Mike Bobo reflects on first season back, what worked and what didn't

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Mike Bobo’s first season back at Georgia was quite the journey. The Bulldog offense saw tons of success with the combination of new quarterback Carson Beck and new coordinator Bobo and weapons all around for both to utilize. UGA ranked top-10 nationally in both scoring (38.4 points per game) and total offense (305.6 yards per game), and individuals – including Bobo – were rightfully recognized. However, it wasn’t all perfect.

Against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, Georgia posted a season-low scoring total of 24, just the third time the Bulldogs didn’t hit the 30-point threshold. Bobo’s play calling caught fire from frustrated fans, and UGA ultimately saw its shot at a three-peat come to a close.

Bobo, who’s been involved in College Football in some capacity since 1993 with over two decades of that in Athens, understands why people are upset. He’s upset about the outcome too but isn’t going to dwell on it for too long. Instead, he’s excited about what was accomplished and what the future looks like for Georgia.

“This season has been fun because we’ve seen guys grow, we’ve seen guys step up in roles with their first opportunity playing this year,” Bobo said.

“You know, I’ve been doing it a long time … The ultimate goal is that, you know, to win every game, and we didn’t do that. But we have another game this Saturday against Florida State, and we’re excited about playing in that football game,” he continued.

For Bobo, consistency was the key to the Bulldogs’ offensive success. He felt that they got more and more explosive as the season went along, in large part due to the fact that they got healthier. The resiliency also resonated with him.

“The thing I love about this offense is their resiliency. They don’t blink when things don’t go well. They continue to go out there and play hard, and things aren’t going to go well every time,” Bobo said. “Sometimes you have to punt. Sometimes you don’t score a touchdown, but we’ll get another opportunity. Let’s go out and try to score and be explosive. I think being able to not flinch and be resilient in moments when things aren’t going well — because that’s going to happen in a football game — our offense has shown that to me.”

Asked specifically about the SEC Championship Game and what went wrong against Alabama, Bobo pointed to inefficiency on third downs. Georgia went just 4-of-12 on third down including several third-and-shorts. It was an area the Bulldogs executed well in all season, ranking second in the country converting at a 54.78% clip, but failed to do so on the biggest stage.

“We’d been good on third down all year, and ironically I think that game we had some third-and-shorts that we didn’t convert in the game where ultimately we weren’t able to continue drives and allow us to have more plays. But settling for three field goals in the red zone and turning the ball over and not being able to be explosive. I felt like we couldn’t get in a rhythm for whatever reason after the first drive,” Bobo explained. “One, you’ve got to give those guys a lot of credit. They’re a good defensive football team, but that happens. Unfortunately we didn’t play our best and they played better than us. That happens in football.”

Success on the offensive side of the ball shouldn’t have come as a surprise however. After all, Bobo was taking over after a pair of impressive seasons with Todd Monken at helm – two campaigns that were strong enough to land him a job in the NFL. Bobo, who was on staff as an analyst under Monken in 2022, said he didn’t feel pressure in replacing him. He also didn’t think he had anything to prove this year either.

“I don’t necessarily think there was pressure following Coach Monken. I think there’s pressure in every job,” Bobo said. “I’ve heard the saying, I think Kirby might have said it before, ‘Pressure is a privilege.’ You’re at a place like the University of Georgia, there’s pressure for us to play well, for us to win. I think that’s part of the job. I think you learn to live with those pressures. Quite frankly, you welcome those pressures, those expectations. You want to be at a place where the expectations are high.”

“I don’t look at it that way. I really don’t look at it that way. I just try to go out there and get these guys ready to play for the University of Georgia,” he continued, talking about proving anything. “I’m very blessed to be back at the University of Georgia and have this opportunity and sit in this chair, call plays. But I’m also blessed to be in a room with great coaches that I have on this staff and I enjoy that every day. Going to work with those guys and coaching these young men. I won’t be happy until we don’t punt and score every time we touch the ball. But that just is what it is.”

As for what the future holds for the Bulldogs, Bobo should be excited. Georgia gets Beck back for a second season as the starter. It has added several key pieces by way of the transfer portal and hopes to have others announce their return as well. Right now though, the focus of him is on finishing out the right way with the 2023 team.

“We just want to go out and we want finish off the right way in a New Year’s Six bowl game against Florida State who’s undefeated,” Bobo said. “When you’re undefeated, that’s a huge, huge accomplishment, and they’ve got a very, very strong defensive football team. So that’s our challenge: I want to finish out the right way. As far as next season goes, that’s next season. I think everything we’re doing up to this point is to finish off the right way. For this senior class having a chance to get 50 wins is the most important thing on our mind right now.”