Tim Tebow, Roman Harper evaluate Georgia's Week 1 offensive performance, season outlook
Georgia pounded Clemson 34-3 in its season opener last Saturday, but not everyone came away impressed. The Bulldogs led only 6-0 at the half, and SEC Network analyst Roman Harper believes Georgia missed a chance to take control earlier.
Georgia had only 160 total yards in the opening two quarters, and Harper feels that Kirby Smart and his coaching staff were too conservative early on. Harper shared his opinion Friday afternoon on The Paul Finebaum Show.
“So, hats off to Georgia, they won the game. But I also came away with a little bit of question,” Harper said. “And it’s just that early in the game, offensively, I don’t want you to tell me all offseason you’ve got the best quarterback in college football, and then all we’re going to run are quick screens, quick out routes, all that other stuff. Let the guy rip.”
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was 15 of 19 passing for 126 yards in the first half, but he averaged only 6.6 yards per attempt.
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Harper wanted to see Beck push the ball down the field more. He added that the Bulldogs could run into issues if they play the same way down the line.
“If he’s going to be a No. 1 quarterback, then let him show it on first down early in the game. I don’t need you always trying to figure it out, wait until the second half to explode,” Harper said. “Clemson was never a threat to Georgia, so you’re not going to face every team on your schedule that’s not a real threat to you early.
“So I want you to be able to show me early and often in games what you truly are, Georgia. So it’s not my fault that you will only be compared to Georgia and all the other greats. You’re not going to be compared to what you do versus Clemson. I only look at Georgia in the lens of where they’re at in the playoffs, how they project versus great teams.”
While fellow SEC Network analyst Tim Tebow somewhat understands what Harper is saying, he feels that you have to give the Clemson defense some credit for slowing down the Georgia offense for a half.
“I think Clemson has a really good defense, though, too. I think give them some credit,” Tebow said. “That is a very physical front seven. And it’s a team that played a lot of pressure and played very physical and it’s also Week 1. Georgia’s trying to figure it out. I thought when you go back and look at the film, I thought Carson played very well.”
He added that Georgia has some new pieces on offense and it’s going to take some time for Carson Beck to build chemistry with all of his weapons.
“Trying to figure out some new receivers, new running backs, top two down,” Tebow said. “You know, [Nate] Frazier stepped up, [London] Humphreys, there’s some new guys he’s figuring out. … But one of the signs of a good team, it’s not how you start it’s how you finish.
“The second half adjustments, the leadership, because let’s be honest, first half their offense wasn’t clicking. Second half they dominated. And that’s the sign of a great team. It’s one thing to start fast with a great gameplan and a lot of momentum. It’s another thing to adjust when you didn’t play your best, and that’s what they did.”