Georgia Football: Will Bulldogs Continue To Fumble Season Away?

No running back ever likes the feeling.

That gnawing pain as the pigskin falls to the ground in what seems like slow motion. The laces flip in and out of sight as the object that was just in your grasp hits the turf and is enveloped by the massive bodies of the opposing defenders. 

The coaches, watching from the safety of the sideline, feel their stomachs twist in agony as the treasured possession abruptly comes to a halt.

Helmets are put on by the already-tired defense, whose rest is immediately cut short. 

Any way you look at it, fumbles can kill a team. Take for example the Georgia Bulldogs. 

Recapping the Fumbles

The fumble troubles all started when Georgia was trailing South Carolina 6-14 as the third quarter was drawing to a close. The Bulldogs drove down the field and the ball was handed off to starting running back Washaun Ealey. 

But, after plowing forward for five yards and getting inside the 5-yard line, Ealey had the ball ripped from his grasp and the fumble was recovered by South Carolina at their own 1-yard line.

It was a one-score game at the time of the fumble, and the Bulldogs were in prime position to score. However, South Carolina went on to kick a field goal and put the game out of reach. The Bulldogs couldn't come back and eventually fell 6-17. 

Fast forward two weeks and the same thing happened. Ealey fumbled the ball once more on the 1-yard line while the game was easily within reach. 

Yet again that was the turning point, and the Bulldogs of Mississippi State went on to win decisively. 

The coaching staff was fed up at that point. Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo said, "He’s going to play, but if a guy is turning it over, you’ve got to take some playing time away from him," as an explanation for Georgia's decision to bench the former starter. 

Caleb King became the lead back and the Bulldogs travelled out to Colorado to take on the Buffaloes. 

After a hard-fought contest had almost been played all the way out, the Bulldogs had the ball and one last opportunity to drive into field goal range and set Blair Walsh up for a game-winning field goal.

Georgia, led by quarterback Aaron Murray, had already driven far enough and had started to hand the ball off to run the clock out to let Walsh knock one through the uprights as time expired. But, on the 30-yard line with 1:38 left, King fumbled the ball away, and Georgia left Colorado with a 1-4 record. 

Will They Continue?

One could argue that fumbles have now cost the Bulldogs three victories. The scores they would have had in the games they were trailing would have either won the game outright or given them the momentum necessary to get the wins.

It isn't too crazy to say that if the ball security had been better, Georgia could be sitting pretty with a 4-1 record, the sole loss coming at the hands of the Arkansas Razorbacks. 

You can be sure that the coaching staff is running drill after drill and preaching ball security above all else. Frankly, I'm surprised that I haven't seen the running backs carrying footballs around on campus just to practice not letting go of them. 

A loss to an inferior Colorado team is in a way exactly what Georgia needed. Now, it's time to see if the emphasis on ball security and the added motivation that inherently comes with any embarrassing loss is going to be enough to help the Bulldogs beat Tennessee. 

Georgia may continue to lose many of its games because they just don't have the heart, desire, and winning mentality of more successful teams, but they will not continue to fumble their season away.