The morning after is always the worst. I know this because I
have felt it, just like all Georgia fans have, too many times now.
This morning is when the reality sets in, and the full
feeling of regret manifests itself. During the game, you can just be angry. You
can yell at the television. You can explain how what you are seeing makes no
sense whatsoever. Today, there is no one to yell at. Today we are left alone,
with our thoughts.
Yesterday’s loss was inexcusable. There was no aspect of the
team that played well. Offensively, Georgia started out great, but eventually
we saw the downside of the injuries that Georgia has sustained. I am not
criticizing Nick Chubb, but he is limited in what he can do, and the better
defenses are going to be able to at least neutralize one aspect of your
offense. Georgia, without another legitimate running back, is going to be good
on the ground, but not good enough to win big games.
Georgia’s passing attack was what it has been all season.
Anyone that criticizes Hutson Mason after yesterday’s game is just being lazy. Mason
was not the problem yesterday. He made a couple of good throws and he made a
few questionable decisions. His receivers didn’t help him at all. There were a
couple of drops and the offensive line didn’t play nearly as well as they have
for the majority of the season.
The biggest disappointment, in a day that was overwhelmingly
disappointing, was the complete and total failure of Georgia’s defense to stop
a one-dimensional offense. After trending up for the majority of the season,
the defense is absolutely no where now. There is no reason to think that Auburn
won’t put a thousand points on Georgia if the Dawgs can't stop simple run plays.
Nothing Florida was doing yesterday was fancy, and many times, there was a
player at the point of attack that had an opportunity to make a play, and time
and time again, Georgia failed to make plays. Pruitt has to be held accountable
for not being able to coach up his players to stop what Florida was doing, but
at the end of the day; the players have to get it done.
The next step is looking at the rest of the season. Just like the loss to South Carolina, this
loss will feel worse and worse as Georgia progresses. This will most likely be
a stark wakeup call for this team, and I would expect a great performance
against Kentucky next weekend. Then Auburn will come calling and Gurley will be
back. Georgia needs a Missouri loss to be back in the driver’s seat in the SEC
East, so there will be some scoreboard watching over the next few weeks.
The playoff and the national title, which were a long shot,
are now out of reach in any realistic scenario. Anarchy could reign, like it
did in 2007, and Georgia could find their way back into the discussion, but
there are about 10 things that would have to happen just right for that to
happen.
I think it is time to start thinking about next year. No
matter what happens, Georgia will have a new quarterback next season. Hutson
Mason is a senior, and it is time for Georgia to consider moving on to Brice
Ramsey. Ramsey seems to have a live arm, and the only way for him to get better
is going to be playing in big games now. Mason isn’t winning games by himself,
so what would Georgia lose by trying to give a few series a game to Ramsey?
The rest of the season should just be about improving. We
need to get Sony Michel back on the field. I want to see what it looks like
with just Michel and Chubb leading things in the backfield. I want to see more
inclusion of Isaiah McKenzie in the offense. Early in the season, there were
dynamic plays each week using McKenzie as a decoy and sometimes running him on
the Jet-sweep. We also need to see the defense have a strong finish. I think
Pruitt is a great coach and it would be silly to think that he has been able to
already get his players working in his system without flaws, so we need to make
sure that things are heading in the right direction going into bowl practice.
Earlier in the week, I said that losing to Florida would be
the worst loss for the Dawgs since the early ‘80s. I think we will remember
this game right along with the loss to South Carolina in 2012, the Bama
Blackout in 2008, the loss to Tennessee in Knoxville in 2007, the loss to
Florida in 2005, the home loss to Tennessee in 2004, and the loss to another
bad Florida team in 2002. Each and every one of those games make me shake my
head when I think about them, and after I finally get over the sick feeling in
my stomach, I’ll be shaking my head about yesterday’s game for years to come.
Try to enjoy the rest of the weekend, and try not to think
about football for a few days. We will turn the page to Kentucky on Wednesday,
but let’s just get away from it all for a few days.
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