Observations from the 35, Arkansas State edition

Well, they did it.  Georgia went out and played itself a full 60-minute, focused game and creamed a Sun Belt opponent.  Over six hundred yards of offense and a shutout on the other side of the ball gave us a strong hint of what this team is capable of when firing on all cylinders — and I’m not sure that characterization is totally fair, given those results came with a starting offensive right tackle out with injury and a receiving corps and quarterback still working out their timing, among other issues.

Damned impressive, in other words.  How ’bout a few bullet points?

• My game ball on offense goes to Lawrence Cager, who seemed to be blocking somebody downfield on every major gain Saturday and tossed in a terrific touchdown catch to boot.  That’s how you grab a starting job and hang on to it.
• The receiving corps was down two starters, lost another key player in game, and didn’t miss a beat.  Blaylock and Pickens are coming on strong and fast.
• Matt Landers, you’ve got to lay out for that long ball, man.
• So much for the annual promise of the tight ends becoming more involved in the passing game.
• The offensive line handled a big defensive front with zero difficulty.  If Arkansas State was resorting to stunts and twists like Georgia faced in its first two games, it was hard to notice, because nobody got through.  It was Trey Hill’s best game of the season and that’s a very good sign.
• Every scholarship tailback scored?  Very cool.
• Fromm was Fromm and it’s exciting to watch him hone his timing with this receiver group.  As it was, at times, Saturday seemed almost too easy for him.
• I thought Bennett showed nice progress.  He didn’t force any throws, showed nice touch and also some good wheels on his run.
• Every week that goes by reinforces how ridiculous this defense’s overall speed is.  They simply overwhelmed the ASU offensive line up front and pounded the hell out of the Red Wolves’ quarterback.  That Quay Walker sack on a delayed blitz looked like he was shot out of a cannon.
• On the d-line, Georgia got a terrific game out of Tyler Clark and solid ones out of Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt.  If they keep that up, Georgia’s front seven is more than good enough.
• Tae Crowder still drives me crazy.  He’s smart, has some of the best instincts of any player on Georgia’s defense, always seems to be there to make a play… and is inconsistent on wrapping up his tackling.
• Tyson Campbell had the best game of his career.  He was lights out on every play where the pass was in front of him and getting better when he covered with his back to the quarterback.  Solid tackling in the run game, too.
• I’m guilty of not saying enough good things about J. R. Reed.  In position seemingly on every play and a solid tackler, he’s simply the glue that holds the defense together.
• Special teams very quietly have turned themselves into a real force.  I’m at the point where I’m surprised there’s a return on a Blankenship kickoff.  He was also perfect on nine kicks for scores.  Camarda has been a most pleasant surprise.  We knew he has a big leg, but this year, he’s found a level of consistency that was lacking before.

As for coaching, well, we jump on Smart’s case for things like the fake field goal/fake punt in last year’s LSU game/SECCG as evidence that his coaching leaves something to be desired, but coaching also involves getting your team ready to play, something that’s not always easy in a game like Saturday’s.  Instead, he had Georgia ready to play from the get go and for the first time this season there was no period when the team relaxed.  Roster management through the first three games has been excellent and Georgia showed just enough wrinkles on both sides of the ball against ASU to give Notre Dame something to think about.

In case you can’t tell, I really like where this team is at right now.