Georgia Football: Midseason Review for the 2014 Bulldogs

Six games into the Georgia Bulldogs’ season, it’s still hard to get a grip on this team’s identity. 

The highs, such as a season-opening rout of Clemson and last weekend’s shutout of Missouri, have been thrilling.  The lows—in particular a loss to South Carolina—have been devastating.  The offense has played well for the most part but has stalled at times.  The defense has struggled often but has seemingly found its stride.  Special teams have improved but have still been plagued by inconsistency.

Even the most dependable element of the team, star running back Todd Gurley, is now a completely unknown quantity given an indefinite suspension.

In an effort to better understand this team and where it might be going, here is a closer look at what’s worked and what hasn’t worked for the Bulldogs and some insights into the road ahead.

What Went Well

To be direct, a 5-1 start is worth noting in and of itself.  Georgia has played four SEC teams, three teams that were ranked at the time of kickoff and six FBS opponents.  Through that schedule, which rating guru Jeff Sagarin currently has tabbed as 23rd most difficult in the country, Georgia has held up well.  The season is still young, but Georgia has only opened one of their past 10 seasons with a better record through six games.

Broadly speaking, a lot has gone right for the Bulldogs to achieve such success.  Much to the chagrin of Mike Bobo-haters, Georgia is averaging 43.2 points per game—a total that would shatter the school’s previous record for scoring offense and currently ranks eighth in the country.  Defensively, Georgia ranks 13th in the nation in points allowed at just 18 points per contest. Only one other school, Marshall, ranks in the top 15 in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Offensively, Georgia’s ground attack has been something to behold.  Understandably, Gurley stole headlines through the team’s first five games.  That’s bound to happen when an 8.2 yards-per-carry average gives way to 773 total rushing yards and eight touchdowns. 

But freshman running backs Sony Michel and Nick Chubb have each accounted for more than 200 rushing yards and three touchdowns over the first half of the season, and each back has a 100-yard game to his name.  Such continued success—even in the absence of Gurley—is a testament to play-calling and stout offensive line play.  Even Georgia’s running game is not a one-man show.

Defensively, improvements under new coordinator Jeremy Pruitt are hard to ignore.  After a strong second-half performance in Week 1 against Clemson, Pruitt made it abundantly clear that his work was not finished.  “We’ve still got a long ways to go,” he told Seth Emerson of the Ledger-Enquirer.  “I mean basically all we’ve done is guarantee we can go 1-11.”

Though it hasn’t always been pretty, this defense is making advancements.  Most notably the team’s ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks—particularly on obvious passing downs—has allowed this defense to prevent long third-down conversions and get off the field much more regularly.  And as of late, pass coverage has held its own downfield.

On special teams, there are signs of life as well.  Freshman Isaiah McKenzie is the first legitimate punt returner Georgia’s fielded in several years.  Though he’s occasionally loose with the football, his elusiveness is a real threat.  Further, Georgia’s coverage on kickoffs and punts alike is much improved.

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

What Didn’t Go Well

As great as the 5-1 start is, the loss to South Carolina is a black eye that darkens with every South Carolina loss.  To be sure, the Bulldogs’ rivalry with the Gamecocks is now one that transcends typical analysis.  Either team could win this game any year, regardless of record.  But the national perception is that Georgia lost to a mediocre foe given South Carolina’s 3-3 overall record and 2-3 mark in conference play.

More frustrating still is the fact that Georgia lost a hard-fought 38-35 battle after a 54-yard Todd Gurley touchdown was called back in the first half due to a phantom holding penalty.  According to Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the SEC’s office later indicated that the penalty should not have been called.

But the entirety of that loss can’t be blamed on officials so much as it can be blamed on the secondary’s inability to cover.  South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson set season highs for completion percentage and quarterback rating while throwing for 271 yards and three touchdowns in that contest.  Furthermore, two missed field goals by the normally dependable Marshall Morgan and some questionable play calls on offense sealed Georgia’s fate.

A strong second half of the season will make the loss to South Carolina forgettable, but Georgia could—and possibly should—be undefeated.  Heading into the trip to Columbia, Georgia was ranked sixth by both the AP and the Coaches Poll.  Four of the five teams ranked ahead of the Bulldogs at that time have lost, and the other (Florida State) has hardly looked dominant.  The Dawgs would likely hold a Top Three ranking if they had an undefeated record.

And, of course, one would be remiss not to mention the ongoing autograph saga involving Gurley, a disgruntled memorabilia dealer and the NCAA among the first half’s disappointments.  The length of Gurley’s suspension remains unknown, but the team is undoubtedly better when he is on the field.  Chubb did a fine job filling in for him last week against Missouri, but Georgia can’t run the table without Gurley.

What Lies Ahead

Optimism surrounding what has thus far been a great season is truly hedged by Gurley’s unknown future. 

If he was clear to play, it would be a fair assertion that Georgia should win every game remaining on the schedule with the exception of Auburn.  And even the Auburn game could prove a favorable matchup for the Dawgs at home.

With Gurley out, however, the entire slate is daunting.  Arkansas seems due to pick off an SEC heavyweight after back-to-back narrow defeats to Texas A&M and Alabama.  Florida always brings its best effort to Jacksonville.  Auburn could dominate if Georgia is without its star.  Even Georgia Tech, which snuck into the Top 25 for a brief moment earlier this season, could upset a Gurley-less Georgia team.

And that’s where things get difficult to prognosticate.  Things went very well for Georgia without Gurley against Missouri, but it’s easy to read too much into that 34-0 landslide victory.  Truthfully, that game probably said more about the Tigers and their lack of fortitude than it did about the Bulldogs.  The effort by Georgia was complete and therefore cannot be rightfully ignored.  But great teams do not lose by 34 points at home to an opponent that recently lost its best player.  Missouri is not a great team.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

Accordingly, it’s hard to know how sustainable this team’s success is without Gurley.  The beautiful combination he brought to the field was not merely size, speed and vision.  His most valuable offerings are his consistency and his ability to break game-changing plays.  To cross over into another sport, Gurley is a high-percentage batter who hits a lot of home runs.  Georgia doesn’t have another player of that caliber.  Very few teams do.

With or without Gurley, however, this defense should continue to improve.  Assuming the front seven stays healthy and the pass rush remains as lethal as it has been, the secondary will benefit tremendously.  That bodes well for a unit that prides itself on opportunistic play and forcing turnovers. 

And offensively, Bobo still has a few wrinkles up his sleeve as coordinator.  Don’t be surprised to see a slightly heavier reliance on the passing game as quarterback Hutson Mason continues to adjust to game speed and benefits from the return of Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley.  And once Sony Michel and Keith Marshall return from injury, the backfield will be much more involved in the passing game as well.

This team is capable of competing in the college football playoff.  If Gurley returns, the team could win out and enter the SEC Championship Game much less battered than the counterpart from the SEC West.  And Georgia would have a noticeable advantage in the experience department should its opponent in Atlanta hail from a Mississippi school.  Playing in the conference championship game would be new terrain for Hugh Freeze’s Ole Miss team and Dan Mullen’s Mississippi State squad.  Georgia has played in two of the last three SEC Championships.

From there, it’s hard to imagine an SEC champ being denied entry into the four-team playoff. 

The floor for this team, however, is completely unknown.  Even without Gurley, every game remaining on this schedule could feasibly be won, but his absence leaves no margin for error.  Accordingly, a 4-2 second half seems more likely.

Hang in there, Georgia fans.  There’s still a lot up in the air, but nothing is yet off the table.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained first hand and all statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.