Georgia vs. Vanderbilt: Game Grades, Analysis for the Bulldogs

It was not pretty, but the Georgia Bulldogs started off the SEC season right with a 31-14 win over Vanderbilt behind a punt-return touchdown and a pick-six. 

In addition, head coach Mark Richt’s team was able to overcome 92 penalty yards—which included a targeting call that ended Lorenzo Carter’s day in the first quarter—thanks to Nick Chubb’s 189 rushing yards. 

Georgia kept Vanderbilt in the game with numerous mental errors as the Commodores had the ball near the goal line with about five minutes left in the game down 24-14 after a botched pooch kick. Here is a look at how each unit of the team fared Saturday afternoon. 

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

Pass Offense

Greyson Lambert was downright awful in the first half, and Georgia would have finished with zero passing yards in the first frame if Brice Ramsey had not come in for a series. Richt went back to Lambert, who was much better and finished 11-of-21 with 116 yards after starting out with seven straight incompletions. While Lambert made the unit moderately serviceable in the second half, he will still need to be better if Georgia is going to make a run at an SEC title. 

Run Offense

Chubb and Sony Michel (52 yards and a touchdown) carried the Georgia offense in this game. Overall, the team finished with 281 rushing yards while averaging 6.9 yards per carry against a Vanderbilt defense that basically sold out to stop the run.

Georgia had more trouble rushing in the second half as Chubb and Michel each earned more than 66 percent of their yardage in the first half. We know how good Chubb is, but Michel looks like a dangerous weapon for Georgia. He will steal more carries from Chubb as the year goes on. Also, Lambert scored a touchdown on the ground, which he seemed to appreciate, via Jim Wood, formerly of Bulldawg Blawg: 

Pass Defense

It is hard to evaluate this unit since Vanderbilt quarterback Johnny McCrary made some alarmingly bad decisions with the football that resulted in three second-half interceptions. He finished 24-of-50 with 295 yards and a score.

There were sequences in the second half where Vanderbilt was able to complete a bunch of passes in a row to find itself in the red zone, so Georgia will need to fix some of those coverage lapses. However, the pass rush was sensational, pressuring McCrary all afternoon. Jordan Jenkins led the charge and looks to be a prime candidate for the All-American team. Check out his numbers from today, courtesy of UGASports.com’s Radi Nabulsi: 

Run Defense

Vanderbilt tried to establish the run early, but Georgia was having none of it. The Commodores finished with 105 rushing yards on 2.7 yards per carry. Ralph Webb, one of the more underrated rushers in the SEC, could only muster 68 yards. Quarterback Johnny McCrary broke off some decent runs in the fourth quarter but was ultimately held in check.

The front seven is the strength of this defense, and the unit flexed its muscles with constant pressure in the backfield. Georgina will have a tougher test next week against South Carolina’s Brandon Wilds. 

Special Teams

The 77-yard punt return from Isaiah McKenzie was the highlight of the day for Georgia, which you can see below:

The rest of the day was not pleasant for the Bulldogs’ special teams. A botched play on a Vanderbilt pooch kick near the end of the game could have cost Georgia the game if Vanderbilt had converted. The ball took a bad hop, but the team still needs to recover the ball in such a critical situation. In addition, Marshall Morgan missed a pair of field goals, which is a concern for Georgia. It will need to make its field goals in closer games later in the season. 

Coaching

The only real coaching decision Richt had to make was whether to remain with Lambert at quarterback. It was the right choice as he played much better in the second half. Otherwise, the team appeared to have a basic scheme on both sides of the ball, given that Georgia was superior to Vanderbilt at every position.