Georgia football's midseason report card

Georgia is one game past the midpoint of the 2022 regular season and the Bulldogs are 7-0. Since this is a program that will play in at least 13 games with a shot at 14 or 15, we’re using the bye week as our midpoint.

With that in mind, DawgsHQ is ready to do a position-by-position evaluation of this team from what we’ve seen so far. Scroll down to see our midseason report card.

Georgia quarterbacks

Stetson Bennett IV has been mostly great in 2022. The Georgia triggerman has had stretches in games where he struggled but he has fought his way out of those short funks to have good games. Bennett has cut down on the mistakes and has increased the big plays. You’d like to see him hit on more throws down the field and that’s certain to be a point of emphasis during the bye week. It’s also fair to point out that Bennett is a big reason why the Bulldogs rank No. 2 in the SEC on third down.

Carson Beck is the only other quarterback who has seen enough time to truly evaluate. He has been excellent in mop-up duty. The Georgia redshirt sophomore has been decisive and confident. He has also flashed a strong arm, accuracy, and surprising athleticism. Grade: B+

UGA running backs

This group got off to a fairly slow start in 2022. The yards after contact, broken tackles, and chunk plays just weren’t there. That has changed in recent weeks. Kendall Milton, despite a fumble against Missouri, got it rolling a little before getting hurt. Kenny McIntosh has stepped up his game and is displaying a more physical style than we’ve seen from him. He’s also a tremendous receiver.

Daijun Edwards has really surged of late — to the point that he’s the team’s leading rusher. True freshman Branson Robinson has given Georgia a boost of late and has folks more fired up about the run game going forward. Grade: B+

Georgia receivers and tight ends

We’ll start with the tight ends where Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington have been mostly great. They’re playmakers with the ability to create for others because of their blocking ability. Bowers is, once again, UGA’s leading receiver and Washington is No. 3. Grade: A-

The receiver position has been a different story. Ladd McConkey is the team’s second-leading receiver but he has also struggled some. He seems to have put those struggles behind him the past couple of games but his miscues against Kent State and Missouri played a role in Georgia having to fight to win those. Injuries have been a problem but true freshman Dillon Bell has shown some flash here of late. The Bulldogs need to get healthy as soon as possible. Grade: B

UGA offensive line

The first three quarters of the Missouri game were bad. There has also been a forgettable drive here or quarter there from the Georgia front five. There have also been flashes of really good play where, for stretches, the group will get good movement at the point of attack or provide ample time for the quarterback. Take all of that and what do you get? You get a lot of good with a substantial amount of inconsistency. Georgia is one of the best teams in the nation at limiting negative plays but they can do a better job of setting their playmakers up for success. Grade: B

Georgia defensive line

If you had told me coming into the season that Georgia would get so little from Jalen Carter after losing all that talent to the NFL, I would have predicted significantly less success for the defensive front. Georgia, once again, has a great run defense. Nazir Stackhouse, Zion Logue, Tramel Walthour and Warren Brinson have spearheaded a by-committee effort up front with youngsters like Tyrian Ingram-Dawkins, Mykel Williams, and Bear Alexander also pitching in. Georgia needs to get Carter back as soon as possible but the current group has held down the fort. Grade: A-

UGA linebackers

We’ll start with the outside guys where Nolan Smith is having a strong season. He has a tackle for loss in six straight games and leads the team with three sacks. Robert Beal hasn’t had the same presence as late last season but he has also been asked to be a more devoted run defender in 2022. Grade: B+

Jamon Dumas-Johnson has done a great job of filling some massive shoes. Georgia lost three tremendous inside linebackers to the 2022 NFL Draft and Dumas-Johnson has done his best to pick up where they left off. The Georgia sophomore leads the team in tackles and makes multiple eyebrow-raising plays per game. Smael Mondon, prior to getting hurt, was flashing quite a bit. We’ve also seen good things from Trezmen Marshall and Rian Davis. Grade: A-

Georgia defensive backs

The Bulldogs are getting stellar safety play from starters Chris Smith and Malaki Starks. Dan Jackson has also elevated his game back there. Those three players have combined for five interceptions this season with Smith and Starks having two each.

Cornerback has also been an area of strength. Kelee Ringo rarely gets mentioned and that’s a good thing. We’ve been impressed with his ability to come up and strike in the run and screen games. Kamari Lassiter, outside of a hiccup or two, has also put together a good season. The STAR position has been manned primarily by Javon Bullard, who is as physical and tough as they come. Tykee Smith has also filled in well when needed.

The Bulldogs have surrendered some chunk plays both on the ground and through the air that can be attributed to struggles in the secondary. With that said, there haven’t been a bunch of those. Grade: B+

Georgia special teams

The Bulldogs had two straight games where they allowed fake punts to succeed. They had another game where they stopped a fake punt. Georgia has muffed a punt this year and it allowed a 21-yard punt return to South Carolina this season.

Those are the negatives. Brett Thorson and Jack Podlesny have done a really good job in the kicking game. Thorson has shown field-flipping power and touch when he needs it. Podlesny hasn’t flashed the range we’ve seen from him in the pass but he has made 14 of 16 on the year. The punt return game has really picked up of late and the Bulldogs have blocked one punt on the year. Grade: B+

Overall

This Georgia team has a really high ceiling. We’ve all seen it and to whom much is given, much is expected. The Bulldogs have been working to raise both their ceiling and their floor and that is the key to the rest of the season.

If you look back to the start of the year, there were concerns. The run game looked off. The special teams had its issues with fake punts and picking up yardage on punt returns. All of those things have improved. If Georgia can continue addressing its issues quickly and as they arise, the sky’s the limit. Grade: A-