Georgia Football: Four Reasons UGA Was Defeated By LSU

Coaching Errors

The Georgia football team was not only outplayed but also out coached. The UGA coaching staff isn’t known for its trickery, yet they chose to run a couple of trick plays Saturday. The plays left many fans scratching their heads in confusion.

After LSU took a three to nothing lead in quarter number one, the Dawgs responded with a 12 play 69 yards drive. After two consecutive in completions, the Dawgs were faced with fourth and nine.

Rather than take the three points and tie the game, Georgia shockingly decided to try a fake field goal. Punter Jake Camara who doubles as the field goal holder, received the snap and tossed it to kicker Rodrigo Blankenship. Hot Rod was stopped for a two yard loss and fumbled the ball.

The play was a huge momentum shift for the LSU Tigers. I have no idea why coach Smart thought that was the best time to execute the fake field goal, that the team worked on during the week.

Coach explained in the post game press conference that they saw something on film that made them believe it would be wide open. However nine yards is a long run for a kicker. If the Dawgs were intent on trying the fake it should have been done on fourth down and four yards or less.

At that early stage in the game it was much more important for the Bulldogs to put three points up, and get the zero off of the scoreboard. That could have provided some much-needed confidence for his young squad.

The Georgia Bulldogs also decided to run a trick play on a two point conversation attempt with the score at 19-9 in the third quarter. I felt that going for two in an attempt to cut the lead to eight was the correct move. However rather than get too cute, the Dawgs should have tried a traditional play.

Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney has drawn the most heat from the Bulldogs’ fans for the loss. He certainly didn’t call his best game. I felt he went away from the run a tad bit too much.

Georgia’s top two running backs Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift averaged 6.7 yards per carry, yet only combined for 19 carries.

When Chaney did run the ball, he often ran too many read option plays. This isn’t very effective because LSU doesn’t fear Fromm keeping the ball. The lack of a running quarterback threat, just turns it into a slow developing running play.

I feel Chaney’s worse drive came with the Dawgs down just 10 points. UGA started at the LSU 38. Instead of going back to Elijah Holyfield who had just ran the last two plays for 23 yards and a touchdown, or the explosive D’Andre Swift, UGA chose to use third running back Brian Herrien on the drive.

One first down, Chaney called a jet sweep to Micole Hardman that was stuffed for no gain. He followed that with a run to Herrien for four yards. Fromm then was sacked, knocking the Dawgs out of field goal range on third down. That botched drive was the Dawgs last chance to come back.

The biggest coaching blunder was not playing freshman phenomenon, quarterback Justin Fields more. Fields seemed to be getting more and more playing time as the weeks went along.

After Justin Fields played in the first half against Tennessee and participated in four scoring drives, I, like many fans, thought it was a forgone conclusion that Fields had earned even more playing time moving forward. Boy was I wrong!

Justin Fields didn’t see action until the Dawgs ninth drive. He ran the ball once for three yards and did not throw a pass. However it’s no coincidence, that Elijah Holyfield scored UGA’s first touchdown, with Fields in the game to draw attention and hold the backside pursuit.

It was equally as puzzling that after the touchdown, when UGA decided to use the same trick play that Baker Mayfield scored on in the Rose Bowl, Fields the more athletic quarterback was pulled for Jake Fromm.

What was even more befuddling, was that Justin Fields never got off the bench again. After the aforementioned drive when Fromm was sacked holding onto the ball too long, LSU scored to take a commanding 26-9 lead. At that point I was certain we would see Fields finish the game.

Instead Fromm returned and ended up throwing his second interception. What harm would it have done to let Fields see extended action against a good SEC defense? Was Kirby afraid if he played well it would spark a quarterback controversy?

The reason that Kirby Smart and the Dawgs aren’t the defending national champions, is because his mentor Nick Saban wasn’t afraid to pull Jalen Hurts who had only two career losses as a starter, in favor of freshman Tua Tagovailoa.

Kirby Smart would be wise to take a page out of Saban’s book, with Fields and Fromm when the Dawgs need a spark.

In fact, the bye week is the best time for the Dawgs to actually change starting quarterbacks. Jake Fromm is a fine game manager, but clearly hasn’t taken the next step into a signal caller that can beat a team with his passing.

Since the Dawgs are a run first team, they would be better served using the quarterback that opens up the running game more. If Jake Fromm is going to complete less than 50 percent of his passes verses a top-notch defense, might as well utilize the running threat.

With all that said, I doubt that the Georgia Bulldogs will remove Fromm as the starter. However even if they don’t, Justin Fields should he receiving at least one-third of the meaningful snaps. Fields should also be allowed to throw the ball more to make the defense respect the possibility.

The bye week came at the perfect time for UGA, as some things surely need to be tweaked. I have belief that coach Kirby Smart will make the necessary adjustments. Just like UGA survived a bad loss to Auburn last season, they will recover from this to win the East.

Here’s hoping a rematch with LSU in the title game is in the near future. Six years are too long to wait for redemption.

What tweaks do you think are needed to get the Dawgs back in the win column? Who should start at quarterback going forward? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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