Report Card: Georgia finishes with 10 wins after Belk Bowl victory

Here’s how the Georgia Bulldogs graded after their Belk Bowl win against Louisville.

OFFENSE: A

If you haven’t heard, Georgia has a pretty good running back in Nick Chubb. The freshman set the school postseason and Belk Bowl record with 269 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. Chubb finished the season with 1,550 yards, ranking fourth all-time behind all three of Herschel Walker’s seasons with the Bulldogs for the most in program history. Hutson Mason fared well in his final game before leaving in the second quarter. The senior threw for 148 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-15 passing. Mason, who’s worked as a game manager for most of the season, continued to avoid turnovers and take pressure away from the Bulldogs rushing attack.

DEFENSE: A-

Georgia’s secondary forced three interceptions between quarterbacks Kyle Bolin and Reggie Bonnafon. Freshman Dominick Sanders recorded two interceptions, while Damian Swann added his own in the fourth quarter. But the secondary wasn’t perfect, allowing DeVante Parker to record 120 yards on eight catches. Still, the Bulldogs managed to keep Parker out of the end zone and the Cardinals at 14 points. Georgia forced the Louisville’s offense to a 6-of-14 third down efficiency and held its rushing attack to 65 yards on 27 attempts.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C+

Sony Michel’s would-be touchdown was called back in the first quarter. Otherwise, both teams saw average outputs on special teams. Michel recorded 37 yards on two kick returns. The Bullodgs defense held the Cardinals to 135 yards on eight returns and a 16.9 yard average. Louisville’s longest return was a 30-yarded by James Quick, who ended the game with 104 yards on five attempts.

COACHING: A

Interim offensive coordinator John Lilly picked up where Mike Bobo left off. The Bulldogs relied on their star tailback to carry the load, which resulted in 34 points scored. While Georgia could receive criticism for keeping Chubb in late, I liked that the coaching staff allowed the freshman to etch his name among Walker’s in the school record book. Lilly and Mark Richt also deserve credit for managing Brice Ramsey’s attempts late after the freshman threw an interception on his first attempt in the second quarter.

OVERALL: A

The Bulldogs had a strong, balanced performance. Georgia dominated on both sides of the football and ended its season on a high note. Though contending for a national championship was the ultimate goal, the team managed to finish with double-digit wins for the third time in four years. The Bulldogs carry momentum into the 2015 season with one of the nation’s top players, a solid defense and a potential top-5 recruiting class.

Jason Hall

A former freelance journalist from Nashville, Jason covers Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky