Third Quarter Open Thread

Save for a handful of big plays given up to the Gators’ stable of skill position playmakers, the Georgia Bulldog defense has played a solid half of football. The offense has converted a handful of critical third downs and began to get the running game going in the second quarter to stake the ‘‘Dawgs to a 13-3 halftime lead. A few numbers of note:

• The big stat is Georgia going 8 of 11 on third down. Third and Grantham is real, and it is spectacular. In this game it kept Georgia scoring drives going that probably would have otherwise stalled. You live on the attack, you die on the attack.

• D’Andre Swift finished the half with 13 rushes for 56 yards, but the real news is that 44 of them came on carries of 7, 7, and 30 on the Dawgs’ last drive of the half. The Bulldogs will want to run the dang ball in the second half, and Grantham knows it.

• Defensively the Bulldogs have given up 106 yards through the air, but half of them came on back-to-back throws to Kyle Pitts and Freddie Swain that yielded only three points.

The Red and Black will get the ball to start the second half with a chance to go up 17 points. With the way the UGA defense is playing it’s hard to imagine the Gators putting 20 points on the board in two quarters. It’s also worth noting that Kyle Trask is getting away with some loopy throws over the middle. All it takes in one Bulldog defender to get under one of those to really turn this game. Keep an eye on that. Until later...

Go ‘Dawgs!!!