The 5 Most Telling Stats for the Georgia Bulldogs This Season

It only takes one game for a team to go from national title favorite to not winning the division. That is the case for the Georgia Bulldogs. The loss to Florida puts them in a spot where they need to win the final two SEC games and need Missouri to lose one of its last three SEC games.

The loss to Florida was a disappointing one to say the least. But in a weird way, it’s also not surprising given how the season has panned out for the Bulldogs.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well, the five most telling stats for the team this season will explain why the Bulldogs lost to Florida and why they are 6-2 on the year.

Bye 38

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Georgia does not like the number 38 this year. It's the most number of points the defense has allowed in a single game, and it has happened twice in 2014.

The first came against South Carolina. Steve Spurrier was able to carve up the defense through the air and on the ground. The second came when Florida ran over the Bulldogs all game long last week.

But another thing that stands out about this stat is the defense has given up the 38 points when it has had time to prepare for its opponent. The Bulldogs have had two bye weeks, and both came right before the losses.

Maybe the Bulldogs should petition to not have bye weeks next year.

What a Rush

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It’s clear the Bulldogs are a team that likes to run the ball this season because of players like Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb. But how much do they rely on the run game to score points?

The Bulldogs average 440 total yards per game. And of those 440 yards, 250 come from the rushing attack.

Georgia has also scored 26 touchdowns on the ground, which is second in the conference only to Arkansas, and the Bulldogs average 5.98 yards per carry, which ranks first in the SEC.

Once Gurley, Keith Marshall and Sony Michel come back (which could be in the next couple of weeks), the running game will be stronger than it has been all season. However, that doesn’t mean the passing game will be nonexistent.

Hutson Mason

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Speaking of the passing game, it has not been the Bulldogs' strength this season. But believe it or not, they are still one of the better passing teams in the conference.

Here’s the deal. Hutson Mason has only thrown for 1,341 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those are nowhere near the numbers Aaron Murray put up at this point last season, but the one thing that separates Mason from the rest of the quarterbacks in the SEC is his accuracy.

Mason has completed 67.6 of his attempts and has only thrown three interceptions this year. Mason may not be the second coming of Murray or Matthew Stafford, but he has rarely made mistakes this season, and that makes him a valuable piece to the offense.

Turnover Margin

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One of the reasons Georgia is 6-2 is the play of its defense. One of the reasons the defense has played well is it is forcing turnovers. The Bulldogs lead the SEC in turnover margin with a plus-13. They are also second in the FBS in turnover margin behind TCU.

The Bulldogs are getting the interceptions they did not get last year, and thanks to the play of Jordan Jenkins and Josh Dawson, the Bulldogs have been able to force fumbles as well.

Forcing turnovers will be key in the Bulldogs' next two games. They take on two good offenses in Kentucky and Auburn.

725 vs. 773

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Going back to the run game, there is no doubt that Chubb has stepped up in a huge way with Gurley being suspended. Chubb has rushed for 725 yards and six touchdowns through eight games.

However, Gurley was on another level when he was on the field. The junior has 773 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in only five games this year. He has an average of 8.2 yards per carry, and he also averages 154 yards per game.

Both players have tremendous talent. Chubb is a workhorse that gets better as the game goes on. Gurley is a complete back that is almost untouchable. It will be very interesting to see Gurley return for the Auburn game because those two will make a very dangerous combination.