Georgia Football: Are the Dawg's Winning Ways Misleading?

After watching Richard Samuel pile drive his way down to the Florida one-yard line to conclude proceedings of the 2011 edition of the Georgia-Florida rivalry, Bulldog Nation collectively released one giant sigh of relief.  For only the fourth time in 22 attempts, Georgia had mastered arch-rival Florida.

With this weekend's 24-20 victory representing UGA's fifth consecutive SEC East victory, it appears that the Bulldogs have finally addressed the problems that plagued them in consecutive losses to Boise State and South Carolina.  With two more winnable SEC games against Auburn and Kentucky, Georgia could feasibly finish with a 7-1 conference record and clinch the SEC East title.

But has Georgia actually improved?

To be frank, I'm not sure.

Unbeknown (or simply unrecognized) by both the national media sources and Georgia fans, the Dawgs' past five opponents have a combined SEC record of 4-22.  In other words, Georgia's conference victories have come against opponents which have averaged less than an SEC victory apiece.

Rather fortuitously, UGA's recent opponents have been so bad that the Dawgs have managed to continue winning despite several glaring weaknesses.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray has a lower completion percentage, fewer yards per attempt, and as many interceptions this season as in 2010.

Senior kicker Blair Walsh converted 40 of 45 field goals between 2009 and 2010 but has amazingly connected on only 13 of 23 field goals this season.

Teams no longer fear kicking to Brandon Boykin, as he now seems incapable of running past the 30-yard line.

Despite Isaiah Crowell's emergence and Richard Samuel's return from exile, Georgia still lacks a consistent rushing attack.

And most disappointingly, Georgia's kick and punt coverage teams are surely among the very worst in the country.

However, all is not bad for head coach Mark Richt's Bulldogs.  In fact, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham's 3-4 scheme seems to finally be paying dividends as the stingy defense concedes only 267 yards and just over 14 points per game.

While veteran receivers Tavarres King and Orson Charles (he is only nominally a tight end) have struggled to consistently perform well, freshmen receivers Malcolm Mitchell, Michael Bennett, and Chris Conley have surprisingly proven both eager and capable of filling the void opened by AJ Green's departure.

Benefiting hugely from the increasingly stout defense, Georgia will probably overcome a decent Auburn team and an absolutely horrendous Kentucky program.  Assuming South Carolina (predictably) loses to Arkansas and/or Florida, Georgia's 7-1 SEC record would both save Mark Richt's job and incredibly land his team in the 2011 SEC Championship.

While the Dawgs' usual errors would undoubtedly lead to defeat against either mighty LSU or Alabama, Georgia fans would surely remain optimistic that an ascendant performance might be sufficient to at least keep their team competitive.  Yet, after three immensely disappointing seasons, they might just be content to have returned to the SEC Championship for the first time in six years.

In any event, they'll certainly thank their lucky stars that their Dawgs managed to dodge Alabama, LSU, and Arkansas.