Sugar Bowl Recap and Reaction
UGA seemed in control of the game for the larger part of the first half. While they had only managed a field goal, they were able to sustain drives, keep Notre Dame from scoring, and should have had more points if it weren’t for a fumble in the red zone and a sideline infraction penalty. WR Arian Smith even caught a deep pass. Things were going relatively well. And then the wheels came off. Read more Sugar Bowl recap and reaction.
In the course of about 1 minute of game clock, UGA lost the game. After three incomplete passes beginning with about 3:30 left in the half, UGA punted to Notre Dame. They only managed 32 yards on 10 plays, but it was enough for a field goal. Then, with under a minute to go, down 6-3, UGA decided to throw the ball in an attempt to score before the half. Instead, QB Gunner Stockton was hit from behind after the left tackle whiffed on a block, and Notre Dame recovered the fumble. They scored on the next play, to take a 13-3 lead into half. Then Notre Dame returned the opening kickoff in the second half for a touchdown, stretching the lead further and it was clear UGA was all but done for in the game.
As the second half went on, Notre Dame didn’t look that great, but the Dawgs kept shooting themselves in the foot. More passes were dropped. Notre Dame was able to convert drives where the defense had them in 2nd or 3rd and long, particularly behind QB Riley Leonard’s legs. In the end Notre Dame had some penalties, but made almost no costly errors. UGA, on the other hand, was the more undisciplined team, and frankly, were totally out-coached in this game. Let’s look at the good, bad, and ugly from this matchup.
The Good
Gunner Stockton. Look, if you’re upset with Stockton after this game, I can’t help you. He went up against one of the tougher defenses in the nation in his first career start in a playoff game. He wasn’t perfect, but he did almost everything I could have hoped for in this game. If you told me he would go 20/32 for 234 and a touchdown, I would say, yeah I think we win that game 7/10 times.
His deep ball was good, he gets plenty of zip (sometimes maybe too much) on his throws, and he placed the ball well. The thing I was surprised by was that his legs were not as helpful as expected. Including sacks, he finished with 10 carries for -19 yards. I thought he would have been able to break more tackles and get more yards than he did.
However, I think he proved that he is a QB you can win with, even if his ceiling isn’t the highest. For his first start, I was pleased with his performance.
RB Nate Frazier looked great. He was explosive when he played. He didn’t play much though.
The defense played well for the most part. I mean, they held the Irish to 244 total yards. They definitely did enough to win the game. When is the last time UGA lost while only giving up 90 yards passing? Or lost when holding a team to under 250 yards? The point being, the defense played a good game.
They weren’t perfect, but like Stockton’s performance, they certainly played winning football. LB Smael Mondon had a good game, leading the team in tackles and recording the team’s only sack. The defensive line pressured Leonard most of the night and kept him uncomfortable. They held the Irish to 4/14 on 3rd downs. Again, what else can you ask for?
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The Bad
OC Mike Bobo. I’ve defended Bobo on here this year. I’m caught between a couple of ideas. This offense sucks. It has no real weapons. The running backs are your best weapons, but your offensive line isn’t consistent. Your receivers lead the nation in dropped passes. What else is he supposed to do to help the team succeed? AND we averaged 6 points in the first half against P4 programs this season. That is inexcusable, no matter the personnel you’re working with.
His play calling to begin the game was awful. He tried multiple plays where UGA would do some end around or misdirection behind the line of scrimmage. None of it worked, in part because the offensive line sucked. However, you knew you had a size advantage in the middle of the defensive line. Why not test that early? Instead, UGA got cute and the offense stumbled out of the gate. There were a number of plays that UGA also called which Notre Dame was prepared for, and we almost never had the counter ready to be called. If we called a screen and it got 4 yards, we never went back to it to fake the screen and go downfield.
The read options Bobo worked into the offense didn’t work. And why did we only give RB Nate Frazier 4 carries in this game? He’s one of, if not the most, dynamic offensive player you have. Yes, he fumbles. So what? You’re losing anyway and the starter fumbled away points in the first half as it is. The phrase I kept thinking in this game, and it’s not just for Mike Bobo, was “coaching malpractice.” Even still, UGA should have done enough offensively to win the game given how the defense played.
