Kirby Smart assesses Georgia's offensive identity, what he attributes struggles to

Georgia‘s season is over, ended in the Sugar Bowl by a strong Notre Dame team. Offense became problematic late in the year for the Bulldogs.

Some of that, of course, was due to an injury to starting quarterback Carson Beck. There were other factors, too.

“I attribute it to, No. 1, some really good defenses we’ve played,” coach Kirby Smart said. “I mean, that one was a really good defense. We’ve played some really good defenses.”

Notre Dame managed to hold Georgia to just 62 yards rushing, forcing quarterback Gunner Stockton to beat it. He did his best, but he wasn’t suited for a game that fell almost entirely on his shoulders.

Moreover, Georgia had issues with its skill position players at times all year. Those reared their head with some ugly drops in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal contest.

Smart even attributed the Georgia struggles on offense in part to the defense, too, though he admitted the team’s skill players offensively weren’t quite up to snuff this season.

“We’ve had a rotating lineup with guys that have rolled in and out, and we haven’t created the same thing on defense we’ve done in the past,” Smart said. “If you go to years-past defense, we created more turnovers, better third downs to get the ball back. There’s a lot of things we can do better to help our offense, but we certainly have to play better and do better.

“And a lot of that has to do with health and the schedule we play and having some playmakers that can make some plays, too.”

Georgia had neither a 1,000-yard receiver or a 1,000-yard rusher during the 2024 season. And while some of that was due to splitting carries — Nate Frazier and Trevor Etienne both logged more than 600 yards — some of it was due to lack of available superstars.

It’s hard to reload year after year.

That’s something Smart and Georgia will get after this offseason, particularly as the transfer portal warfare continues. Already the Bulldogs have made some promising steps in that regard, which bodes well going forward.