There were two main themes in the lead-up to the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail party; Georgia’s defense is too banged up to stop Florida, and Georgia’s quarterback situation is a mess. Both turned out to be incredibly true. Kyle Trask and the Gators’ high flying offense put on an absolute clinic against the beat-up Bulldogs, coasting in the second half to a 44-28 victory and causing a seismic shift in the SEC East. Georgia has absolutely dominated this division for the last three years to the tune of a 19-2 divisional record, but the Gators have now fully closed the gap.
Let’s not kid ourselves, the smart money was on Florida in this one. Georgia was without their defensive leader Richard LeCounte, their top two defensive linemen Jordan Davis and Julian Rochester, and their top WR George Pickens. It was never going to be easy to win without all those stars playing, but Georgia came out of the gate firing. However, their quick 14-0 lead turned out to be smoke and mirrors, and once the Gators settled in and made their adjustments, it was clear that the shorthanded Dawgs weren’t going to be able to match them.
Despite all of the injury issues, the biggest takeaway in this one was yet again the horrible quarterback play. Stetson Bennett is a great kid and a warrior for trying to play hurt, but he simply is not an SEC caliber quarterback. While some of his poor throws were undoubtedly impacted by his injured shoulder, going 5/16 isn’t going to get the job done at any level of football, let alone in an SEC rivalry game. Freshman replacement D’Wan Mathis fared no better, going 4/13 with two horrific interceptions that killed off any chance of Georgia sticking around late in the second half.
All the more frustrating for Bulldog fans is that former five star JT Daniels remained on the sideline with no clear explanation from the coaching staff as to why we haven’t seen the California native. It is clear that he is still recovering from his torn ACL, but some transparency into the situation from Kirby Smart would be much appreciated.
With the season now lost, Georgia can use these remaining four games to see what it has for the future. Giving true freshman quarterback Carson Beck some starts would make a tremendous amount of sense; he can’t possibly be any worse than Bennett and Mathis were. Highly touted five-star recruit Brock Vandagriff joins the quarterback room next fall, and giving Beck a chance now will let Smart and Todd Monken see exactly what they have in the kid before he enters a QB competition with Vandagriff and JT Daniels next fall.
Georgia hasn’t found itself in this position since 2016, and winning has become so common that it is understandable for the team and fans to feel an extra bit of frustration, but all hope is not lost. Using the remainder of the season to rotate in and give valuable experience to the younger players will only help improve what should already be a top 10 team heading into next season. No one expected the Dawgs to be in this position when the season started, but one must tip their cap to the Gators and start preparing now to retake the East in 2021.
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