No. 5 Georgia 35, No. 10 Texas 10: Three things we learned

At one point, it looked like the Texas Longhorns were going to make this yet another exciting finish. Anthony Hill intercepted Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, which Texas turned into a scoring drive, closing the game to within four points.

However, the Bulldogs responded with a long touchdown drive, aided by Texas miscues, then stole a possession and put the game out of reach. It was an embarrassing and ugly performance for the Longhorns.

### Kirby Smart Has Steve Sarkisian’s Number

For the third time in three games, the group in red outcoached the group in Burnt Orange. The Texas offense was cooking and keeping them in the game, playing complementary football and closing the gap to 14-10.

Two key fourth-down conversions turned into a Georgia touchdown, and then Kirby Smart dialed up the first onside kick of his tenure in Athens, stealing a crucial possession and putting the game away.

Texas moved the ball well on a few drives, but penalties and mistakes led to six consecutive scoring-less drives. It wasn’t just the Georgia defense that got the best of Texas; from the opening whistle, Georgia’s offensive game plan took advantage of Texas’s lack of defensive aggression.

Once Texas adjusted and started to pressure Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton, the Bulldogs used motion and misdirection to confuse the Texas secondary, resulting in two easy touchdowns.

### Arch Manning Needs Help

If you’re just looking at the box score, Arch Manning put in a relatively pedestrian game. But the stats don’t tell the whole story.

Manning operated the offense well for most of the game, but his receivers did him few favors. Ryan Wingo, who appears to be the team’s WR1, had a back-breaking drop in the first half that would have extended a drive. It was the only drop he was credited with, but it ended Manning’s streak of four consecutive completions to start the game.

Wingo also missed on a diving catch in the second half that would have put Texas deep into Georgia territory. Following that, DeAndre Moore and Jordan Washington combined for a pair of drops that ended a once-promising drive.

Moreover, the Texas ground attack did little to help its quarterback, both in terms of production and opportunity. Texas ran its backs just 10 times for 40 total yards, finishing with only 23 rushing yards overall—its lowest total since a 24-7 loss to TCU in 2017 during Tom Herman’s first season.

### The Defense Needs Answers

Pete Kwiatkowski’s defensive unit struggled to get stops early, and whenever they adjusted, so did Georgia.

Texas played soft coverage, allowing Georgia to exploit space underneath both in the passing and running game. When the defense shifted to put the secondary on an island, miscommunications and blown assignments allowed Georgia to spark big plays and put the game out of reach.

Both young contributors and senior leaders struggled with communication and even basic fundamentals, putting Texas on its heels.

### Looking Ahead

The Longhorns need to find some answers as they close out the last two weeks of the season, hoping to salvage what they can from the remainder of this campaign.
https://sports.yahoo.com/article/no-5-georgia-35-no-040845437.html

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