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The top 5 Georgia football plays that earned Todd Monken a raise

On3 imageby:Wes Blankenship•02/17/22
Ladd McConkey (2)
Tony Walsh/UGA Sports Communications

Todd Monken got a raise thanks to one of Georgia’s best offenses in recent history (and a National Championship, too).

No matter what your job is, raises like Monken’s don’t happen without exemplary performance.

The devil is in the details.

The proof is in the pudding.

Pick your favorite idiom.

Any way you slice it, the Dawgs got in the endzone in 2021.

I expect they’ll be even better in 2022, if Georgia’s offer is enough to stave off the NFL for Monken’s services.

Before the Dawgs happen to find themselves in any sort of hypothetical bidding war, let’s take a look back at the top five plays that earned Monken this raise heading into Georgia’s 2022 season (plays sorted by the order in which they occurred):

Stetson Bennett to Ladd McConkey at Auburn

The Auburn game marked Georgia’s first true road test with Stetson Bennett at quarterback in 2021.

No offense, Vandy.

Obviously he had opportunities to shine at Arkansas and Alabama in 2020, but Bennett was a different quarterback on the Dawgs’ title run.

Georgia also showed off a new weapon that it didn’t have during the shortened 2020 season: freshman wideout Ladd McConkey.

Monken and the gang proved that they trusted this versatile weapon on a play-action post right through the Auburn secondary.

This call took guts. It paid off.

Bennett to Arian Smith vs. Missouri

Of all the games Georgia played this season, its start against Missouri proved to be the slowest.

Whether it was the noon start, the Braves’ recent World Series win, or Joc Pederson and Blooper distracting the team, this one was sleepy.

The Dawgs needed a spark down 3-0. On 4th & 6, Stetson Bennett connected with speedster Arian Smith to get the party started.

If Smith can stay healthy in 2022, it should calm many a worry about Jermain Burton’s transfer to Alabama.

James Cook out wide at Tennessee

Brock Bowers gets a lot of attention as an offensive asset that Todd Monken just knew how to use.

Don’t overlook James Cook, like Tennessee did.

Cook was clearly the key to Monken’s game plan at Tennessee, with three total touchdowns. This is an element of Georgia’s 2021 offense that will be difficult, if not impossible to fully replace next season.

None of Georgia’s returning tailbacks feature the backfield / slot skillset that Cook displayed in Todd Monken’s system.

Plays like this one on Rocky Top will be sorely missed until Georgia figures out how to replicate them.

Kenny McIntosh to A.D. Mitchell in the Orange Bowl

Georgia really didn’t have to get too creative against Michigan. The Dawgs’ defense and power on offense ultimately proved to be too much – even for the B1G’s most physical team.

Still, the creativity and execution from Monken, Kenny McIntosh and A.D. Mitchell showed everyone early: Georgia is just a class above its CFP Semifinal counterpart.

How about McIntosh’s form and spiral here? Georgia players remarked after the fact that he never threw a ball that perfect when the Dawgs practiced it.

Monken still believed in him enough to call it in an elimination game.

Bennett to Brock Bowers in the National Championship

Brock Bowers already shredded Alabama in the SEC Championship.

Surely, the Tide wouldn’t allow the speedy freshman to gash it again, right? With a one-point lead, and a masterful call to get Bowers in space, Monken got his favorite freshman in the endzone when it counted.

Not only did Georgia hammer Bama with Bowers in Atlanta, it ran an almost identical call on one of his touchdowns.

Monken knew what worked in this offense. More importantly than that, he knew when it would work.

That’s the kind of skillset that makes it worth it for Georgia to keep Monken in Athens for as long as possible. No matter the price.

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