Georgia football had a rough weekend, but everyone around the team may not have been all that upset. Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs picked up their second loss of the season in emphatic fashion as they went into Oxford and were blown out by Ole Miss 28-10 in the rain on Saturday afternoon.
This was a big loss for Georgia because it eliminates all of its margin for error for the rest of the season. There are now two one-loss SEC teams and five two-loss teams, so Georgia can't afford any more slip-ups this season if it wants to be included in the first 12-team playoff.
As it turns out, maybe not all of Georgia's roster was upset about the loss. After the game, defensive back Jake Pope was caught celebrating with Ole Miss fans who had stormed the field after the game.
This surely will not sit well with an ultra-competitive Georgia fanbase that will not appreciate the visual of one of its players celebrating with the other team. Now, there could be a reason for that, but Pope will have some explaining to do in the locker room this week.
Georgia offense needs more consistency for playoff push
Kirby Smart and Georgia are talented enough to make a playoff push once again in 2024, but this season hasn't been nearly as smooth as some of the previous seasons with Smart at the helm.
Some of the inconsistencies with this Georgia team have been very frustrating, and at this point they have cost the Bulldogs two games. The offense is extremely up and down, and the lows are very, very low. The first half against Alabama and this game against Ole Miss are massive knocks against a Georgia team that didn't have these kinds of lulls last year.
Carson Beck is clearly struggling without the star power of Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey in the lineup, but the other parts of his game have deteriorated as well. His accuracy has fallen off considerably since last season, and his decision making has been very erratic especially in hostile environments. Bowers and McConkey were big assets for Georgia last season, but losing the two of them doesn't fully explain why Beck has played poorly at times this season.
Beck is up to 12 interceptions in nine games this year and he also lost a fumble on Saturday in Oxford. The turnovers have hurt a Georgia defense that is still very good, but might not be the top 1% defense that we have seen them trot out there at times under smart.
The running game also hasn't been able to take any pressure off of Beck during the games where this unit has struggled. For example, Ole Miss held Georgia to 59 rushing yards on 33 carries on Saturday as the Rebels' defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the game. If Georgia wants to reach its goals this season, the offense needs to be more consistent.
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