Georgia finished at 97.6 percent in red zone scoring in 2022, leading the nation. But most of us toss that figure aside and want to hear about touchdown red zone scoring. Field goals are nice, but champions score 7.
Georgia scored touchdowns 68.7 percent of the time in its B2B season, finishing first in RZ rushing touchdowns and sixth in RZ passing touchdowns. Anyone would agree Georgia was nearly unstoppable inside the 20, basically scoring TDs seventy percent of the time it got there. (Thanks to @brollinspff for pointing me to the stats in this thread.)
The deeper stats are a lot more interesting--and somewhat counterintuitive.
I really wondered if Monken/Smart challenged the OL to blow out a stacked box in these situations, while saving the best stuff for the big games. Or was it a lack of focus? Why was Georgia Tech so much more successful stopping our offense? (10 points in the first half against an utterly lifeless opponent). Looking ahead to LSU? That doesn’t wash. In previous years we could look ahead to Bama--but blew away Tech like so much pixie dust.
This is not a criticism of Monken, who was the best assistant coach in America the last two seasons. It’s just a curious trait of this past team, a trait not in character with other of Smart’s teams. I think there will be a focus on not letting up in 2023. Eventually taking a game off will catch up with anybody. Winning quite often creates arrogance, which might be the toughest opponent of all in '23.
One other note: Someone will say, "You can't get up for every single game." And any player will tell you that's true. Just a select few times can you play at that highest level. But there's a difference in high adrenaline and competent, businesslike destruction of inferior opponents.
Georgia scored touchdowns 68.7 percent of the time in its B2B season, finishing first in RZ rushing touchdowns and sixth in RZ passing touchdowns. Anyone would agree Georgia was nearly unstoppable inside the 20, basically scoring TDs seventy percent of the time it got there. (Thanks to @brollinspff for pointing me to the stats in this thread.)
The deeper stats are a lot more interesting--and somewhat counterintuitive.
- On the road, UGA was 10 percent more likely to score a TD than at home.
- Against ranked teams, Georgia was 24 percent more likely to get 7.
- Against the one FCS (1AA) opponent . . . half as likely to score a TD. Pod kicked four field goals against Samford.
- In November (UT, MSU, UK, GT), UGA scored TDs in about half its visits to the Red Zone.
- In December (LSU, OSU, TCU), UGA scored TDs a staggering 82 percent of the time. An utterly elite number, particularly for championship play.
I really wondered if Monken/Smart challenged the OL to blow out a stacked box in these situations, while saving the best stuff for the big games. Or was it a lack of focus? Why was Georgia Tech so much more successful stopping our offense? (10 points in the first half against an utterly lifeless opponent). Looking ahead to LSU? That doesn’t wash. In previous years we could look ahead to Bama--but blew away Tech like so much pixie dust.
This is not a criticism of Monken, who was the best assistant coach in America the last two seasons. It’s just a curious trait of this past team, a trait not in character with other of Smart’s teams. I think there will be a focus on not letting up in 2023. Eventually taking a game off will catch up with anybody. Winning quite often creates arrogance, which might be the toughest opponent of all in '23.
One other note: Someone will say, "You can't get up for every single game." And any player will tell you that's true. Just a select few times can you play at that highest level. But there's a difference in high adrenaline and competent, businesslike destruction of inferior opponents.
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