Georgia Bulldogs top Vanderbilt, but QB questions still remain

The No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs paid a visit to Nashville in hopes that their first SEC game of the season would provide some answers for the multitude of questions at quarterback. The game may have actually produced more.

Georgia won the game against Vanderbilt, as expected. The 21-point favorite Bulldogs left Nashville a 31-14 winner over the Commodores, and Nick Chubb got his 10th straight 100-yard game, rushing for 189 yards, including a 68-yard run in the first quarter.

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By most accounts, if you are a Georgia fan, you’ve got a lot to be happy about.

Then you look at the quarterback stat sheet, and the film, and the Twitter feeds of every Georgia fan watching the game, and you realize that there’s a lot of work to be done in Athens.

Starting UGA quarterback Greyson Lambert started off the game 0-for-5, before being pulled (briefly) in favor of Brice Ramsey, who went 2-of-4 for 25 yards in his lone appearance. Lambert re-entered the game in the next Georgia possession and proceeded to miss his next two passes.

#UGATwitter went berserk…(tweets unsuitable for publication here).

While Lambert did settle down and end his day 11 of 21 for 116 yards, it’s the things that won’t show up in the stat sheet that should have the Bulldog Nation concerned.

Lambert never looked comfortable the entire game, even when he was hitting his targets. His feet were restless and his pocket presence could only be best described as skiddish. He made some bad decisions that, against any other defense in the SEC besides Vanderbilt, could have been game-changers.

Most importantly, it was obvious that Lambert was having issues reading defenses at the line. There were two instances where running plays were called, and it was obvious where Vanderbilt was headed, yet there was no change at the line and Georgia’s running backs were stopped for a loss almost immediately.

And then there were the unneeded audibles that showed everyone watching that even Lambert didn’t have a lot of confidence in his ability to make the right play, deciding instead to let Chubb and Sony Michel do the work.

When you look at the 31-14 score, you probably think “well, Georgia’s offense couldn’t have been that bad”, until you look at the box score and see that 14 of those 31 points came via special teams and defense – a 77-yard punt return by Isaiah McKenzie and a 98-yard interception return by Dominick Sanders.

That leaves 17 points scored by the Georgia offenses, with both touchdowns coming on the ground (Sony Michel and Greyson Lambert).

Sep 12, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) prior to the game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia was all but one-dimensional last season, and it served them well, but not well enough to make it to the SEC Championship game or into the playoffs. The quarterback play was the big sticking point, and it doesn’t seem as that has seen a big change in 2015.

In two games, against vastly inferior opponents, Georgia has passed for a total of 333 yards and three touchdowns. That was an average game for Aaron Murray. If the Bulldogs hope to come out of this bitch of a schedule alive, then that passing game is going to have to become a factor. Teams like South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee — their next three SEC opponents — will be able to shut down a one-dimensional offense.

And let’s not forget two missed field goals by the usually dependable Marshall Morgan. Leaving points on the field – generally suicide in the SEC.

The Georgia defense is there, and looks pretty impressive. But they can’t stay on the field all day. Georgia has to figure out how to keep some drives alive and control the tempo of the game. Relying on the home run hitters will eventually lead to offensive droughts.

Next: Top 5 SEC Offensive Player of the Year Candidates

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