No one expected it.
The preseason prognostications had Georgia and Oklahoma State taking part in a high-scoring affair, featuring plenty of offense and not much defense. After the 24-10 loss, Bulldog fans had to be pleasantly surprised by their defensive performance, but also shocked by how hapless the offense was.
To begin with the positives, Willie Martinez had his much-maligned defensive unit playing relatively well. The 24 points scored by OSU was the fewest the Cowboys had scored in a winning effort since 2005. The Bulldog defense allowed the prolific Pokes just 307 yards, fewer than in any game last season. Quarterback Zac Robinson and running back Kendall Hunter looked more like first-year starters than the darkhorse Heisman contenders they were pegged to be before the season.
The downside for Georgia was a lack of turnovers, a questionable personal foul call on Reshad Jones, and a blown coverage that resulted in a Dez Bryant touchdown catch. The latter two are both forgivable, while the former is less so. Georgia has struggled to cause turnovers in recent years and it appears that nothing has changed. Despite Robinson planting throws between the numbers on Bulldog defenders’ jerseys, UGA simply could not make the plays.
Against South Carolina, the Dawgs can expect yet another close, hard-fought game and a turnover could be the difference. Georgia’s defense needs to be more opportunistic in order to give themselves a chance to win.
While the defense could not cause turnovers, the offense could not stop making them. Joe Cox and the offense struggled throughout the day and did not help matters by turning the ball over three times.
A fumble by Carlton Thomas led to a Cowboy field goal just before the half, giving OSU a 10-7 lead. In the fourth quarter, Cox was sacked and stripped of the ball on the Georgia 36. The Pokes would convert that mistake into a game-clinching touchdown, which made the score 24-10.
Aside from the two opening drives in each half, the Dawgs did not move the ball effectively. It seemed that the coaching staff shied away from running the ball, while Cox could not seem to make anything happen with his throws.
In addition to unimaginative play calling and poor quarterback play, the Dawgs also left two talented receivers on the sideline. Freshmen Rantavious Wooten and Marlon Brown did not get in the game Saturday and, according to post-game quotes, were simply forgotten by the coaching staff.
Another questionable move by the coaching staff was giving freshman Branden Smith so many responsibilities in his first college game. The Washington High product lined up on offense, defense and special teams. He certainly has the ability to be a playmaker, but why was he covering punts? Multi-dimensional players like Deion Sanders and Champ Bailey were never seen covering punts during their college days.
Most fans are willing to give the staff and Cox a mulligan on their Week 1 performance. It was a long trip against a difficult opponent. But another sloppy game this Saturday against South Carolina could be the start of a downward spiral that may take a while to reverse.
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.
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