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

The Georgia Bulldogs took on the Southern Jaguars for the first time in school history Saturday and cruised to a 48-6 win at Sanford Stadium. The final box score can be found at NCAA.com.

The Bulldogs started slow, as they were up 20-6 at the half. But they were able to make the right adjustments on both sides of the ball and score on their first four possessions in the second half.

There will be some things they need to work on as they get ready for Alabama next week, but they were able to remain undefeated, and most importantly, they come out of the game with no major injuries.

Here are my game grades and analysis for the Bulldogs.

Positional Unit	First Half	Final Grade
Passing Offense	A	A
Rushing Offense	C-	A
Passing Defense	A	A
Rushing Defense	C	B
Special Teams	A	A-
Coaching	B	A

Passing Offense

Greyson Lambert did not have the game that he did last week, where he completed 24 of his 25 passes. But he was still efficient as he hit on nine of his 10 attempts for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He is getting more comfortable in the offense and has distanced himself from Brice Ramsey. However, Ramsey did get a good amount of snaps and was 11-of-14 for 125 yards. Additionally, it’s good to have Malcolm Mitchell healthy. His five receptions for 96 yards and one score proved he is the team’s best deep threat.

Rushing Offense

It was a slow start for the run game with only 35 yards in the first half, but Nick Chubb and Sony Michel woke up in the second half, and the Bulldogs ground game ended the day with 261 yards. Chubb rushed for 131 yards and scored three total touchdowns, while Michel rushed for 75 yards and two scores. The Bulldogs have shown the run game is the strength of the team, and it will be the key for their success this season along with a consistent passing game.

Passing Defense

Southern quarterback Austin Howard could not get anything going in the passing game, completing 8-of-19 passes for just 69 yards. The Georgia pass coverage prevented Howard from getting into any sort of rhythm. Dominick Sanders and Leonard Floyd both had a pass deflection, Quincy Mauger was all over the field with five tackles and Malkom Parrish was also strong in coverage.

Rushing Defense

Southern running back Lenard Tillery was able to make some plays in the run game, rushing for 75 yards, but the Bulldogs defense made him earn every yard. If there’s one area the Bulldogs need to work on, it's run defense. There were a few missed tackles from the defensive line, and that can’t happen moving forward, especially against Alabama, who runs the football just as well as the Bulldogs. But the Bulldogs only gave up 105 total rushing yards because of a strong performance in the second half.

Special Teams

The Bulldogs blocked a punt, Marshall Morgan made his only field goal and Colin Barber only punted once. It was a solid day for the special teams, as they are beginning to not be a weakness for the Bulldogs. Isaiah McKenzie did not have any returns for touchdowns, but on his first punt return of the day, he made a nice run, turning a 15-yard loss into a four-yard gain.

Coaching

The coaching staff had the right game plan, but Southern had a little more energy in the second quarter, which was why the Bulldogs only led by 14. Mark Richt and company made the right adjustments in the second half, and the Bulldogs came out on fire. That led to the coaches putting in the younger players in the game as the fourth quarter began in order to give the starters rest for what will be a very intense battle next week.