How will the Georgia Bulldogs bounce back after first lost
In Week 5 on Saturday night, the Georgia Bulldogs suffered their first regular-season loss since November 7, 2020, snapping a 42-game winning streak. The 41-34 defeat to Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide dropped Kirby Smart’s team to No. 5 in the national rankings, with a rough outing for Heisman hopeful Carson Beck. Last year, this would have knocked them out of College Football Playoff contention, but with the new 12-team CFP format, the Bulldogs still have a shot at the postseason.
Georgia struggled in the first quarter in Tuscaloosa, as Alabama—now ranked No. 1 in the AP poll—dominated. Quarterback Jalen Milroe led the Crimson Tide to four touchdowns on their first four possessions, helping Alabama take a 30-7 halftime lead. Georgia committed four turnovers and 10 penalties, quickly finding themselves down by 28 points in the second quarter.
Following a narrow 13-12 win over Kentucky in Week 3, some Georgia fans were already feeling uneasy.
However, in the second half, Smart and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann adjusted, containing Milroe’s rushing threat by stacking the box. Georgia held Alabama to just 11 second-half points, eight of which came from a 75-yard touchdown pass to standout freshman Ryan Williams. Despite being down big, Georgia managed to take a 34-33 lead in the fourth quarter, showcasing the team’s potential. However, many are questioning how much energy Georgia expended in this comeback effort.
On offense, Carson Beck recovered from his worst half as Georgia’s starting quarterback, leading four touchdown drives in the second half. If Beck and the offense can replicate that performance moving forward, Georgia has a chance to win the SEC, possibly even facing Alabama again in a rematch.
Alabama, however, exposed some of Georgia’s key weaknesses, such as a lack of depth at wide receiver, a mediocre run game, and an inexperienced secondary with contributions from two freshmen. Given their challenging SEC schedule, there’s no guarantee the Bulldogs will remain in the CFP race.
Georgia now has an opportunity to regroup, with 2-3 Auburn coming to Sanford Stadium and 1-4 Mississippi State following next week. But the road gets tougher, as Georgia will face No. 2 Texas on October 19, travel to No. 12 Ole Miss on November 9, and host No. 4 Tennessee on November 16. Those four games, including Alabama in Week 5, were circled on Georgia’s calendar at the start of the season, and a split should be enough to secure a CFP spot. But after a 3-1 start, that path looks less certain.
Head Coach Kirby Smart is preparing for this Saturday’s rivalry game against Auburn, with the main concern being Georgia’s struggles on third down and long situations, which have made things more difficult offensively.
“It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to realize you’re not going to be as good,” Smart said. “The inevitable question from the media is, why are you down on third down? Because they’re longer. Why are they longer? Because you’re not doing as well on first and second. And those all lead to execution. What can we do better to avoid third and long? Because you will not be successful in third and longs.”
Smart has time to address many of these issues, as he already did with some at halftime against Alabama. However, injuries to the offensive line and the lack of reliable playmakers at running back and wide receiver may take longer to fix, potentially requiring offseason adjustments.
Before the Alabama game, these problems were easy to overlook, with Georgia’s historic win streak serving as a distraction. Now, with a clearer perspective, Georgia still has a path to the CFP, but it will likely be a tough one.
This Saturday will mark Georgia’s first home game since September 7 and their first regular-season game following a loss since the 2020 matchup against Mississippi State. Typically, after losing to Alabama, Georgia has had a few weeks to reset and adjust their game plan, but this time they only have six days to prepare after so many things went wrong against the Crimson Tide.
Auburn, like Georgia, is coming off a loss. The Tigers led for much of the second half but fell 27-21 at home to Oklahoma, marking their third home loss of the season. Georgia knows not to underestimate Auburn, especially after nearly losing to them last year in a 27-20 game in which they trailed early.
Auburn presents a unique set of challenges, and Georgia must find solutions rather than dwelling on last week’s mistakes. Under Smart, the Bulldogs have only lost back-to-back games three times, the last instance being in 2018 when they fell to Alabama and Texas to end the season.
Smart hopes his team will come out aggressive this time and show they’ve moved past the Alabama loss.
“I can’t sit here and say they need to play desperate,” Smart said. “I think that’s not a good choice of words to play desperate. I think they need to play aggressive and play loose, but I don’t want to ever be playing in desperation.”
This team isn’t used to losing, but there is a belief that they can overcome adversity, even if much of it has been self-inflicted.
“A lot of the older guys on the team like Carson, me, Tate, a lot of the guys that have been here from ‘21 and on,” linebacker Smael Mondon said. “I feel real confident in the guys, I don’t think they’re going to let it linger. We got confidence, we know what we can do as a team, we’ve just got to learn from the mistakes and improve on it. It’s a new week.”
“We don’t really believe in moral victories,” added wide receiver Dominic Greene. “The standard is the standard, and we try to uphold the standard of what we believe excellence is. But, you know, obviously, playing hard and showing this team doesn’t have quit in them.”
With the 12-team College Football Playoff format, Georgia still has much to play for. In the latest Coaches and AP Polls, Georgia remains a top-5 team.
If they perform up to that ranking and not dwell on past mistakes, Georgia should handle Auburn without issue. However, that’s easier said than done.
