Hutson Mason Needs to Improve If Georgia Wants to Win SEC East

In a game that was sloppy, ugly and disjointed, Georgia found a way.

The Bulldogs topped the Tennessee Volunteers, 35-32, on Saturday afternoon in Athens in a game that was littered with four combined turnovers, 14 combined penalties and some of the most curious play-calling in college football in 2014.

Two of those turnovers came in the form of interceptions by Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason, who finished the day 16-of-25 for 147 yards, one touchdown, those two picks and one rushing touchdown.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo clearly was trying to get Mason into a groove, and with eight and sometimes nine Vols in the box to stop running back Todd Gurley, there were passing lanes wide open for Mason to exploit.

He couldn't, much to the displeasure of head coach Mark Richt:

His downfield passes lacked zip and his touch wasn't there, despite Gurley forcing the Vols to take some risks in the secondary and Bobo giving Mason plenty of chances to get settled.

Meanwhile, on the other sideline, Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley battled constant pressure and an elbow injury to light up Georgia's defense to the tune of 264 passing yards, three touchdowns and no picks.

Somebody has to win the East, despite the fact that the division looks more like a punchline than a power.

If it's going to be Georgia, Mason has to make major strides because things aren't going to get any easier. It took a while, but eventually Gurley took over in the second half once the running back rotation took a back seat and Bobo remembered that the Heisman Trophy candidate still wears red and black. 

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Mason has been used as a game manager for the most part during the season, and while that's a pretty solid plan with No. 3 in the backfield, Georgia is going to need Mason to keep opposing defenses honest at times. Georgia's lack of consistency in its own secondary is going to force the Bulldogs into shootouts more times than not in SEC play.

Every team in the SEC East has flaws, and Georgia's—like the rest of the division—are glaring and plentiful. Quarterback is one of them. If the Bulldogs are going to emerge as the a contender in the division, Mason has to improve significantly. 

It would go a long way toward taking pressure off of Gurley and the inexperience and inconsistency in its own secondary. 

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Receivers Justin Scott-Wesley and Malcolm Mitchell could be back from injury soon. When combined with healthy wideouts Michael Bennett and Chris Conley, there are plenty of options outside with more coming.

Mason hasn't done anything to suggest that it will matter.

Teams will continue to load the box and force him to beat them through the air, and until he proves he's up for the challenge, it will continue to be the "Todd Gurley Show."

That is, of course, if Bobo remembers he's still on the team.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.