One of the biggest storylines of College Football's Week 11 was Georgia football falling to the Ole Miss Rebels. The 28-10 loss marked the second loss of the season for the Bulldogs and put their College Football Playoff hopes in jeopardy. The biggest question is, though, who is to blame for the loss?
Who is to blame for the Bulldogs' loss to Ole Miss?
Considering how lopsided the game was, you could argue blame could go all around, especially considering they did allow 28 points. Despite that, there is still more blame on the offensive side of the ball than anything. The defensive side of the ball did the best they could considering the offense's inability to move downfield and score, plus the two turnovers that put the defense in a tough spot to begin with.
Quarterback Carson Beck
On the field, there's one guy who leads the offense every single snap and every single drive. That guy is the quarterback, the most important in football. For Georgia football, that's Carson Beck. Coming into 2024, Beck had hype that saw him projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. That isn't how it's gone, though. He's struggled mightily, throwing 12 interceptions already on the season, including three in multiple games.
Against the Rebels, Beck didn't throw a bunch of interceptions, but he was still responsible for two turnovers. One crucial interception and another crucial fumble, both coming late in the game.
It wasn't just turnovers, though, as to why Beck is here. It was also how he was playing in general. He missed open throws, played too conservative at times, and just didn't really push the ball much. It was almost like he was playing to not throw interceptions rather than push the ball downfield.
Offensive Line
This one won't be credited to any specific player, but rather a position group. The Georgia offensive line got dominated, it's as simple as that.
To start, the unit allowed five sacks on Beck, resulting in a loss of 40 yards. For Ole Miss, two players recorded two sacks (Jared Ivey and Princely Umanmielen) and one player recorded one (Suntarine Perkins). Additionally, there was a lot more pressure faced, including some on Beck's lone interception courtesy of Umanmielen.
It wasn't just the Ole Miss pass rush, either. Georgia's run game struggled just as much, averaging a whopping 1.8 yards per carry on 33 attempts, giving them just 59 yards on the day. Georgia was led by running back Nate Frazier, who got 12 carries for 47 yards and one touchdown, a 3.7-yard average. Frazier did, however, fumble.
Georgia football's offensive line has been underwhelming all season and now, tasked with an essentially NFL defensive line, they weren't just unable to get it done, they were a liability.
Coaches
Yes, the players make the plays on the field. However, Georgia got outcoached in this game as well. Offensively, the team's game plan did not put any players in a position to change the game. They weren't pushing the ball down the field and were calling a lot of screens and short passes, which helped throw fewer interceptions, but limited the offense in its ability to move up and down the field consistently.
“I told our team all week, they’re the most talented team we’ll face. They outplayed us tonight. They really should be undefeated,” said head coach Kirby Smart following the game.
Simply, they scored 10 points because they weren't finding explosive plays and resorted to a dink-and-dunk playstyle that just doesn't work against a defense like Ole Miss.
Georgia football will need to rebound quickly as they face Tennessee this week. If they can't, it could all but end their CFP bid.
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