New quarterback, but the same problems remain for the Georgia offense

A season that began with giddy optimism and sky-high expectations officially came crashing to earth for Georgia with Saturday’s crushing 27-3 thumping at the hands of Florida.

The second consecutive loss to the 11th-ranked Gators slams the door shut on the Dawgs’ dreams of reaching the SEC Championship and winning the school’s first conference title since 2005.

Here’s a closer look at the disappointing Bulldogs loss, the third in their last four games.

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

1. Georgia coach Mark Richt and his staff became increasingly desperate as a once-promising season began slipping away: Barring injury, it’s virtually unheard of to see a team change starting quarterbacks this late in the season, much less for a former third-stringer who had never previously taken a meaningful college snap in his four years in the program. It was completely unrealistic to expect Faton Bauta to perform well against a stiff Florida defense in his first serious outing. The fourth-year junior played gamely but was overmatched and finished the game 15 of 33 for 154 yards and 4 interceptions.
2. Recruiting another big-time quarterback must be a top recruiting priority: Georgia fans can’t wait for the arrival of highly regarded prospect Jacob Eason, but Richt must hedge his bets in case Eason either isn’t as good as advertised or simply isn’t ready from day one. The Dawgs just can’t be this anemic at the critical quarterback position again. Previous recruiting misses at quarterback have come back to bite Richt and his staff in a big way.
3. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer must recognize his new reality and consistently utilize RB Sony Michel in a way that better fits his skill set: Michel is a very talented back, but he’s best catching the ball in space and running on the edge, where his speed and elusiveness immediately become factors. Schottenheimer continued to try to run him inside the way he ran Nick Chubb, and the results were disappointing. Brendan Douglas and Keith Marshall are better suited for running between the tackles, while Michel is a home run threat every time he touches the ball when used correctly. Schottenheimer began to do just that in the third quarter, but it was too late by then.
4. WR Reggie Davis is struggling, but the Dawgs will need him down the stretch: Just weeks after a big drop at Tennessee, Davis muffed a punt to account for Florida’s first touchdown and had another big drop later. His confidence appears shaken, but the Dawgs will need his productivity down the stretch.
5. The Bulldogs could be in serious trouble the rest of the way without any semblance of a passing game: Georgia still has a tough game left at home against Kentucky (Nov. 7) and road trips to both Auburn (Nov. 14) and Georgia Tech (Nov. 28) that could pose serious challenges without a legitimate passing attack.

REPORT CARD

Offense — F: Georgia’s offensive line had a forgettable day as the Gators easily won the battle up front for most of the afternoon. The Bulldogs’ inability to get any push up front meant the running game could never get on track and put the onus squarely on Bauta’s shoulders to carry the offensive load. It proved to a recipe for disaster. The Dawgs managed just 15 yards rushing in the decisive first half and just 69 yards rushing for the game. They were limited to 10 points or less for the third time in the last four games after committing 5 turnovers and going 2 for 12 on third downs. The offensive debacle marked the first time since 1969 that Georgia has failed to score at least 10 points in consecutive games.
Defense — B-: Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt’s unit played fairly well considering that it was on the field a long time and often left in tough spots by a struggling offense. Only one of Florida’s three first-half touchdowns can be attributed to poor play by the Bulldogs defense, but the unit could have helped by delivering more timely turnovers that might have helped a struggling offense get on track. The Gators rushed for 258 yards as a team, led by the 121 yards and 2 scores from tailback Kelvin Taylor and recorded 413 total yards.
Special teams — C-: Not sure why Reggie Davis chose to catch a punt at his own 5-yard line on the first quarter’s final play, but it proved disastrous as he muffed the catch and it was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Florida. The decision to replace struggling punter Collin Barber with backup quarterback Brice Ramsey worked out OK as Ramsey averaged 43.4 yards in 5 punts on the day. However, Ramsey’s errant third-quarter pass on a fake punt was forgettable, which is why he’s punting and not playing quarterback.
Coaching — C-: Schottenheimer came up with a few calls that might have produced some first-half points, but poor execution doomed their chances. Schottenheimer appeared lost over what to do next. The decision to keep Bauta primarily in the pocket was curious, given that he’s an excellent athlete who runs well, and that Georgia’s offensive line was struggling against the Gators’ pressure up front. Rolling him out on the edge and calling more designed quarterback runs might have made more sense and put more pressure on the Gators defense. The ill-fated decision to go for the fake punt was predictable.
Overall — D: Georgia’s offense (or lackthereof) is the major problem, and right now coach Mark Richt and his staff appear to have no answers.

GAME PLAN

• The decision to throw an unprepared Bauta into a game of this magnitude against a good Florida defense was majorly flawed from the outset and not fair to either the quarterback or his teammates desperately in search of a victory. Unimaginative play-calling following the game’s opening few minutes didn’t help things. Moving the athletic Bauta around the pocket could have put his legs to good use.
• Georgia’s defense gave a solid accounting for itself, but nonetheless gave up too many big plays at critical moments.

GAME BALLS

WR Malcolm Mitchell: The senior go-to player continues to have a banner season as Georgia’s most consistent offensive weapon, but he desperately needs help. Mitchell hauled in 4 passes for 60 yards to lead the Georgia offense, and now has more than 2,000 receiving yards for his career.
LB Leonard Floyd: The junior totaled 6 tackles, including a half sack for a half-stop for loss.

INJURY UPDATE

• Things were already tough for Georgia with the loss of Chubb to a season-ending knee injury earlier this season, but things took an even scarier turn when Michel left the game in the first quarter with an apparent wrist injury. The sophomore returned prior to the start of the second period with the joint and two middle fingers bandaged up. The loss of Michel could have been a crippling blow to both the Bulldogs’ running and passing games.
• Senior linebacker Jordan Jenkins played sparingly as he continues to be bothered by a stomach muscle injury. The Dawgs desperately need his big-play ability.

John Hollis

John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.