There will be plenty of second-guessing over the next 48 hours, regarding No. 2 UGA's disheartening defeat to LSU on Saturday.
**The botched fake field-goal attempt after nine consecutive power runs in the first quarter.
**The Bulldogs' lack of vertical-passing aggression in the first two quarters.
**Georgia's inability to protect quarterback Jake Fromm during crucial downs.
**UGA's truly baffling two-point attempt in the second half ... when the Dawgs seemingly had a chance to pull off the comeback win.
**Whether, for future sake, UGA head coach Kirby Smart should consider having a 'plan' for Fromm and backup quarterback Justin Fields.
However, it's hard to put maniacal spin on the Bulldogs' 36-16 setback, considering how they got pummeled in four telltale categories: Total yards (475-322) ... Rushing Yards (275-113) ... Turnovers (4-0) ... and Time Of Possession (33:41 - 26:19).
Ugh.
TURNING POINT
As stated above, it's hard to validate anyone citing the botched fake field goal as the primary reason why Georgia saw its undefeated hopes vanquish in the muggy air of Louisiana.
That said, it was certainly the launching pad of all UGA follies.
What made it so disconcerting? Down 3-0 in the first quarter, Georgia opted to announce its presence with authority ... by engineering 10 consecutive running calls on a sustained drive (including a long run from Elijah Holyfield that was called back, due to penalty).
The centerpiece of this supposed physical masterpiece: Holyfield's bull-like stampede of an aggrieved LSU defender for 17 yards—a bone-crushing run that was eerily reminiscent of the Herschel Walker days in Athens.
Of course, when Georgia finally got deep into LSU territory, that's when Smart and offensive coordinator Jim Chaney curiously opted for a finesse finish--headlined by two Fromm incompletions ... and the aforementioned fake field goal, which called for kicker Rodrigo Blankenship to run nine yards for the first down.
Spoiler alert: Blankenship didn't make it.
Even at the time, this rare boner from the UGA coaching staff didn't seem innocuous.
And sure enough, LSU would put great distance between itself and the frazzled Dawgs, executing an 84-yard touchdown drive on the next series.
And from there, things just got worse.
**The Dawgs rushers averaged only 3.8 yards per carry.
**Fromm (209 yards passing, 1 TD, 2 INTs) completed less than 50 percent of his tosses.
**And Georgia never garnered consistent D-line pressure on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.
Put it all together and UGA (6-1, 4-1 in SEC play) never really stood a chance on this day.
