Georgia Football Spring Game 2014: Live Game Grades and Analysis

Georgia held its annual G-Day spring game on Saturday.

Here are complete game grades and analysis for the intrasquad scrimmage, where the Red Team (first-team offense) defeated the Black Team (first-team defense) 27-24 at the half.

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	B	B-
Rush Offense	B	B
Pass Defense	B	B
Rush Defense	C	C+
Special Teams	B	A
Coaching	B	B

First-Half Analysis from G-Day

Pass Offense: Offensively, starting quarterback Hutson Mason and his backups (Faton Bauta and Brice Ramsey) found success through the air.  An offensive line unit that is far from cemented performed adequately, and a host of Georgia receivers made plays down the field.  Georgia receivers struggled to shake loose on short passes in the flats, but otherwise, the first half was tremendously successful for the passing attack. 

Run Offense: Georgia's first-team offense did not rely too heavily on the ground attack, but Todd Gurley and Brendan Douglas both found room to run.  Interestingly enough, Mason, who is not known as a dual threat, had several long runs on the read-option.  The second-team rushing attack led by redshirt freshman A.J. Turman was equally underutilized, but Turman ran hard and showed promise.

Pass Defense: In some ways, this defensive unit is graded on a curve to account for the prolific nature of Georgia's offense.  In that regard, although Jeremy Pruitt's defense gave up yards in bunches through the air, there were plenty of positives in the first half.  Notably, cornerback Shaq Wiggins made a number of plays, including a pass breakup in the end zone.  The defense also tackled well in space, which was rarely the case in 2013, and the front four put decent pressure on passers.

Run Defense: Pruitt's defense struggled more mightily against the run.  Long runs on read-option plays plagued both the first- and second-team defensive units, and gaping holes were repeatedly opened by an unproven offensive line unit.

Special Teams: Georgia is not kicking off or punting live during the scrimmage, but one field goal (from 33 yards out) was good and a long one as time expired (53 yards) was just off.  All three extra points were successful.  

Coaching: Offensively, coordinator Mike Bobo has not been forced out of his comfort zone, and Pruitt's defense is clearly still a work in progress.  With that in mind, it's hard to discount Bobo's play-calling or drop a hammer on Pruitt.  That being said, both teams were penalized more often than is desirable.  That needs to be cleaned up.

Dave Tulis

Final Analysis from G-Day

Pass Offense: Undoubtedly, Mason was a high point of the day as he demonstrated consistency, accuracy and control while under center.  That being said, the backups encountered more adversity in the second half as the defensive secondary made a number of plays and forced several turnovers.

Run Offense: The Georgia ground attack is what fans expected it to be, and that's not a bad thing.  Gurley, Douglas and Turman all ran the ball well.  The offensive line created holes and the talented Bulldog backs capitalized.

Pass Defense: If nothing else this Georgia secondary seems more opportunistic than last year's squad.  The defensive backs are still plagued by youth, but when opportunities arose, the safeties and cornerbacks made plays in the second half.  Coverage remained streaky (at best), but open field tackling also seems to have improved.

Run Defense: Georgia's defense gave up more yardage on the ground than some would have expected, but some of that can likely be blamed on the new scheme.  Several times too many defenders dropped into coverage or failed to maintain lane integrity.  Because of these miscues, far too many holes for runners were opened.

Special Teams: If a missed field goal from 53 yards out is the only black eye for Georgia's special teams, then it's been a pretty nice afternoon.

Coaching: Bobo did a nice job of working multiple quarterbacks (even true freshman Jacob Park) into various packages and doling out plenty of experience.  On the other side of the ball, Pruitt seems to have established a solid rotation among the front seven and he's truly committed to giving everyone opportunities in the secondary.