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Georgia’s victory against a talented North Carolina team kicked off the Kirby Smart era in the best way possible. It was not a flawless win, but the team demonstrated perseverance and composure. The Bulldogs were the only team in the SEC East that looked capable of winning the division in Week 1.
Some players who fans expected to see a lot of this season were big factors in the win, while others became pleasant surprises as the game wore on. After stepping away from the excitement of the victory, however, it’s important to objectively grade the team’s performance. It’s a long season, after all, and we’ve only just begun.
Here are the Bulldogs’ grades after their 33-26 victory over North Carolina:
Offense
Offensive line: B-
It’s hard to find much wrong with the offensive line after the group helped UGA run for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns, but there were a few issues.
Most notably, North Carolina earned three sacks in the first half and had four on the night. Two sacks came on the first possession and the issues could have been a result of the unit’s inexperience playing together in a game, but it’s a problem that needs to be cleaned up.
As the game wore on, the holes appeared to become smaller for the Bulldogs’ backs. That’s more likely a result of an extremely conservative game plan near halftime, but there will be times when the opponent knows Georgia will be running the ball and the line will need to deliver. The Bulldogs were unable to convert twice on third-and-short, which reflects on the offensive line.
Despite those two problems, the unit performed admirably. The coaching staff has yet to settle on a starting group but believes that is due to the unit’s depth rather than lack of talent. Smart was complimentary of his line after the game and rightfully so.
Running backs: A
The only thing that keeps this from being a full A+ was the fumble by Brendan Douglas inside of the red zone during the second quarter. That was the lone blemish on an otherwise outstanding day.
Nick Chubb was the star of the night, carrying the ball a whopping 32 times for 222 yards and 2 touchdowns. He averaged nearly 7 yards per carry in a game where virtually everyone new Georgia’s game plan was to run the ball. There appear to be no lingering issues from his knee injury, and he looks to be back in the Heisman hunt.
One of the best surprises of the night was freshman Brian Herrien. After Douglas’ fumble, Herrien came into the game to spell Chubb and he broke a 19-yard touchdown run on his first college carry. Many believed Elijah Holyfield would be the freshman to watch out of backfield – and that still may be the case – but Herrien’s 59 yards on 7 carries show that there may be another young duo emerging.
Quarterbacks: C+
After taking away the storylines surrounding the quarterbacks in Saturday’s game, the performance wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy. And remember: The report card is all about on-field results.
It’s true that Georgia’s quarterbacks weren’t asked to do much, but there were some hiccups in the chances they were given. Partial blame for a couple of the team’s sacks lies on Greyson Lambert’s shoulders. On one play, he failed to recognize a blitz, and he moved into pressure on another.
Lambert and Jacob Eason combined to complete 65 percent of their passes (62.5 for Lambert and 66.7 for Eason) and throw for 185 yards and a touchdown. Eason’s downfield passes ended up helping the Bulldogs by coaxing two defensive pass interference penalties, but he missed some easy check-down completions and made some ill-advised throws into coverage. Eason’s 51-yard completion down the right sideline was Georgia’s longest since 2013.
Wide receivers/tight ends: B
Georgia’s receivers and tight ends largely made plays when called upon against a talented North Carolina secondary.
Junior receiver Isaiah McKenzie had the group’s best performance, catching 6 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. It was a breakout performance for McKenzie (below), who came one yard short of tying his total receiving yardage from all of last season.
Sophomores Michael Chigbu and Terry Godwin added 27 and 23 yards, respectively, but weren’t given the chance to do much more.
There were a couple of drops throughout the game, but none that were too egregious. It’s surprising that the tight ends weren’t involved more, but that may change as the offense opens up more.
Total offense grade: B
Defense
Defensive line: C+
The Bulldogs’ defensive front seven, and particularly the defensive line, are among the biggest question marks this season. In their first test, Georgia’s defensive line performed pretty well considering the opponent but did not make a major impact on the game.
North Carolina gained 159 yards on the ground, including several long runs, but was largely held in check. The long runs more often than not came as a result of the linebackers and defensive backs failing to set the edge rather than a breakdown on the line.
There wasn’t much pressure from the defensive line, but they did rush quarterback Mitch Trubisky into throwing a dump-off pass from inside of the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
Linebackers: B+
Against the Tar Heels’ versatile offense, the linebackers played very well. There were some missed tackles, but the unit did a good job on third down to get the defense off ofthe field.
Freshman linebacker David Marshall recorded the Bulldogs’ only sack, and sophomore Roquan Smith knocked running back Elijah Hood out of the end zone for a crucial safety in the third quarter. Junior Lorenzo Carter created havoc for much of the night and showed his potential as a pass rusher.
This is a young group, but the talent is evident. Smith and fellow sophomore Natrez Patrick led all linebackers with 6 and 5 tackles, respectively.
Secondary: B+
Georgia’s secondary faced a major test to begin the season and passed in a big way. North Carolina averaged 262.5 pass yards per game last year but was held to only 156 yards on Saturday.
The Tar Heels took several deep shots early in the game but did not connect. Senior Maurice Smith recovered exceptionally well on one play to breakup what may have been an early touchdown. For the game, North Carolina was 0-for-5 on deep passes, something that very well might have tipped the scales in Georgia’s favor.
There were some missed tackles in run defense that allowed Hood and T.J. Logan to break long gains, and Smith failed to set the edge on two plays where the Tar Heels gashed the Bulldogs on the ground. Overall, though, it was a terrific effort from the veteran group.
Total defense grade: B
Special teams: D
The Bulldogs still have some work to do on special teams, something that seems to be the case every season.
North Carolina has one of the top return games in college football, but Logan’s 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half was a major turning point in the contest. It wasn’t the Georgia’s only problem, either.
Kicker William Ham missed a field goal that would have tied the game on the Bulldogs’ first possession of the second half. Although he later redeemed himself with a 29-yard conversion to take the lead, Ham’s miss continued to leech momentum from Georgia.
Special teams were the only glaring weakness on a solid night overall for the Bulldogs.
William McFadden covers the University of Georgia for Saturday Down South. For news on everything happening between the hedges, follow him on Twitter @willmcfadden.
