The Georgia Bulldogs have been a defensive-led team for quite some time now. That's not to say that their offense hasn't been pulling their weight, but most of their success has certainly rested on the shoulders of the defense. Although, the upcoming season might look a little different for the Bulldogs.
Last season, the Bulldogs fielded one of the best defenses in college football history; they were the talk of college football for most of the 2021 season. However, Georgia's offense last season was a bit of an unheralded hero.
Averaging 37.4 points per game, placing them in the top ten amongst all college football teams. In an era of the spread offense, points are the way offenses are judged, something that makes Georgia's offense an underrated aspect of the program under Kirby Smart. Now closing in on the fall, there are a few signs that point toward Georgia's offense continuing its offensive improvement under offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
For starters, in 2021, the Bulldogs averaged 6.9 yards per play on offense, ranking 4th nationally in that category. To provide some context, that is the most yards a Georgia offense has averaged on offense since 2012 when they also averaged 6.9 yards per play. The 6.9 yards per play, back in 2012 ranked the Bulldog offense first in all of college football that season.
So not only was Georgia putting points on the board, but they were picking up yards in bunches, as one of the more explosive teams on offense last season. Continuing the comparison to the 2012 season, even with two different offensive coordinators at two different times, Bobo's offense averaged 37.8 ppg which just eclipses Monken's 37.4 ppg in 2021.
Looking further into the development of Georgia's offense since the hiring of Monken, the Bulldogs have gradually increased their points per game every season. Monken's first year in Athens saw Georgia average 28.3 points per game; that number increased to 32.3 the following year and then jumped to 37.4 just last season.
Now, it might seem odd to use stats from previous seasons to justify the reasoning as to why Georgia's offense will be even better in 2022. Still, when those stats are tied together with the fact that the Bulldogs also return 73% of their offensive production from last season, it's hard to bet against it. That returning production stat does not take into account the return of players like Arik Gilbert and Dominick Blaylock, both of which have proven to be playmakers in their own right.
An innovative, "modern" offense is something that has captivated fans for years in Athens. Heading into Monken's fourth year as the play-caller, he could put together his best season yet.
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