UGA vs. Tennessee Tech Recap and Reaction
A 3-and-out. An explosive punt return. Touchdown pass. The game was over at that point. The Dawgs made quick work of the Golden Eagles on Saturday behind Carson Beck’s 5 touchdown passes and the same stingy defense we’ve seen. Let’s break down the good and the bad from this game. Read more UGA vs. Tennessee Tech recap and reaction.
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The Good
Two consistent names have put in good to great performances for the first two weeks this year. Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins and Christen Miller have both showed out the first two weeks of the season. TID had 3 TFLs and 4 total tackles in the game. He has proved he can make plays and provide disruption on the end of the d-line. Miller turned in 4 tackles of his own with a sack. UGA needs to get healthy at this position for depth, but these two are putting in great shifts so far this year. UGA desperately needs both of these guys to continue to play at a high level as they begin the meat of the schedule.
Trevor Etienne showed how valuable he can be. Etienne brings a dynamic skillset to the UGA backfield, breaking off a 45 yard run at one point. He also caught two balls, and ended up averaging over 15 yards per carry in the game. His ability to use his blockers to manipulate the angles of defenders is impressive. If he can figure out how to pass protect too, look out.
Dom Lovett only had 3 catches for 33 yards and a touchdown. He hasn’t had the number of touches I expected so far this year. And yet, I almost wonder if UGA is holding him back on purpose. He and Etienne are the two guys that UGA has on the offense who can make anyone miss in open space. Lovett took a screen, leapt backwards to avoid a tackle, and then powered forward for a nice gain. No one else in the receiver room can maneuver like that. He’s shown flashes that I hope UGA will rely on more going forward.
UGA’s defense on the whole put in a good shift this week. They held TNTC to 134 yards of offense. This makes 3 straight games where the Dawg defense has held opposing teams to 3 points. To be fair, all of the offenses have been trash. Still, UGA has been dominant so far defensively.
The Bad
Two defensive linemen stood out in a positive way. Two offensive linemen stood out in a negative way. LT Earnest Green had a bad game, and I’m having a hard time not wanting to roast him for his performance. An FCS player should not be able consistently beat you on the speed rush, but that’s the kind of performance Greene had this week. Greene allowed Carson Beck to get taken out by the knees from his blindside.
That hit could have derailed UGA’s entire season, and he gave it up to a vastly inferior player. He got a hold that removed a touchdown from the board. Just ridiculous. RG Micah Morris has some explaining to do as well. He didn’t get many snaps in week 1 and week 2 showed me why. He missed blocks, had his pad level too high, and slow getting his head around to where it needed to be. I think Greene is saved by the fact that Carson Beck gets the ball out fast. He has to get better, and I think there’s a reason you’re seeing Monroe Freeling take reps at left tackle rather than right tackle like last year.
Beck’s deep ball is still an issue. He missed Arian Smith on a deep ball, and even through a couple ones that were uncatchable. Even the deep pass he did connect with Smith on was well behind him. Beck needs to be more aggressive pushing the ball down the field and continue to work on his consistency going deep. It’s the last piece of the puzzle for him. Aside from that, he played well.
The red zone offense is still lacking. Last year UGA’s red zone offense struggled. They got points, but didn’t get 6 nearly enough. Even against TNTC, the UGA offense had to settle for a field goal after poor execution in the red zone.
Kick offs were bad. UGA should put them through the end zone 9/10 times. They were well short during the game and one went out of bounds. Needs to improve.
TE Oscar Delp and RB Nate Frazier picked up injuries in the game. They *should* be okay, but I won’t trust anything Kirby says about an injury. He’ll say someone is day-to-day for weeks.
Penalty. 9 of ‘em. Come on.
Meh
Gunner Stockton was meh. He was 10/12 for 90 yards. He didn’t look awful and he also didn’t look ready to take the job next year and run with it. Stockton’s talent isn’t top tier, but he’s a heck of a competitor.
Reaction
UGA mostly achieved what it set out to do in this game. The offense started fast, the back ups got plenty of reps, and they seemingly avoided major injuries.
UGA needs to tighten up on the offensive line, improve Beck’s deep ball, and cut sloppy penalties. But we are nit picking here in the grand scheme because some of these issues are likely caused by a lesser opponent. The Dawgs look to be one of the best teams in the nation through two weeks and should get healthier on D-line and increase their depth. They’ll roll into Lexington next week in great shape.
