Georgia Passing Game Flourished; Run Game Struggled

Saturday’s game was the first of many for the Dawgs. It was the first look at redshirt sophomore JT Daniels, the transfer quarterback from USC. Daniels put up an eye-opening performance as he threw for 401 yards and touchdowns. Daniels is the first quarterback to pass for 400 yards in a game since Aaron Murray in 2013.

Jermaine Burton would come close to being the first Bulldog receiver to break the single-game record in Georgia’s receiving yards set by Tavarres King with 202. At the same time, the passing game flourished as Daniels distributed the ball to 8 receivers. The historic run game struggled against a defense that was hurt by the loss of depth with only 49 scholarship players.

The Mississippi State defense swarmed to ball throughout the night, holding Georgia to eight yards with sacks included. Excellent defensive performance for the Bulldogs of Starkville, but a disastrous performance for the offensive line, who struggled to communicate and create holes in the backfield.

From the first play of the game for the Georgia offense, Georgia was stuffed in the run game. Mississippi State was able to key in on the run game throughout the game, forcing Georgia to rely on a debuting JT Daniels, who hadn’t played football in 14 months.

Monken tried everything in the playbook through four quarters to get the run game started. Nothing work other than a nice outside run by Zamir White that picked up ten yards. Those ten yards was the longest run of the night for the Bulldogs.

Even without the run game that is usually the base of the Georgia offense under Coach Smart, Georgia was able to pull out the victory. While the win may not have been the prettiest to watch, the passing game’s precision and efficiency made it worthwhile.

JT Daniels, Jermaine Burton, and George Pickens prove that the future is bright in Athens. With a quarterback who will continue to get better as the season goes on and a receiving core that will run routes and have the football thrown their way, there is still a lot to play for in 2020.