{"id":304,"date":"2016-09-04T18:30:44","date_gmt":"2016-09-04T22:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordoncollegefootball.com\/?p=304"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:08:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T19:08:33","slug":"georgia-bulldogs-football-grades-north-carolina-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2016\/09\/04\/georgia-bulldogs-football-grades-north-carolina-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Bulldogs Football Grades: North Carolina Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opening week is different. Georgia<\/strong> fans have had eight full months to look forward to last Saturday’s season opening match-up against defending ACC Coastal Champion,<\/strong>\u00a0North Carolina Tar Heels<\/strong>. Bulldog nation was excited, but had\u00a0questions as well.<\/p>\n

While it’s just one game, some answers are emerging from the off-season haze. Georgia came out and executed the game plan, repeatedly fed a healthy Nick Chubb<\/strong> the ball, and contained a potent\u00a0Carolina offense 16 points off their 2015 average.<\/p>\n

Georgia’s Game Grades:<\/h2>\n

Offense: B+\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

On the offensive side of the ball, Georgia returned seven starters from 2015. The team averaged 26.3 points a game last season. Georgia effectively utilized the run game and exposed a weak Carolina run defense. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney<\/strong> relied heavily on the running backs, and the Bulldogs\u00a0were able to put together several long drives with 50% success on third downs. The offense stuck to their game plan, adjusted when needed, and overall looked like a very well coached football team.<\/p>\n

Offensive Stat of the Game:\u00a0<\/em>Time of Possession. Georgia lead this category 38:07 to 21:53. The Bulldogs were able to hold on to the ball and utilize it to their advantage. They were able to take it down the field and score on long drives. Most importantly, they kept a dangerous Tar<\/strong> Heel<\/strong> offense from having too many opportunities.<\/p>\n

Quarterback:\u00a0B<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

It was a tale of two quarterbacks. Greyson Lambert<\/strong>\u00a0may have got the start, but\u00a0Jacob Eason\u00a0<\/strong>is\u00a0the one who got Georgia’s offense going. Lambert struggled early, playing reserved and taking far too long to make decisions. The offensive line also didn’t seem as in sync with Lambert.<\/p>\n

It was a different story when Eason took over. The offense ran much smoother, and the line played better. Eason went 8-12 for 131 yards and one TD. Those numbers might seem pedestrian, but when you have a stable of backs like Georgia, that’s all you need. Eason was more\u00a0confident after throwing a 51-yard pass to\u00a0Isaiah McKenzie<\/strong>, his longest of the night. However, it\u00a0seems that Georgia still hasn’t really decided who is going to get the starting position for quarterback.<\/p>\n

Running Backs: A+<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

Nick Chubb<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Brian Herrien<\/strong>\u00a0both put on a performance. Chubb was back to his pre-injury form, carrying 32 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Herrien, the true freshman, came in and ran the ball almost as effectively as the Heisman hopeful. He carried the ball seven\u00a0times for 59 yards and one TD. He demonstrated that he is a nice complement to Chubb in the backfield. With the impending return of Sony Michel<\/strong>, Georgia once again has an embarrassment of riches in the backfield. Georgia certainly met expectations for the first game and the ability for them to run.<\/p>\n

Receivers: C+<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Georgia’s receiving corp had a hard task Saturday night. They were up against one of the toughest secondary units in the\u00a0ACC. Isaiah\u00a0McKenzie<\/strong>\u00a0stood out with a touchdown reception from Eason. However, this is probably where Georgia struggled the most. There were several dropped passes that will make the film session a little uncomfortable. A better performance from the receivers, and this game could have gotten out of hand.<\/p>\n

Offensive Line: B<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The offensive line had a decent ballgame. They were neither great nor horrible, and they allowed a sack on a couple of\u00a0occasions. As is normally the case, they executed their running plan tasks better than their pass blocking assignments. They did seem to be much more confident with Eason in charge. The\u00a0struggles in pass blocking is keeping this unit from a higher grade.<\/p>\n

Defense: B+\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The defense played very well overall. They forced a North Carolina safety and made key stops in the fourth quarter. However, they did not get much pressure on the Tar Heels quarterback\u00a0Mitch Trubisky,\u00a0<\/strong>and they allowed over eight yards per run. They also allowed\u00a0315 total yards, much more then the previous season’s average, so there is plenty of room for improvement. Throughout the entire game, Coach\u00a0Mel Tucker<\/strong>\u00a0made significant substitutions across the defense. He would switch up guys on almost\u00a0every play.\u00a0They closed very strong, not allowing Carolina to score in the final quarter.<\/p>\n

Defensive stat of the Game:\u00a0<\/em>The Georgia defense only\u00a0allowed 156 passing yards.<\/p>\n

Defensive Line:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0B<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The defensive line played very well for the first ballgame. Granted they did not get to the quarterback as much as they would have liked, they fought hard to get to him.\u00a0Trent Thompson<\/strong>\u00a0played a great ballgame; he made plays and was in on what seemed like every tackle. The line only allowed six rushing first downs, which is a great feat. This is far from perfect, but the line played well. The fact that he trusted every D-line guy he had to play really says something.<\/p>\n

Linebackers: B+<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The linebackers really seemed to have it together. Granted there were a few drives here and there where Carolina would break through, overall they did okay. There was\u00a0a lot of room for improvement.\u00a0Lorenzo Carter\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Davin Bellamy\u00a0<\/strong>did not have their best game.\u00a0There were\u00a0a\u00a0few key tackles missed by the linebackers which caused long runs for Carolina. Heading into next weekend, they will need to work on wrapping up and closing on tackles.<\/p>\n

Defensive backs: B+<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The secondary looked really solid against some tough receivers. Recent graduate transfer\u00a0Maurice Smith<\/strong>\u00a0really made a statement during yesterday’s game. He broke up two key passes that could have ended badly for the Bulldogs. Smith\u00a0was everywhere, and he was in every series for the defense.\u00a0Roquan Smith\u00a0<\/strong>was another that stood out. Smith made plays and recorded five solo tackles. The defensive backs really stepped up for this game, and it showed. But there\u00a0is always room for improvement.<\/p>\n

Special Teams: C<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The special teams struggled in this game, and the negatives really outweighed the positives for them.\u00a0Shane Beamer<\/strong>‘s\u00a0<\/strong>first game as coordinator did not get off to a good start. This was probably the weakest area for Georgia, which was a concern going into this game to begin with. They allowed Carolina to return a kickoff for a touchdown. They received an unsportsmanlike penalty by\u00a0Malkom Parrish,<\/strong>\u00a0a senior who should have known better. The one positive note was how freshmen\u00a0punter\u00a0Marshall Long<\/strong>, kicking\u00a0four times with an average of 39 yards.<\/p>\n

Coaching: A<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The fact that\u00a0Coach\u00a0Kirby Smart\u00a0<\/strong>received his first W of the season deserves the grade A. He coached an overall impressive game with minor mistakes here and there. Georgia may have started out the game slow, but they finished the game really strong. The fact that Smart is bringing along a true freshmen quarterback, developing a young defense, and still manages to give a winning\u00a0performance speaks wonders. The amount of substitutes the team made takes a lot of skill. Coach Smart and his staff appeared to get\u00a0stronger and better as the game went on.<\/p>\n

Main Photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n