
Georgia escaped Nicholls’ upset bid and emerged from the scare relatively unscathed. But positives were few and far between in Saturday’s 26-24 win over Colonels from the FCS.
The Bulldogs turned it over three times and appeared unfocused at times during the disappointing performance.
“We did not get great practices every day,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said regarding last week’s preparation. “But at the end of the day that comes from within. That comes from great leadership and we have to get better leadership.”
Smart said, at his direction, the Bulldogs are moving on to this week’s opponent, the Missouri Tigers. Missouri bounced back from an opening loss to West Virginia with a 61-point outburst in a blowout of Eastern Michigan.
“They have a very up-tempo offense and very disruptive defense,” Smart said of Missouri. “They do a great job — they always have. Coach (Barry) Odom does a great job defensively. He has always been a great defensive mind in this conference, and they have a great offensive coordinator in Josh Heupel, who has done a tremendous job at really fast-pace offense.”
Smart did not his starting quarterback during Monday’s press conference. Talented freshman Jacob Eason started and played the majority of the game against Nicholls. Senior Greyson Lambert played just a handful of plays, but Smart would not commit to a starter against Missouri.
“I feel a sense of urgency to get the best guy on the field to give us an opportunity to win each game,” Smart said regarding his quarterback situation. “If that means getting one guy ready then that’s what it would be. Right now, we’re not in a position to do that. Right now we’re in a situation where we’ve got two quarterbacks that are both developing, both a part of the game plan, and we want to continue to do that. It’s a situation where if one guy dominates during the week, that guy will play. But within every game we’ve got a situation where another quarterback has to be ready. You’ve got to have two quarterbacks ready for the most part anyway. We just want to get the best guy out there that gives us the best opportunity to win based on that game plan.”
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Nick Chubb rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown in his second game back, since suffering a serious knee injury last October. Chubb also caught one pass for 12 yards in Georgia’s win over Nicholls.
–QB Jacob Eason made his first collegiate start against Nicholls, completing 11 of 20 passes for 204 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
–WR/PR: Isaiah McKenzie remains a versatile weapon for the Dogs’ offense. He caught a 66-yard touchdown pass from Eason and averaged 11 yards on three carries.