What Went Well Against Kentucky?
Even in a 14-3 win for Georgia over Kentucky, it wasn’t all bad things that led to the kind of victory we saw on Saturday. Georgia did many things well Saturday in Lexington, which led to the win over the Wildcats.
Zeus Struck Lightning!
Zamir White was the best running back on the field Saturday at Kroger Field. Zamir White had a performance that is the best of collegiate career so far.
We have talked about the need over the last few weeks for Georgia to ride the hot hand at running back. So far, we’ve seen that Georgia has several capable running backs who are all talented enough to play in the SEC. But none of them are good enough to produce monstrous numbers with just 10-15 carries.
Todd Monken once again showed what a difference he has made as a schemer for Georgia. Monken recycled the same gameplan that he used against Auburn, just eliminating the downfield shots.
Zamir White proved that he would produce when you give him more than just 15 carries. It was a day to remember for Zeus as he rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Zamir White’s power and agility carried him to 5.2 yards per carry.
Masterful Offensive Line Play
For the third game in a row, Georgia was going head to head with an offensive front that was considered one of the most talented offensive lines in the SEC. Tennessee and Alabama were more talented than Kentucky. But that is no shot at Kentucky as their offensive line did a great job of providing holes to run through for the Wildcats.
It was the Georgia offensive line that proved their worth as they won the battle in the trenches. The offensive line led the Dawgs to 215 yards rushing as they allowed their backs to run through the holes and worry about getting by tacklers.
As a team, Georgia averaged 5 yards per carry against Kentucky, which is a credit to the great work done by the young Georgia offensive line.
Effective Gameplan
The passing game might have lacked the production that many would’ve liked to have seen just a week before Florida. But the production we saw in the ground game from the Georgia offensive line and running backs.
Todd Monken showed why he is paid one of the highest rates for an offensive coordinator in College Football. Monken and the offensive staff drew up an excellent gameplan to play to the strengths of the offense.
Without George Pickens available, the playcalling for Monken was exceptional. The execution lies at the doorsteps of the personnel on the field.
Junkyard Defense Overcomes Attrition
The Georgia defense was the biggest victim of the injury bug that struck the Dawgs over the weekend. Multiple starters went down due to injury and would not return to the field after exiting.
The defense struggled with the Kentucky offense’s decisive run game that was boasted by two talented backs. Even though the Dawgs gave up 100 plus yards on the ground for the second game in a row, they could hold Kentucky to a field goal.
Georgia continues to value depth that they turn into talent and production onto the field. The depth they have developed over the last few years has given Georgia the best opportunity to limit the drop off in play when starters exit the field.
It was an A letter grade for performance in my book with the only marks against is the struggles against the run.