During the offseason linebacker Nolan Smith said that he would be playing on a “no name defense” because of all the players taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. Since then, I’d say we’ve seen it to be true. No one guy has stood out leaps and bounds beyond the rest like Jordan Davis or Nakobe Dean did last year. 

This year, we’ve seen the offense take a similar approach: no one guy is carrying all the workload on that side of the ball, either. 

Standout tight end Brock Bowers has even taken a small step back this year. Last year he caught 56 passes for 882 yards. Midway through the 2022 season, he’s on pace to get a little less than that with 26 catches for 393 yards. Though that’s not a big difference, what’s really different is his touchdown production. 

In his freshman year, Bowers broke the University of Georgia’s single-season touchdown reception record, surpassing Terrence Edwards’ 11 touchdowns and coming down with 13 for himself. This year the Napa Valley native has only caught 2 touchdowns, but this by no means worries him.

Brock Bowers said:

“It’s always great, like, when we can get the ball into other people’s hands.”

Bowers expanded and shared how he thinks of third-year tight end Darnell Washington’s success. Washington was often springing key blocks so that Bowers can make big plays against Vanderbilt last week. He said, “it’s always good” to return the favor. 

We’ve generally observed a pretty fair spread of targets and rush attempts throughout the offense. Plenty of receivers have had the opportunity to see snaps, especially without the presence of wideouts Arian Smith and AD Mitchell.

On the ground, the veteran backs Kenny McIntosh, Kendall Milton, and Daijun Edwards all have about 50 rushing attempts, with freshman Branson Robinson quickly approaching that mark due to Milton’s injury. 

Long story short: the Georgia Bulldogs are playing as a team. No one guy is looking for an opportunity to make a play; they all are. They understand that playing with and for each other is better for the team. That’s the identity of this team this year. Coach Smart has preached it time and time again. It’s all about connection.