DawgBites: Georgia Bulldogs down Clemson in week one

Each week, ATL All Day Staff Writer Travis Jaudon will give his thoughts and share his questions on the previous week’s Georgia Football Game. Feel free to tweet @jaudonsports or email Travis with your questions/thoughts from the previous game if you want your voice heard in the column. 

I think it’s safe to say that Georgia came to play last Saturday in Athens. It may actually be safer to say that Clemson was outmatched all evening between the hedges. Whatever you choose to say, know this: Georgia is in unfamiliar territory after their week 1 victory over Clemson, and that’s a good thing.

Prior to Saturday’s win, the Dawgs hadn’t beaten a ranked opponent to open the season since they did so against Boise State to begin the 2005 campaign. What exactly does that mean for Georgia in 2014? Well, simply put, it means they have an extreme amount of momentum (thanks in part to national media attention) heading into their second game against rival and SEC foe South Carolina.

Before looking ahead to the all-important matchup with South Carolina, lets go back and address some things from the Clemson beat down. It was mostly good, but not all good.

 DawgBites 

1. First things first. Take it from me, someone who has seen dozens of games from inside Sanford Stadium and who was there on Saturday, that game felt different. It was loud, (albeit not as loud as LSU last season) sure, but it was more than that. That team looked confident; they looked rejuvenated. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least.
2. Georgia’s Special Teams were flawless against Clemson. A Todd Gurley 100-yard kickoff return highlighted the success for the unit, but many more players contributed. And not just any players mind you. In fact, I saw noticed more starters (or contributors) on special teams than I have ever seen from a Georgia team. Damian Swann, Amarlo Herrera, Ramik Wilson, Sony Michel, Tim Kimrough, Quincy Mauger all played special teams Saturday. It seemingly paid off. Clemson totaled -6 yards in punt returns. The Tigers also averaged an unimpressive 18 yards per kickoff return which caused them to start eight out of their 15 possessions inside of their own 20.
3. What’s wrong with Keith Marshall? The junior tailback is coming off an ACL surgery from which he is not yet a year removed, and it showed Saturday against Clemson. #4 didn’t look nearly as explosive as he had in the past. Perhaps the most frightening part for Georgia fans is the fact that he was routinely brought down by only one Clemson tackler. Mark Richt stated after the game that Marshall “had a couple tests to reassure that he’s fine. We’re good in that regard.” I’ll chalk his struggles up to rustiness and recovery for now, but Georgia needs to get Marshall in space similar to the way Sony Michele was used.
4. Issues in the Passing Game: It appears that top receiver Malcolm Mitchell may not be ready to play until Tennessee comes to Athens, (September 27) but at least suspended receiver Justin Scott-Wesley is probable to return to action against South Carolina. As good as the running attack looked Saturday, the passing game wasn’t nearly as impressive. Quarterback Hutson Mason had communication issues with Michael Bennett on a back shoulder route on a third down in the second half that looked nothing like two seniors were working together, but one of the most surprising things to see from the offense, in my opinion, was the lack of downfield passing (15+ yards) attempts. Realizing that the two fastest receivers are out, I understand a decline in deep balls, but a complete deletion from the offense doesn’t bode well for Georgia. Look for them to change that in the weeks ahead.
5. Defensive Adjustment: First, I thought the Georgia pass rush did a nice job of getting pressure without blitzing every down. Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins had excellent games. Next, I noticed that Georgia would (and I’m nitpicking here) struggle sometimes stopping the simple run up the middle off the read-option. Amarlo Herrera had a great game (12 tackles) but many of those tackles came six, seven, eight yards down field. Those runs must be stuffed more often than not. Otherwise, a running QB will have multiple options on read plays. Lastly, I want to point out that the Georgia defense made adjustments. It was such an obvious transition from Todd Grantham that it didn’t even look like the same players. The bubble screens were effective early for Clemson, but then the Dawgs adjusted and shut them down. Likewise, in the first half the linebackers were getting matched on receivers in man coverage and getting beat, so UGA and Jeremy Pruitt adjusted, they played more zone schemes. Seems simple enough to adjust to your opponent, and it makes all the difference in the world.