Thoughts From the Box: Dawgs Blow Out Jackets 52-7

ATLANTA - It wasn’t pretty at times, but the Bulldogs were able to blow out Georgia Tech by a final score of 52-7 in Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.

While Georgia broke the game open in the 3^rd quarter, they also lost star running back D’Andre Swift early in the second half with an apparent shoulder injury. The game was already over at that point, so that’s where Swift’s day ended.

The junior has some nice carries here and there totaling 73 yards on the ground, but he did lose two fumbles. The fumbles seemed to occur when Swift carries the ball in the wrong arm. Swift ran left on his last carry with the ball in his right hand, resulting in a fumble after a big hit. The severity of Swift’s injury is unknown, but the Bulldogs will need him at his best next week against LSU.

Quarterback Jake Fromm threw for 4 touchdowns, but he still missed plenty of throws throughout the game. Fromm struggles without veteran Lawrence Cager and those struggles continued today. There seems to be very little chemistry between Fromm and his other receivers. He didn’t turn the ball over, but he was 14/29 for 254 yards against a very weak Georgia Tech defense. Fromm will have to play his best game of the season next week if the Bulldogs plan to upset the Tigers. 

While the passing game continued the struggle, Fromm was able to find four different receivers for touchdowns. One of the touchdowns went to freshman George Pickens who played very little against the Jackets. Pickens sat out the first half due to a “team matter”, and got himself ejected in the 3^rd quarter after getting into a small fight with a Jacket defender. The only knock on Pickens out of high school was this type of behavior. This Georgia team needs Pickens to grow up fast. He’s got to get his emotions under better control at some point. The Bulldogs could be without Pickens for the 1^st half of next week’s game against LSU.

Freshman wide-out Dominick Blaylock doesn’t have those issues. The former Walton star had a very good game other than his muffed punt in the 2^nd quarter. He had his best game as a punt returner this year and was able to haul in another touchdown. 

The defense was once again outstanding. If it weren’t for the Blaylock fumble and Tyler Simmons not being able to fall on the ball, Georgia probably shuts out Georgia Tech today. Georgia’s front 7 played lights out like they have all season. 

The Jackets rushed for only 99 yards on 37 carries with most of the yards coming in garbage time late in the 4^th quarter. The Jackets were 5/21 passing for just 40 yards and 1 touchdown.

Overall, Georgia dominated the 1^st, 3^rd, and 4^th quarter of this game. The 2^nd quarter might have been Georgia’s worst quarter of football this season. A muffed punt, lost fumble, and an onsides kick for the Jackets kept them in the game, but it was clear that Georgia was the better team by a mile. They shot themselves in the foot a time or two, but they put Tech away in the 3^rd quarter.

As for next week, Georgia’s defense will keep them in the game. This is an elite group and they are arguably the top defense in the country. Georgia will have to clean things up offensively, and they’ll need D’Andre Swift and George Pickens if they want to pull the upset.