ATHENS — Georgia entered its off week wanting to prioritize two things.
Improvement for younger players and recovery for its veterans.
“We’re really kinda prescribing this week for each player what they can get better at, what they can improve on,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said this week. “Some of that’s conditioning. Some of that’s health. Some of that’s reps. Some of that’s situational football. But we’ve got different guys out of our, however many players in different spots, that they all need different things.”
Georgia enters the off week with a 6-1 record and sits as the No. 5 team in the country. The Bulldogs still very much control their fate in terms of accomplishing their season-long goals.
So before moving ahead to the most critical stretch of the season, let’s look back at how the Bulldogs performed at every position over the first seven games of the season.
Quarterback: B+
Had Stockton not turned the ball over three times against Auburn, this would easily be an A. He’s clearly an improved player from a season ago, as Stockton shined on the road at Alabama.
The turnovers though simply cannot happen. There will be a lot of eyes on Stockton, who dealt with a shoulder injury against Auburn, when Georgia returns to the field against Florida.
Running back: A-
Injuries have been a major talking point with this group, as Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens have both missed multiple games to this point.
Yet the emergence of Dwight Phillips has given the Georgia rushing attack some major juice. His 348 rushing yards this season are already more than he had in his first two seasons combined.
This room clearly has talent. But it badly needs to get healthy during the closing stretch of the schedule.
Wide receiver: A
This was the most questioned position group entering the season. And so far, this group has proven to be reliable.
Talyn Taylor and Craig Dandridge have come up with big plays consistently in SEC play. London Humphreys has touchdowns in each of Georgia’s last two games.
If Georgia can get Isiah Canion or Thomas Blackshear healthy, this wide receiver room could have everything it needs to help Stockton.
Tight end: B+
The highs with this group have been really high. The depth is there, as five different tight ends have scored touchdowns this season.
The emergence of the wide receivers has eaten into some of the production with this group. Against Auburn, the Georgia tight ends had only four receptions for 45 yards.
It will be interesting to see if Georgia continues to spread the snaps around in this group or if two players begin to command the majority of snaps.
Offensive line: B
This group has played to their level of competition at times this season. Pass protection was leaky against Arkansas and Georgia couldn’t get much movement in the ground game against Auburn.
Yet the Alabama contest showed what the ceiling of this group can be when everything clicks.
Georgia has been fortunate in the health department with this group, as the Bulldogs have been able to start the same five linemen in all seven games. Smart has stressed the importance of developing depth, with those same five starters being the only offensive linemen to play in each of the previous two games.
Defensive line: B+
Similar to the tight end room, this group’s strength is in numbers.
Jordan Hall has played well now that he’s finally healthy. Elijah Griffin has stepped up as well, even if it doesn’t show up on the stat sheet.
Georgia has been able to get contributions from some freshmen at this spot, with Anthony Lonon and Valdin Sone both earning snaps with this defense.
Linebacker: A-
The recent missed tackles are worrying, but that is a defense-wide issue that isn’t limited to the linebackers.
Chris Cole has emerged as this team’s best player, while Raylen Wilson has been a force at inside linebacker.
Georgia is asking a lot of Quintavius Johnson at outside linebacker, as injuries have made freshmen Khamari Brooks and PJ Dean play earlier than expected.
Secondary: B
KJ Bolden’s injury looms large with this group, as he was clearly missed in the loss to Auburn.
Ellis Robinson has been largely great this season, but Georgia hasn’t gotten consistent play from the other cornerback position.
The early-season loss of Tyriq Green is notable, as he seemed like the type of freshman who was poised to carve out a role on this team right away. Georgia hopes to get him back after the off week.
Special teams: C
Peyton Woodring has missed kicks in each of his last two games. Sacovie White-Helton muffed punts against Alabama and Auburn. Only one of Drew Miller’s 19 punts this season has been downed inside the 10-yard line.
Excellent special teams play has been a calling card of Smart’s tenure. While it has been a full-blown disaster this year, it has clearly been substandard.
Overall: B+
Looking at the schedule, most would’ve foreseen Georgia being 6-1 heading into the off week. In that sense, the Bulldogs have largely done what they’re supposed to this season.
But the loss at home to Auburn somewhat diminishes the road win over Auburn.
The schedule gets tougher with ranked games against Florida, Ole Miss and Missouri coming up after the off week. A 10-2 record probably gets Georgia into the College Football Playoff. But leaving anything to chance with the College Football Playoff committee is always a risk.
