National media praises Georgia football win over Clemson, shares concerns about the offense

Coming out of Georgia’s first game, the national media had two clear thoughts on the state of the program. The Bulldogs deserve credit for their win over Clemson, but the offense still has some major concerns.

To the former point, most now see Georgia as a very real College Football Playoff contender. ESPN’s Mark Schlabach and Kyle Bonagura have the Bulldogs making the College Football Playoff and the national championship game.

But Schlabach outlined why Georgia clearly has some room to grow.

“Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Todd Monken were pretty conservative on offense against Clemson once they saw what kind of game it was going to be,” Schlabach said. “I think we’ll see more downfield passing from the Bulldogs against UAB this week.”

JT Daniels threw for just 135 yards on 30 pass attempts. The Bulldogs’ offense scored just three points in the win.

Head coach Kirby Smart outlined how he thinks Georgia can improve from the first game to the second game this coming Saturday.

For all the concerns about the Georgia offense, the Bulldogs have the ability to get healthier and thus possibly better. Kearis Jackson did not play any snaps on offense, while Dominick Blaylock and Darnell Washington are still recovering from injuries.

If Georgia can get healthy, and more experienced, at wide receiver and tight end, ESPN’s Bill Connelly thinks Georgia can put together a top-15 offense.

”Georgia’s offense might still play at a top-15 level or so when it gets some of its receivers back,” Connelly said. “But that’s all pretty inconclusive. The only thing we know for sure is that Georgia’s odds of a third straight No. 1 defense are good.”

Related: Development of Jermaine Burton perfectly sums up the state of Georgia’s wide receivers

Smart isn’t sure when Jackson, Blaylock or Washington will return to full health. But as Jermaine Burton, Arian Smith and others continue to practice, there’s the hope that Georgia’s healthy options can improve against a softer schedule.

The Bulldogs don’t play a team as strong as Clemson for the rest of its regular season, as Georgia’s lone ranked foe is Florida.