Top-ranked Georgia’s season-opening 48-7 victory over UT-Martin on Saturday had its highs and lows.
The Bulldogs struggled out of the gate offensively but overcame the slow start to put up 41 points, with their final touchdown coming from the defense on a pick-six late in the fourth quarter.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart couldn’t pinpoint what went on with the offense in the first half.
“It could be anxiety. It could be the team we played. They did a good job,” he said. “I wouldn’t say they controlled the line of scrimmage, but they stopped the run well. We weren’t explosive in the run game outside of two runs. They did some nice things, and we’ve got an opportunity to improve on a lot of things, do better, and find the guys that we’ve got to say who touches the ball.”
The Bulldogs’ first possession ended in a punt, but they scored on their second. Quarterback Carson Beck led them downfield and a Brock Bowers end-around rushing score capped off the drive.
However, Georgia didn’t score again until its fifth possession during the middle of the first period. Beck completed passes to Dominic Lovett and Bowers before scoring on a four-yard rush. At halftime, the Bulldogs led the Skyhawks 17-0 as Peyton Woodring nailed a 23-yard field goal. They could’ve scored another touchdown but bad clock management at the end of the half cost them six.
Smart was frustrated after having to kick a field goal instead of scoring a touchdown.
“We feel like we’d been really good in that area,” Smart said. “We were going to get a score there, a touchdown, and get the ball right back in the second half.
When you get the last possession and the first possession, you can go 14-0. We missed out on those things. I wish we got those things back.”
Despite not scoring on the opening drive of the second half, the Bulldogs found the end zone shortly after. Beck connected with C.J. Smith and Dillon Bell for gains of 10 and 17 yards, respectively, before hitting Mekhi Mews for a 54-yard pass-and-score. It was his first career touchdown at Georgia.
The Bulldogs forced another three-and-out on the next drive, giving the ball right back to their offense. Beck connected with Smith for a 47-yard gain and Mews for a 25-yard connection.
The next two plays were rushes by freshman running back Roderick Robison III, who scored on the second. After going up 31-0 midway through the third quarter, Georgia pulled its starters on both sides of the ball.
Smart said he was impressed with his team’s effort out of the locker room in the second half. The eighth-year coach thought his players grew up a lot in terms of execution and effort in the final quarters.
“CJ Smith caught a screen and ran through two people’s faces. The guy was still on the ground out there hurt, and CJ popped up and played physical,” Smart said. “He made a play over the middle. RaRa (Thomas) caught a long pass. (Mekhi) Mews caught the screen and went to the house.”
Both backup quarterbacks, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton, got to play in the last two quarters. Vandagriff led a drive in which he connected with transfer wide receiver Thomas for a 56-yard gain before he found sophomore tight end Oscar Delp in the end zone a few plays later.
Stockton also led a scoring drive in the fourth quarter, which ended in a 33-yard field goal from Woodring. The sophomore had a chance for a passing touchdown but missed a receiver in the end zone.
The Bulldogs ended up with 559 yards of total offense in Mike Bobo’s return as offensive coordinator. While the offense’s performance wasn’t perfect, Smart said he isn’t worried about the slow start.
“People hit panic buttons. People have expectations. All I’m worried about is the process of getting better,” he said. “At the end of the day, this is one thing I know; we’ve got to get better.”