Is Georgia Going To Struggle Offensively Against Tennessee?
Bulldogs rank 16th in offensive efficiency after struggling against weaker opponents
The Georgia Bulldogs head into Neyland Stadium this Saturday with championship expectations.
Unsurprisingly, those expectations rest on the strength of their defense, a hallmark of Kirby Smart-era Georgia teams. Once again, most analytical rankings put the Bulldogs squarely in the top 5 in defensive efficiency. That's clearly a National Title-level group. What isn't as clear, however, is whether Georgia's offense is ready to storm through a difficult SEC and several College Football Playoff games.
Fox Sports' Joel Klatt talked about that earlier this week, referencing the fact that starting quarterback Gunner Stockton had to throw 34 passes against an overmatched FCS team, Austin Peay. And even with 34 passes, the Bulldogs scored just 28 points.
"Georgia's starting QB had to throw 34 passes against Austin Peay! If Julian Sayin or Dante Moore would've thrown 34 passes against Austin Peay, they would've scored 873,000 points," Klatt said.
Is he right, are there concerning signs for the Georgia offense?
ATLANTA - Gunner Stockton of the Georgia Bulldogs throws a pass against the Texas Longhorns during the third quarter of the 2024 SEC Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 7, 2024. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
Georgia Does Have Some Concerns On Offense Heading Into Tennessee Game
The answer to whether Georgia has an issue on offense is yes, and also no. Projection systems that incorporate preseason expectations still think highly of the Bulldogs offense.
But when purely evaluating their offensive success rate thus far, it's a bit more complicated. The Bulldogs, despite playing just Marshall and Austin Peay in weeks one and two, rank 16th in unadjusted offensive efficiency thus far. Essentially, without adjusting for the poor quality opponents, Georgia is out of the top 15 in offensive efficiency.
Ranking 16th is hardly a disaster, but put that up against the Volunteers defense? It might be.
SP+, for example, has Tennessee's defense as the third best in the country. Even higher than Georgia. Yes, the Bulldogs still rank 4th overall, but their middling performance against an FCS program dropped them two spots. Tennessee, meanwhile, has moved up week over week all the way to No. 6.
Does that mean Georgia's going to lose on Saturday? Of course not; the Bulldogs have excelled at stifling opposing offenses while doing just enough on offense to win. But averaging 5.5 yards per play against Austin Peay? That does show cause for concern. And if it doesn't improve, in a hurry, the Bulldogs' aspirations might be on the ropes already.