Evaluating whether Georgia will tinker with formula in 2023
Georgia has won back to back national titles, but it’s worth wondering whether the Bulldogs will tinker with the formula in 2023 now that starting quarterback Stetson Bennett is gone.
Bennett was elite in guiding Georgia to back-to-back titles, offering strong decision-making and superb ability to make things happen when plays broke down. Likely 2023 starter Carson Beck isn’t quite as dynamic with his legs but offers potentially more upside in the passing game.
“When you look at Georgia, man, the formula you would imagine will stay the same, but there’s a couple of key pieces, a couple key ingredients that are going to change within that team,” On3’s JD PicKell said at SEC Media Days. “New OC in Mike Bobo, new quarterback, likely going to be Carson Beck.”
Both Bobo and Beck will have the luxury of leaning on a strong run game if needed.
The question is whether Georgia will continue to prioritize the ground game the way it has for the past two seasons. Or will the Bulldogs turn to Beck’s arm to unlock more of the field?
“Darrell K. Royal once said ‘you dance with the one that brung you,'” PicKell said. “And the one that brung Georgia a season ago was the run game. Now they were extremely balanced, but they ran for over 200 yards a game. They ran the ball 53% of the time. They’ve got a lot of key pieces on the offensive line back.
“I want to make this clear: I believe they will stick with that formula. I think Mike Bobo was promoted internally to keep with the system that worked. I want to make that very clear.”
Beck was one of the most highly regarded quarterback prospects in the 2020 class. He ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 224 overall player in the nation.
A 6-foot-4 quarterback, he can see the field well and his arm is lively.
That’s where PicKell wonders if Georgia might begin to tinker with the formula for winning.
“Temptation, man, is a funny thing,” PicKell said. “I’m just saying, if you’re Mike Bobo and you’re out there and you’re running 11 on 11, you see Carson Beck slinging the rock around. You see him maybe throw one or two frozen ropes down the right sideline, you say, ‘Hey, man, that’s some horsepower. That’s some juice at the quarterback position just physically that maybe we haven’t had here all that often.'”
PicKell was quite high on Beck’s arm, one of the reasons he thinks it’s possible that Georgia will tinker with the formula in 2023. Why not use every weapon at your disposal?
“I want to make this very clear: Carson Beck has got some juice when it comes to throwing the football,” PicKell said.
But will Georgia get creative and try to shift the balance of the offense to feature Beck’s arm a little more? We’ll just have to tune in a few weeks from now.
“I wonder if the temptation of what Carson Beck brings to the table doesn’t cause you to just maybe take a peak at going a little bit less 12 personnel,” PicKell said. “Maybe you spread it out a little bit more. And I think that’s a slippery slope for Georgia, because they have made their mark being the bully. Dictating the line of scrimmage. Dictating their terms to the opposition. We saw it multiple times last year. So do they tinker with the formula?
“If they don’t I think they can still be the bully. I think they can do exactly what they did a season ago, run the table, do their thing. But if they want to get a little more finesse, I’m not saying it’s the end of the world but I am saying you dance with the one that brung you and the one that brung Georgia previously was that physical style of play.”