W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
Some takeaways on Georgia after watching the Bulldogs against both Notre Dame and Tennessee...
** As much as the running game takes center stage for Georgia, quarterback Jake Fromm is the straw that stirs the drink, so to speak. Fromm, for my money, is the best quarterback in the SEC and does as good a job as any quarterback in the country at putting his team in position to win. Georgia simply doesn't give up negative plays (sacks, tackles-for-loss, turnovers, etc.) and a big reason for that is Fromm's ability to keep them out of bad plays and to protect the football in the passing game.
The UGA offensive line consistently gives Fromm time to throw and he's a throwback type pocket passer who goes through his reads and consistently delivers the football with accuracy. An underrated part of Fromm's game is his ability to maneuver within the pocket or to slide with his protection and then find a receiver and get the ball there from different arm slots. He's a veteran who has now seen it all and isn't going to be fooled by much. Take a quarterback who stays out of bad plays, can make the big throws in key moments when he has to, and add in a massive offensive line, playmakers at running back, a good receiving corps and a great defense, and that's a tough combination to beat - it's no fluke that they're 5-0.
** Georgia does a great job of getting D'Andre Swift the football in multiple ways and it will be key for the defense not to lose sight of Swift as a checkdown option. He'll drift out into the flat, where Fromm can hit him underneath and he has the ability to turn a 3-yard gain into a big play or he'll sometimes improvise into a wheel route and get open down the field - with as long as the OL protects, it opens up big holes in zone defenses and Swift is good at sneaking into those windows.
As a runner, he's quick and explosive and can easily make defenders miss. He may not be deemed a power runner, but he will still push the pile. This is a deep, talented backfield and they'll play up to four backs in a game, but make no mistake that Swift is the top option (he's played 158 snaps to Brian Herrien's 83, James Cook's 65 and Zamir White's 40 snaps).
** Three of Georgia's starting offensive linemen have Pro Football Focus grades of 80 or higher and their size can overwhelm opponents as they're all in the 330-pound range. South Carolina's defensive front looks much improved over last year and this game should provide a bit of a barometer as to how much they have improved.
Last year, in an early season game against Georgia, I felt like South Carolina's defensive line was humbled by Georgia's size and strength as they were worn down as the game progressed. This is probably the best, most complete, offensive line that the Gamecocks will face this year, and as mentioned above, they don't allow negative plays (just 15 TFLs and one sack).
** Take the names and numbers off the jerseys and you almost can't tell these Kirby Smart Georgia defenses apart from one year to the next. They all seem to take on certain defining characteristics with long, fast athletes who rally to the football. Smart and Will Muschamp still have similar philosophies from their backgrounds on the Nick Saban coaching tree and you'll see Georgia transition back and forth between three-man and four-man fronts while doing a good job of disguising their coverages on the back end between two-high and single-high safety looks.
I typically look at these Georgia teams as being man-coverage heavy, and it will once again be important for Carolina's receivers to win matchups down the field, but they will miss in plenty of zone too. Georgia wasn't a great pass-rushing defense last year and I wouldn't call them elite in that category this year, but their defensive front does a great job of controlling the line of scrimmage and allowing their speedy, deep linebackers to rally to the football against the run and putting offenses in third and long situations. That's resulted in a defense that's allowing just 60 rushing yards per game and 2.33 yards per carry.
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