Georgia: football winners and losers after 44-28 loss to Florida

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Georgia: winners and losers in football after losing to Florida

Loser: Kirby Smart

As well as Georgia have been under Smart, Saturday was one of the worst days since Smart took over heading into the 2016 season. The losses in Alabama are bad and the loss in South Carolina in 2019 also ranks in high.

But what made Saturday such a bad day for Georgia’s schedule was in large part because of Smart and his decisions both in the game and in the past.

The most glaring problem has been and continues to be quarterback play in Georgia. Saturday was another rock bottom, as Stetson Bennett and D’Wan Mathis combined to complete 9 of 29 assists. They also totaled three interceptions in the loss.

When you compare Georgia to the elite programs in college football, the most glaring thing Georgia lacks is an elite quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft last year and Mac Jones didn’t miss a beat. Trevor Lawrence has missed the last two games and his replacement DJ Uiagalelei threw 781 yards during that time.

The quarterback issue has been and will continue to be raised until Smart can resolve it.

But the other part that made Saturday so disappointing for Smart was that his defense was once again wiped out against an elite opponent. Kyle Trask threw for 474 yards as the Gators racked up 44 points. Some will report injuries, which is certainly fair, but Georgia was scorched on the roads of the wheels and moved on to running backs out of the backfield.

Saturday’s result will undoubtedly sting Georgia. And that should serve as a reminder to Smart that as much as he’s accomplished, he has even more to do if he is to ultimately become a national championship-winning coach.

Winner: Dan Mullen

We’ve called Mullen in this space many times throughout the season so let’s face it Saturday was a great day for him. He clearly outperformed Smart and crafted a great game plan on the offensive end of the ball.

Defensively, the Gators made adjustments and there weren’t many “third and Granthams” this year as Georgia was 2 of 13 in third.

Florida are 14-0 behind and have never blinked. Mullen is to be congratulated for taking out Smart and Georgia on Saturday. It will be worth watching in the future what kind of effect this win has on Florida’s schedule. Does that give them more credibility with the recruits? Georgia defensive back Terrion Arnold certainly took note of the result.

Loser: talented Georgia players

Georgia’s talented players were not the problem on Saturday. But the number of injuries to the wide receiver and the running back quickly becomes worrisome.

The Bulldogs have been without Dominick Blaylock for the entire year after tearing up his ACL in August. George Pickens has missed the last two games with an upper body injury. Arian Smith has traveled with the team to Florida, but he’s also been injured all season. The Bulldogs have also been without Kenny McIntosh since the game in Alabama, although like Smith he has traveled.

Then two other promising talented players were injured on Saturday. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint suffered a horrific injury as he scored a touchdown in the first quarter, ending his season. Then in the fourth quarter, running back Kendall Milton left the game with an MCL sprain. There’s a chance he’ll come back again this season, but injuries are really starting to add up for this group.

Georgia has no likely path to return to the SEC Championship game this season. In an ideal world, the Bulldogs would use these next four games to develop some of these skillful young players. At various points this season, they’ve all shown promise.

But you cannot be developed if you are away due to an injury. For many of these guys, the best hope will be a strong offseason recovery so they can be ready for the start of the 2021 season.

Winner: Zamir White

We’re going to say something good here about a player from Georgia, and we’ll start with White as he went over 100 yards for the second game in a row. White did most of his damage on a 75-yard touchdown, which came in the game’s opening game.

It was a long career for White and it’s an explosive race that Georgia was desperate for.

Unfortunately for White, he finished with just six races after the first. He finished the game with 107 yards on those touches. Overall, the race for Georgia got tougher in part because Florida was loading the box.

But if there is one advantage to this funk, it’s that White started to look like the running back he was meant to be. He seems comfortable in his knee and his cuts. He’s scored a touchdown in every game this season and now it looks like he’s got his breakaway speed back.

With all the injuries from the attack, Georgia will likely look more to White. And it certainly looks like it can handle a larger load.

Loser: the Georgia championship spraying

Florida has made it clear that this Georgia team is not championship material. But beyond this season, until Georgia can determine the quarterback position, it feels like those dreams of winning a championship are incredibly distant.

Maybe Mathis improves with more repetitions of play. Maybe Daniels makes the improvements needed to get into the starting lineup. Carson Beck could potentially emerge this offseason after spending more time in the program.

Georgia also has a signing from 5-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff. He is the first 5-star high school quarterback Georgia has landed since Justin Fields landed in 2018. Given the success of Lawrence, Uiagalelei, Sam Howell in North Carolina and the other freshman quarterbacks have had these past seasons there will undoubtedly be pressure on Vandagriff. to intervene immediately contribute.

The expectations for Vandagriff will be incredibly high, far higher than one would expect from a first-year quarterback. Part of this is due to the way the quarterback situation has been handled in recent seasons.

The goal for Georgia under Smart is to win championships. It’s clear now that to achieve that goal, you need better quarterback play.

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