Here's how Georgia graded out following Saturday's 26-24 win over Nicholls State.


Offense: F

There's no excuse for the offense's performance. The offensive line couldn't block effectively against an FCS opponent. The receivers couldn't make many plays on first or second down. The running backs couldn't find space to run, with Nick Chubb losing a fumble following a reception.


Quarterback Jacob Eason had an average game in what should have been a confidence-building exhibition for both he and the Bulldogs.

Georgia's offense was responsible for 19 of the 26 points put on the scoreboard against Nicholls State. Eason made a poor decision that resulted in an interception. The Bulldogs amassed only 373 total yards. The Colonels, a spread offense team, won the time of possession battle 31:26-28:34, with the offense converting only five third downs for the game. (Conversely, Nicholls State converted six.)
Given the opponent and the performance, the offense easily gets a failing grade.


Defense: C+
While Georgia allowed Nicholls State to score 24 points, the defense shouldn't be forced to take much of the blame. After all, the Colonels were held to only 236 total yards, including just 111 in the passing game. The defense scored a touchdown, too, with Lorenzo Carter returning a fumble for a touchdown following an Aaron Davis sack. And the points the defense surrendered can't be pinned on this unit alone. Two offensive turnovers and one on special teams put Nicholls State at the Georgia 30 or closer, with two inside the 10. The Colonels were able to score 17 points on those turnovers. A better performance by Georgia's offense and the defense isn't in the position it was in Saturday. Chubb, who did his best to stay even-keeled after the game, seemed to agree to this.

"We didn’t give them much to work with because we kept them on the field," Chubb said.

But while the defense didn't play poorly, it did have some issues up front and in the run game. More so in the middle quarters, Nicholls State was able to run the ball better and totaled 125 rushing yards. Again, that's an inexcusable number against an opponent that went 3-8 and started a true freshman quarterback.


Special teams: C

Head coach Kirby Smart said after the game that there was improvement on special teams. Still, the blunders that occurred were ill-timed. The biggest came when Isaiah McKenzie lost concentration on a punt in the fourth quarter and muffed it, which resulted in Nicholls State starting at the UGA 9-yard line and scoring a touchdown. McKenzie also dropped another punt but Georgia kept possession. Kickoff specialist Rodrigo Blankenship did have a better day than against North Carolina and hit four touchbacks and had another kickoff travel to the 1-yard line. Place-kicker William Ham continued to hit the short kicks, making field goals from 23 and 26 yards away. He did miss a 52-yarder just to the left but had enough distance on it.

Coaching: F

Smart began his news conference by saying Georgia's performance starts with him and his staff. He's right. There's not one good reason he shouldn't have had the Bulldogs better prepared for Nicholls State.
Smart said Saturday served as a wake-up call for the Bulldogs. It should have never gotten to that point. Assuming Smart's telling the truth and that he began getting worried about his team after a poor Wednesday practice, he should have sent his own wake-up call to the team.
The fact that Georgia came out so flat is reflective of the coaching it received heading into the week. Sure, no coach is going to have the full attention of all 125 players on the roster simultaneously. But the fact that so many players didn't seem ready to play for a full 60 minutes is incredibly concerning.
As Georgia committed blunder after blunder Saturday, it became clear Smart and his staff failed miserably in game preparation. This staff came two points away from being a part of what would have been college football's greatest upset.
Smart compared Saturday's near-disaster to Alabama's loss against Louisiana-Monroe in 2007, when he was in his first year as an assistant with the Crimson Tide under head coach Nick Saban. But the Alabama team Saban and Smart inherited went 6-7 the year before and was in a rebuilding process.
Georgia's not rebuilding. It went 10-3 last season, returned three offensive linemen and brought back its entire starting secondary. What came back, personnel wise, was more than enough for an easy blowout win over Nicholls State. When a team shows no focus or passion against a lower-division team, it's almost always reflective on the coaching staff.
Smart was hired to put Georgia over the hump in competition at the national level, considering the Bulldogs recorded 10 wins in four of the last five seasons. He wasn't hired to find himself in nail-biters against FCS teams coming off 3-8 seasons.