Coach Kirby Smart hopes that the mistakes made by his defense in No. 8 Georgia’s 59-21 win over Massachusetts on Saturday will help his team learn valuable lessons for their final regular-season game.
Smart explains that the most important lesson goes beyond missed tackles. He believes his players lacked the energy that UMass had, and that Georgia can’t afford to make the same mistake when they face rival Georgia Tech on Friday night.
“I hate to say it, but I don’t know if our guys were as energized as their guys were,” Smart said, adding that the “want-to and desire” were the biggest reasons why UMass was able to stay close in the first half.
Georgia’s win, combined with losses by Alabama, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss, earned the Bulldogs a spot in the SEC championship game on Dec. 7, the league confirmed.
Georgia’s talent made the difference against UMass. Carson Beck threw four touchdown passes, and Nate Frazier set career highs with 136 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs worked to protect their College Football Playoff chances.
Georgia (9-2, No. 10 CFP) relied on strong performances from Beck and Frazier to overcome a defense that allowed 226 rushing yards. UMass (2-9) played its first game under interim coach Shane Montgomery, the offensive coordinator who took over after Don Brown was fired earlier in the week.
Jalen John led UMass with 107 rushing yards and a touchdown.
“I think we just stuck to the plan that the coaches had for us,” John said. “Obviously this week was kind of rough for us, given Coach Brown not being here anymore. We just did our best to stay focused on what the coaches planned and did our best to execute it.”
Georgia extended its streak of consecutive home wins to 30, the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Bulldogs linebacker Chris Cole returned a fumble recovery 31 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, thanks to a sack by Quintavius Johnson, who forced the fumble.
Beck did not turn the ball over for the second consecutive game. He threw two touchdowns without an interception and ran for another score in the Bulldogs’ 31-17 win over No. 6 Tennessee on Nov. 16. Beck had thrown 12 interceptions in his previous six games.
“I think the first thing is, obviously, the offensive line played so well,” Beck said. “When I’m not getting pressured as much and I can sit back there comfortably and make my reads, it makes life a lot easier for me.”
UMass started the game with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that included nine runs, capped off by a 4-yard scoring run from CJ Hester.
In the second half, UMass changed its approach, throwing the ball instead of sticking to the run. Hairston threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Jakobie Keaney-James, who caught the ball between defensive backs Dan Jackson and Daniel Harris.
Georgia had only four possessions in the first half, and each one ended in a touchdown pass from Beck. He connected with Oscar Delp, Cash Jones, Dominic Lovett, and Arian Smith for the scoring plays.
