The Anchor Did Indeed Go Down on Saturday: UGA Week 5 Reaction
Two months ago, I published my season predictions for the Bulldogs and gave Georgia a win over Vandy by a score of 38–13. Today, Gunner Stockton led the DAWGS to a 38–14 homecoming victory.
Week 4’s win against Oklahoma was sloppy even with the 35-point difference, and I thought for a moment that Week 5 was going to be worse after the Commodores hit a 60-yard pass to tie UGA 7–7. While this week’s game had some hiccups in the first half on the defensive side of the ball, head coach Kirby Smart and his staff made great adjustments at halftime to seal the win with a 17–0 second half.
Let’s take a look at the offense, defense and what needs to happen next Saturday in Tuscaloosa for Georgia to go 6–0.
Offense:
Gunner Stockton came out against Vanderbilt looking like the real deal as a second-year starter. Yes, a 78% completion rate is a solid stat (seeing that he completed 54% against Oklahoma), but Stockton looked like a strong veteran presence on every level. Gone are the days when he would scramble after not seeing an immediately open route. Stockton was standing in the pocket and dealing out tight, precise throws. In an interesting twist, Bo Walker was the primary running back on Saturday, paired with Bowens, allowing Frazier proper time to heal for the trip to Tuscaloosa. Not every team in college football has multiple RB1s on its roster, and it was great seeing Walker get to tote the rock.
After a massive 30-yard play by Dwight Phillips Jr. was stopped at the 1-yard line, it was great seeing Jaden Reddell get into the end zone on a toss play. We also saw scores from Roldan, Williams and Phillips Jr.
Overall, the offense did a great job making plays when needed this past Saturday. Kirby could’ve easily put 7 more on the board but kneeled it out with less than a minute on the clock.
Defense:
Saturday started out on a worrisome note when Junior Sherrill exposed UGA’s broken coverage on a big 60-yard touchdown play to tie the game late in the first quarter. Vanderbilt was held to 85 total yards, and 72 of those yards came in the first half. Georgia seemed to bend slightly at times in the first half, giving up 14 points, but that was also accompanied by a blocked field goal and an interception by Ellis Robinson IV. KJ Bolden and Raylen Wilson both led the defense with 7 solo tackles, and we saw younger players rotate into the lineup in the fourth quarter. The linebacker group of Wilson and Cole leads the UGA defense in tackles for the season, and I doubt that’s a trend we’ll see dissipate as the season goes on.
Overall, the defense had me slightly worried after a slow start with some hiccups, but they made great halftime adjustments and came out for the third and fourth quarters ready to take care of business.
Special Teams:
The blocked field goal was great to see from this special teams unit. There were only two punts from Miller, and we saw Woodring nail a 39-yard field goal. Not much more we can ask of this special teams unit at the moment.
Final Thoughts:
Georgia showed up and showed out after correcting some simple mistakes on Saturday. They were expected to win, and win they did.
The Bulldogs will face their first true opponent this coming Saturday in Tuscaloosa (weather permitting). Until this game gets started, I don’t have many expectations. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell is an extremely talented athlete and a force to be reckoned with on the field. Georgia may not have the ’21 defensive front, but the overall talent of this defense is based on consistency. On Saturday, we will see an unstoppable force meet an immovable object.
I look forward to seeing if Georgia can show the college football world that they truly are a top-3 contender in the nation.
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