The Offsides Penalty
The offsides penalty. Notre Dame out-foxed the Dawgs on a key drive in the 4th quarter. On a 4th and 1 in their own territory, Notre Dame lined up to punt, but then subbed off the entire unit for the offensive unit. UGA sent on their defense in response, but then had two experienced players jump offsides.
The one thing they couldn’t do was that. Likely Notre Dame just wanted UGA to burn a time out to adjust. Instead, they allowed the drive to continue when UGA needed to get the ball back. That offsides ended the hope of a UGA comeback. I will say that if you watch that play back, you’ll see that Notre Dame false starts on the play, which the refs missed. However, I don’t think that caused UGA’s lack of discipline.
The sideline infraction penalty in the first half was killer for the Dawgs. Stockton hit Arian Smith for a deep ball, which took UGA inside the 15 yard line. However, a walk-on player crossed over a few inches into the area only refs are allowed to be during a play, bumping into a running referee.
This resulted in a 15 yard penalty, no warning given, and UGA was held to a field goal when they looked poised for a touchdown. While I think that this call was a bit harsh since there was no warning given initially, the rule is clear that if contact is made, the warning is foregone and the penalty is given. It’s the right call. This penalty and the offsides penalty marked the culture of this team—undisciplined.
The Ugly
The offensive line. This unit nearly single-handedly cost UGA the game. LT Monroe Freeling had the worst performance of his career. I have to wonder if he was battling an injury or something because he’s been the person who solidified the line when he won the starting job late in the year. The Irish beat him like a drum.
UGA had a size advantage inside against Notre Dame, but failed to take advantage of it. Stockton was under a ton of pressure during the game, and even if you think throwing for it at the end of the first half was a bad idea (I do), the reality is the offensive line blew that play more than the play call was a bad call. The line also got a dreadful false start in a 4th and short situation, which UGA then failed to convert after the extra 5 yards were tacked on.
This unit, far and away, has been the most disappointing unit of the team in 2024, to the point where I understand why many fans want to see O-line coach Stacey Searles get fired. UGA’s run scheme is too basic and it requires their guys to beat the man across from them more than a good scheme. And an experienced line failed to beat the man across from them most of this year. UGA needs to make some significant changes in their personnel, scheme, and probably coaching here.
WR Dillon Bell. He had a few catches early in the game. He pulled off a back-shoulder catch and grabbed a slant early on that had me hopeful that he could be an impact player in the game. But he dropped a key deep ball in the second half that would have positioned UGA to score more points. He was wide open, the ball hit him in the chest. Again, inexcusable. As much as we UGA fans hate on WR Arian Smith for drops, Bell led the team this year by a considerable margin.
Reaction
Discipline beats talent. UGA has the better roster, no doubt. However, when you combine some coaching failures, two key turnovers which resulted in points for your opponent, and a special teams touchdown, you’ve created a recipe for a loss. This UGA team has not been fun to watch this year because of their lack of discipline and inconsistent performances.
We saw Kirby Smart take UGA and change its culture over a series of years into a championship program. And while I hate to admit it, I think we have some culture re-building to do again. The off field issues are documented, and seemingly set the tone for the entire year. The lack of discipline off the field was reflected by the lack of discipline on the field.
Going into the season, there was a massive question mark on who would be the vocal leaders of this team. It ended up being LB Jalon Walker and RG Tate Ratledge, both of whom are headed to the NFL. Now who will lead? UGA now knows how to win at the highest level, but the culture among the players, and perhaps among the coaches, needs to return to the level it once was. Kirby Smart had a tough hill to climb to get UGA to the mountain top. Now, with NIL and transfers, the return to the top will be even more difficult than the first time.
The question now is the same question that Kirby faced after 2019: will he be too stubborn to make the necessary changes? He brought in Monken and things changed for UGA. Kirby needs to consider what changes need to occur, from NIL allocation to offensive players to coordinators and position coaches, to reach the top again, because it appears UGA lacks a winning formula right now. And offensively, they’ll be re-tooling almost everything as it is.
So is it time for a total overhaul? Or do you keep consistent coaches while you see most of your offense leave the program? Kirby’s decisions here will likely define the next couple of years for the Dawgs. We’ll see if the Dawgs can get back on top, or if they are Clemson 2.0.
