,” he said. “You want to be the best. Offensively, every time we put the ball down, we want to go score. It doesn’t happen every time, but we want to prove we deserve to be out there.”
Bobo’s half-hour session with reporters Thursday was his first since the second week of preseason camp in August. Following are some the highlights from that exchange:
On feeling pressure as Todd Monken’s successor …
“I don’t necessarily think there was pressure following coach Monken. I think there’s pressure at every job. (Coach Kirby Smart) said it before: ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ When you’re at a place like the University of Georgia, there’s pressure to play well, pressure to win. That’s part of the job. You learn to live with those pressures but, quite frankly, you welcome that pressure because it comes with expectations. You want to be at a place where the expectations are high. I worried more this year about the pressure on our players, winning so many games in a row and coming back and trying to three-peat. There’s a lot of pressure on those young men to play well. At the end of the day, you want them to go out and have some fun. That’s why I’m looking forward to this game.”
On calling games not knowing whether Bowers would be available (for the record, he doesn’t know this week) …
“It was challenging knowing whether he was in or out. When he was healthy, you had to make sure as a play-caller you found ways to get him touches. It’s hard sometimes when someone plays the tight end position to find creative ways to get him the ball. But our staff does a great job of recommending concepts for touches. We all look at scheme, but at the end of the day, sometimes you’ve got to think players over plays. If you do that, you’ve got a chance to be successful.”
On comparing Bowers with former Colorado State tight end Trey McBride, who played for Bobo and now is a starter and a 1,000-plus yard receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers …
“I don’t know that you can compare anybody to Brock Bowers. Brock Bowers is such a unique player. He’s a tight end, but (laughs) he can do it all. He can block, he can run, he can catch, powerful after the catch. His run-after-the-catch ability is unbelievable. Trey is kind of your more traditional tight end. Brock is a jack of all trades. But two good players, and it’s good to see Trey having success.”
On not having Bowers next season …
“I don’t know if you can replace a Brock Bowers. Even when he wasn’t 100%, he was one of our better football players, one of the better football players in the country.”
On flanker McConkey …
“I wish I had him more, I know that. It’s good to see him healthy and out there practicing now. A tough, tough, tough young man who has battled through some injuries this year. You hate to see that in his last year, him having to battle through all these injuries. But he’s worked hard to get back and be ready to play against Florida State, so I’m excited for that. One of the best route runners we have, extremely quick in the short area and then has great long speed. Good with the ball in his hands, and you can hand it to him or throw it to him. Excited to have him Saturday.”
On adding running back Trevor Etienne through the transfer portal …
“I don’t really want to comment on him yet because he’s not here. I want to focus on the guys who are here and getting ready to play in this game.”
On senior running back Kendall Milton committing to play in the Orange Bowl …
“I’m really proud of how he played this year. He battled through some injuries to become one of our playmakers on offense. “I’m really proud of how he played this year. He battled through some injuries to become one of our playmakers on offense. He will be (needed as a playmaker again) as we get ready to play Florida State.”
On what it’s like to work for Smart versus Mark Richt …
“Both are very, very competitive individuals. You’ve got to be that way to coach at a place like the University of Georgia. At the end of the day, they’re very similar. Whether it’s 10 years ago or now, the expectation at the University of Georgia is to play well and compete for championships.”
On his relationship with coach Ray Goff, who recruited him to Georgia as a player in 1994. …
“I got to see him about a month ago. I’m very fortunate that Ray Goff recruited me and gave me an opportunity to play at Georgia. People forget about coach Goff, who played at the University of Georgia, coached at the University of Georgia, represented Georgia the right way. His coaching career didn’t go the way he wanted, but he’s a great man that I love dearly. He gave me the opportunity to get my degree from Georgia and play here.”
On his success this season …
“I don’t look at it that way. It’s not about me. I just try to get these guys ready to play for the University of Georgia. I’m blessed just to have this opportunity, sit in this chair and call plays. But I’m also blessed to be in a (group) with great coaches on this staff. I enjoy going to work with those guys every day and coaching young men. But I won’t be happy until we don’t punt and score every time.”
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