Everyone knows that Georgia is going to run the football. After the Kentucky game that is no secret. Also, with a forecast calling for rain on Saturday, that plan may become a bigger advantage for the Dawgs that many think. There are also things that Georgia is likely to do to help Stetson Bennett IV and the offense get it’s swagger back against the Gators. It’s incumbent upon the Dawgs to play to their strengths of their personnel and from what we are hearing, there are a few keys that will be focused on.
- Move the pocket and give Stetson Bennett IV a run/pass option.
Stetson Bennett IV does not get enough credit for the type of athlete he is. David Pollack said on College Gameday a couple of weeks ago that the Georgia staff had clocked Bennett IV as hitting 20mph on their GPS system that they use to track player’s speed and conditioning with in practices and workouts. That is quite fast. Many running backs are in the same range. The Dawgs need to take advantage of the quickness and short field burst that Bennett IV has. Look for the Dawgs to utilize bootleg and sprint out plays to allow Bennett IV to manipulate the defense on the edge and give him an opportunity to create options for himself and receivers.
2. Align George Pickens in various positions to create 1-on-1’s
It can be argued that Pickens has been under utilized this season. He has not compiled a ton of targets, but he’s also had a lot of double coverage. As said earlier, Georgia is going to be dedicated to the running game and that is likely to force Florida to bring pressure and, or roll a safety down into the box. I’d look for Todd Monken to align Pickens in the slot some, in stack formations, maybe put him in motion. Florida is weak on the back end of their defense. The secondary of the Gators has got nobody that can matchup with Pickens 1-on-1. Georgia needs to find ways to create those matchups and make sure that the sophomore wideout gets plenty of targets.
3. Lean on the running backs and tight ends, Georgia’s best 2 position groups on offense.
Darnell Washington, Tre McKitty, and John Fitzpatrick have all been blocking and receiving extremely well this season. I’d expect to see a lot of 2 tight end sets in the Cocktail Party. Not only does this allow Georgia to create mismatches and be creative in the playaction passing game, but it provides the running backs with 7 tremendous blockers in front of them in the running game.
James Cook, Zamir White, and Kendall Milton do not need much of a crease to make things happen. Darnell Washington and Tre McKitty in particular have really gotten things done recently for the Dawgs blocking wise. In what could be a wet environment, utilizing the size of those tight ends in create ways could create explosive plays for Georgia by catching linebackers and safeties off guard when they do release down field, after bludgeoning the defensive front. Also, we saw last week that once the running backs get going, it’s difficult for the defense to account for Bennett IV in the zone read. I’d expect the UGA quarterback to run the ball in that manner a handful of time Saturday.