Georgia vs. Georgia Tech: Game Grades, Analysis for Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets

The Georgia Bulldogs beat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 13-7 on Saturday to finish the regular season with a 9-3 record. The final box score can be found at NCAA.com.

The Bulldogs moved the ball on offense, got stops on defense and played solid special teams. The score may not show it, but it was probably the best game they played since the beginning of the season. The Yellow Jackets, on the other hand, looked like a team that was ready for the season to be over. They could not get anything going on offense, the defense gave up too many big plays and there were some questionable coaching decisions.

Here are the game grades for the Bulldogs and the Yellow Jackets.

Positional Unit	1st Half	Final Grade
Passing Offense	A	A-
Rushing Offense	B	B
Passing Defense	A+	A
Rushing Defense	B	B+
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	A	A

Passing Offense  

Greyson Lambert did not light the world on fire, but he made good decisions and was efficient. He completed 18 of his 25 passes for 224 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Lambert has played better games this season; however, his ability to make good decisions was the reason the Bulldogs were able to move the ball and play field position all game long.

Rushing Offense

Sony Michel had another big game, as he rushed for 149 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries. Keith Marshall also got into the mix, rushing for 33 yards on five carries.

The running game has suffered without Nick Chubb, but Michel has done a good job filling in, reaching the 1,000–yard mark on Saturday. The Bulldogs finished with 178 rushing yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry as a team.

Passing Defense

Georgia Tech is not a passing football team, but it has the ability to make big plays in the passing game.

That was not the case on Saturday because the Georgia defense shut the passing attack down. Tech quarterback Justin Thomas did throw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, but he only completed six of his 18 attempts for 82 yards, and he also threw two interceptions. Dominick Sanders and Malkom Parrish were the two Bulldogs that picked off Thomas.

Rushing Defense

Coming into this week, the Yellow Jackets averaged 260 yards per game. They fell short on Saturday, though, only rushing for 194 yards.

Part of the reason the Yellow Jackets struggled was linebacker Jake Ganus, who was all over the field for the Bulldogs and recorded 12 tackles in the win. Jordan Jenkins added four tackles, and Natrez Patrick had two tackles for loss. The Georgia defense read and reacted well to the triple-option, and when that happens, it normally leads to a win.

Special Teams

Marshall Morgan was key to the Bulldogs’ victory, as he kicked two field goals to help the Bulldogs jump to a 13-0 lead. Brice Ramsey did a good job on punts, and the coverage teams pinned the Yellow Jackets deep in their own territory.

It’s unfortunate that Isaiah McKenzie could not play in the game on Saturday. Had he been healthy, he would have made a huge difference in the game.

Coaching

The coaching staff did a good job of getting the players ready for a team that had nothing to lose. The offense made big plays in key situations, and the defense was more than prepared for the triple-option of Georgia Tech.

Many have criticized head coach Mark Richt this season because of the team's three losses in October. But he was able to bounce back and lead the Bulldogs to four consecutive wins in November. Not his best coaching this season, but had he not been able to get everyone to play together, things could have gone much worse after an embarrassing 27-3 loss to Florida.

Positional Unit	1st Half	Final Grade
Passing Offense	F	D-
Rushing Offense	B	C+
Passing Defense	C-	C-
Rushing Defense	C	D
Special Teams	C	C
Coaching	D	D

Passing Offense

Justin Thomas did not have a good day throwing the ball. He could not hit his receivers consistently, and he was constantly under pressure.

The only reason he had one touchdown pass was because the drive was kept alive thanks to a personal foul penalty on Ganus. What Thomas went through in the Georgia game was a summary of what he went through the entire season.

Rushing Offense

And what makes matters worse for Thomas is he could not run the ball, either. In fact, he finished with negative-three yards on nine carries.

Overall, the Yellow Jackets finished the day with 194 rushing yards on 41 carries, which is well below their season average. Clinton Lynch was the only one that stood out, as he rushed for 78 yards on nine carries. Other than that, there was not a single Georgia Tech player that ran wild on the Georgia defense.

Passing Defense

The Bulldogs recorded 224 passing yards, which is good for them because they have had their issues throwing the ball this year. Georgia Tech was not able to pressure Lambert consistently, and it gave up some big passing plays in key moments in the game.

The Yellow Jackets only had one sack and one pass deflection the entire game. That has been a problem for them this season, which is one reason why they only won three games.

Rushing Defense

Michel had a big day on the ground because the Bulldogs kept pounding the Yellow Jackets with the run. They had some key stops on third and fourth down, but Michel was still able to rush for over 140 yards.

Losing P.J. Davis hurt the Yellow Jackets in the second half. His presence at linebacker would have made a difference in the fourth quarter.

Special Teams

Harrison Butker missed a key field goal in the second half, and the Yellow Jackets did not make a play on kick coverage and returns.

When your offense and defense are struggling, the special teams has to step up, which they did not do on Saturday. However, Ryan Rodwell punted two footballs inside the 20, and he had one punt for over 50 yards.

Coaching  

Head coach Paul Johnson did the best he could with what he had. Georgia Tech has had numerous injuries all season, and they have caused the team to take a step back in terms of progression.

The one thing the Yellow Jackets didn’t do is make the right adjustments in the second half. Tech could not move the ball on offense, and it still did not shut down the Georgia offense. Let’s hope for the fan’s sake that this season was a blip on the radar and the coaching staff can get things right next season.