Instant Analysis: Georgia takes down Florida 42-20
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It wasn’t a four-quarter display display of stellar football but Georgia moved to 8-0 on Saturday with a 42-20 win over Florida. The Bulldogs looked sloppy at times but they also rode a fast start to the win. Below, we share our instant thoughts and observations from the game.
- Such an up and down day for Stetson Bennett. He made some really good throws and decisions. He made some really bad throws and decisions. The receivers didn’t help him a ton at times with a trio of drops and they helped him quite a bit on other balls. The first interception wasn’t Bennett’s fault but the second one was and he was bad. We didn’t see him use his legs much in the game and I wonder if that’s by design to try and keep him healthy. The Bulldogs are going to need something more consistently effective next week.
- Huge days for Daijun Edwards and Kenny McIntosh. The McIntosh fumble played a big role in an ugly third quarter but he came back and made some really nice plays down the stretch. Edwards continues to impress and is the best Georgia has at running back right now.
- More great play from Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington. Bowers turned in a huge game and also had some key blocks. It was clear that Georgia wanted to feed him the ball in this game. Washington had balls he should have caught but still found a way to make some key plays.
- The offensive line really played well in the second half. It was mostly good in the first half but I was really impressed with the second-half showing. They kept Bennett clean all day.
- The Georgia defensive line dominated the trenches in the first half but it gave some ground in the second. I noticed guys not getting of blocks or resetting the line of scrimmage in the second half. I will point out a big-time hustle play from Nazir Stackhouse in the second quarter when he made a tackle 25 yards downfield.
- Losing Nolan Smith hurt this defense. There’s no question about it. It took a bit but Florida started finding the weak areas without Smith on the field. As I said at halftime, holding him out the rest of the game feels precautionary. Smith seemed to be moving around well on the sideline. He seemed to be in good spirits. He didn’t have a sling or anything on his arm that would indicate a more serious injury.
- Georgia’s secondary wasn’t as buttoned up as you’d like to see before Tennessee. The Bulldogs allowed some chunk plays through the air and busted a coverage on a 78-yard touchdown. That play really got the momentum back in Florida’s corner. They need to clean some things up before next week, that’s for sure.
- Overall, Georgia won and won pretty big without its best stuff. If you look at Georgia’s season when it has allowed teams to really compete, it is minus eight in the turnover margin. The Bulldogs can’t afford to turn it over like that and miss opportunities with bad passes and drops. It was an overall good enough performance but not great.
