In retrospect, we should have done a better job of spreading the love.
Sure Georgia entered this season with the rags-to-riches story of quarterback Stetson Bennett and a collection of tight ends who belong in the NFL, but Saturday’s 49-3 mauling of Oregon at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta reflected so much more than that offensively.
When the No. 3 Bulldogs took the field for their opening 12-play, 85-yard drive that would produce more points than the No. 11 Ducks would attain all game, they did so with nine starters who have been in Athens for the tenure of offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who is in his third year. The exceptions were sophomore tight end Brock Bowers, a preseason All-American, and sophomore receiver Adonai Mitchell, who had 29 catches and four touchdowns last season.
“It makes games like this much easier,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “It’s kind of the reverse of last year, when we had guys on defense in their same spots who were really comfortable and confident. You’ve got to realize we went against that for two scrimmages with our defense, and it was frustrating because you’ve got a guy you can’t get to the ground.
“If people execute at a high level and do their job, you become hard to stop and you become efficient. I think we could become more explosive, because some of our explosives today came off broken tackles, but we want to be able to throw the ball down the field, and we want to be able to spread the ball around.”