Georgia Football: Do the Bulldogs Need to Become a More Balanced Offensive Team?

October is a crucial month for the Bulldogs. They have three SEC games coming up, and they can’t afford to lose another game or their dream of playing the Georgia Dome in December could come to an end.

One of the key reasons the Bulldogs are 3-1 and still control their own destiny in the SEC is they have no issues scoring points. They are averaging 45 points per game, and the reason for that is the running game has been outstanding. The Bulldogs are averaging 300 yards per game thanks to the running of Todd Gurley, who has half of those yards.

It’s great the Bulldogs are able to run the ball well, but they are at the bottom of the conference in passing, averaging 162 passing yards per game.

So do the Bulldogs need to be a more balanced team on offense?

It would certainly help their cause of being a dominant team in the SEC. The way things are shaping up now is the SEC West is far superior than the SEC East, and the reason for that is what those teams can do on offense. The best example is Alabama. The Crimson Tide are fifth in the SEC in rushing offense (258 yards per game), and they are second in the SEC in passing offense (335 yards per game).

The Bulldogs are having tons of success running with guys like Gurley, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel (who has a shoulder injury), but making opposing defenses worry about the passing game will make the Bulldogs more dangerous.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Despite having experience before this year, Mason is still a first-year starter, and he’s still learning how to play in the SEC. That’s part of the reason why he is not having the numbers he would like to have. But when the Bulldogs have a player like Gurley in the backfield, he’s going to be the central focus on the offense and not Mason.

When the Bulldogs went to the SEC title game in 2012 and nearly made it to the BCS National Championship, they were as balanced on offense as any team in the country. The Bulldogs were fourth in the conference is passing yards per game (285), and they were also fourth in the conference in rushing yards per game (182) when the Bulldogs had Aaron Murray in his third year as a starter and Gurley in his first.

The biggest thing for the Bulldogs when it comes to Mason and the passing game is they need to be more aggressive. They need to throw the ball downfield more like Murray during his career in Athens.

Mason told Chip Towers of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he has put too much pressure on himself, and he’s trying to get everything right. He went on to say that he needs to take more chances and just let it rip.

The Bulldogs will get a boost when it comes to the passing game as Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley will make their return to the lineup for the first time this season. Both players suffered knee injuries last year, and they both provide deep threats for Mason and the offense.

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Mark Richt defends QB Hutson Mason on call-in show by saying WR Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley will help in downfield passing.

— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) September 30, 2014"

Gurley and the run game should be the central focus on offense because the Bulldogs' top priority on offense is to run the ball first and throw off of play action. But if they want to win the SEC East and the SEC, they have to be the offense they were in 2012 where they could run and throw on anybody at any given time.

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