“Elite” signifies being the best. Georgia’s football team has achieved elite status in the past two years, winning consecutive national championships. This week, Georgia’s social media buzzed about South Carolina’s Taonka Hemingway, who omitted Sanford Stadium as being either the loudest or most hostile environment during SEC Media Days. Kirby Smart challenged fans to demonstrate their elite status on Saturday afternoon against South Carolina in his press Monday press conference. “People want to question whether our fans are elite; we’ll find out Saturday, right? Maybe we need to use Tonka for motivation and let him be the one that spurs our group to come out there at 3:30 and be loud and fired up.” However, what matters most on Saturday isn’t the fans being elite; it’s Georgia’s running game. In 2023, the running game hasn’t lived up to its past elite performance.
Missing: Georgia’s Running Game
2017-2022 RBU
At first glance, the Bulldogs appear in good shape to start the 2023 season. Georgia holds a 2-0 record, while LSU and Alabama are not. They’ve tallied 93 points and allowed only 10. Carson Beck is evolving as the starting quarterback. However, upon further examination, the flaws of the 2023 season become evident. Slow starts have plagued them, with just seven points against UT-Martin and a scoreless first quarter against Ball State last week. The most glaring issue is the running game, which seems almost non-existent in the season’s opening two weeks. While perception doesn’t always align with reality, a closer look at the statistics compared to the past six seasons gives cause for concern.
| Georgia’s Offense 2017-2023 | |||
| Passing | Rushing | Plays | |
| 2017 | 176.9 | 258.4 | 65.2 |
| 2018 | 226.9 | 239.2 | 65.9 |
| 2019 | 223 | 185.9 | 66.8 |
| 2020 | 249.9 | 174.2 | 68.3 |
| 2021 | 251.9 | 191.2 | 63.2 |
| 2022 | 295.9 | 205.3 | 70 |
| 2023 | 343.5 | 129 | 65.5 |
| Average | 252.6 | 197.6 | 66.4 |
For comparison, we started with Georgia’s 2017 team. This was Smart’s second year at Georgia, and that team was 2nd and 26 away from the program’s first national championship. The 2017 team boasted one of Georgia’s most robust and deepest running back groups, with Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, and D’Andre Swift. The three backs ran early, and often and led the team to the national championship game. Over the next five years, Georgia transitioned toward a passing-heavier team but still managed to rush for an average of nearly 200 yards per game. This is where the 2023 team stands as an anomaly and potentially a cause for concern.
2023: Power Outage
It’s just two games. They’ll be fine. We’ve seen these sentiments on social media and message boards all week. A closer look though shows how much of an outlier and cause for concern the 2023 Georiga may be in. “Run the ball, Bobo” was a popular mantra the last time Mike Bobo was Gerogia’s offensive coordinator. Fans mocked Bobo for falling too much in love with the forward pass. Those same sentiments could be shared about the 2023 team. The team is on pace to beat their previous six-year passing average by more than 90 yards, while the rushing game is a shell of its former self. Georiga does not have a rusher yet with 100 yards rushing through its first two games.
UT-Martin and Ball State stacked the box to take away the run and force Beck to beat them by throwing the ball. In both games, Beck eventually figured it out and helped throw Georgia to victory. It is concerning that Georiga seemed unable to move the ball or stay committed to the run game to make a real difference. As the season continues, Georgia will need their running game to make a run at a third straight title. Although they may not be elite in 2023, they should at least be ordinary, if even by Georgia’s lofty standards.
South Carolina Preview
📍 Stanford Stadium
⏰ 3:30 p.m.
📺 CBS
💰 Georgia -28.5
O/U 54.5
“They’ve got like 100 five-star football players on their defense. They’re big and physical and fast. I mean, other than that, they’re really freaking good.” That was the memorable quote from Gamecock’s coach, Shane Beamer, on Georgia after facing his former team for the first time in 2021. The scores reaffirm Beamer’s assessment. Georiga has won eight of the last ten meetings and has outscored South Carolina 88 to 20 in the last two years. The Bulldogs are once again a four-plus touchdown favorite against the struggling Gamecocks. History tells us that the Gamecocks may not have to be perfect on Saturday, but they must try to capitalize if Georgia has another slow start.
Georgia hosted South Carolina in 2019. They were the #3 ranked team in the country and the clear favorite in the game. Turnovers and sloppy play allowed South Carolina to jump to an early lead and eventually secure the upset win in double overtime. Smart preached that this year’s most significant challenge to the Georgia team will be complacency. Looking at the results in 2023, the team is still learning how to overcome and handle it. Saturday is an ideal opportunity to tell the league and the rest of college football that Georiga is ready to be elite again in 2023.
Prediction: Georgia 45 South Carolina 10
