Georgia Football: What the Bulldogs Must Fix During Bye Week

The Georgia Bulldogs are at the midway point of the season, and after losses to Alabama and Tennessee, they are still in the thick of the SEC East race.

What makes things even better is they are on a bye this week, so they have extra time to get ready for the Florida Gators.

Most people would say the win against Missouri last week was ugly because the Bulldogs did not score a touchdown. However, they were able to do some good things as well. They did not allow a touchdown on defense and made some plays on special teams, as Marshall Morgan kicked the game-winning field goal.

With that said, if the Bulldogs want to beat Florida and win the SEC East, there are a few things they need to fix during the time off.

Convert 3rd Downs

The offense has been inconsistent because it has not been able to convert third downs. The Bulldogs did convert nine of 19 third-down attempts last week, which is good, but overall they rank 12th in the conference with a 33.3 percent third-down conversion rate.

In the losses to Alabama and Tennessee, the Bulldogs only converted 23 percent of their third downs. In the wins, the Bulldogs converted 40 percent of them.

This falls on the lap of quarterback Greyson Lambert. He has to be more consistent when it comes to making plays in the passing game. It’s more difficult with Nick Chubb out for the season, but Lambert will have to use all his skill players to make up for Chubb’s loss.

The Passing Game

Speaking of Lambert, he needs to find a way to make plays down the field and be more accurate.

Looking back at the Missouri game, Lambert was able to complete 71.9 percent of his passes. However, he threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage, and some of his incomplete passes were close to being picked off.

It the last three games, Lambert threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions. In the first four games, Lambert threw seven touchdown passes and zero interceptions.

As the competition gets tougher, Lambert is feeling the pressure. He has to be more poised in the pocket and have more confidence in his throws.

"

Greyson Lambert hits Reggie Davis on bomb for TD #UGAvsTenn https://t.co/FEFBh2NSKu

— The Student Section (@TheStudentSect) October 10, 2015"

According to Seth Emerson of DawgNation, Lambert recently discussed where he needs to improve:

"

I’m still kinda focusing, like I did this past week, in what coach Schotty was saying with streaks of completions, and check-downs, getting the ball—whether it’s down the field or short—allowing them to have a shot to make a play. Continuing to get that mindset that it’s not all-or-nothing on each pass.

"

Spread the Run Game

Sony Michel had a strong performance in the game against Tennessee, rushing for 145 yards on 22 carries. However, he did not have much success running the ball in the Missouri game, gaining 87 yards on 26 carries.

With Chubb gone for the season, Michel has been thrown into the starting role.

But based on what he’s done in the first four games of the year when he was a backup, the Bulldogs might be better off utilizing all their running backs on the roster.

Michel scored six total touchdowns in the Bulldogs' first four games of the season and only carried the ball 32 times. Because of the Bulldogs being down a running back, they have to be careful with Michel—especially with him having injury issues last season.

"

#Dawgs Relive the magic. Sony Michel touchdown #2 https://t.co/CMf2oZCSe6 #GoDawgs #SonyFast

— GATA Dawgs (@BassinDawg) September 22, 2015"

By the looks of things, Keith Marshall looks healthy and has been effective in the limited action he’s seen this year. Marshall has rushed for 179 yards on 33 carries and scored three times. Brendan Douglas is another back who has looked sharp in limited snaps, rushing for 84 yards on 19 carries.

And what about A.J. Turman?

According to Emerson, head coach Mark Richt said that Turman is doing good work in practice and has been getting a lot of snaps with the scout team. It doesn’t seem like Turman will be elevated to the rotation, but the Bulldogs have options.

Losing Chubb hurts, but they can make up for it by using all their running backs in an equal capacity over the rest of the year.