Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs get dragged through the mud for poor defense despite dominant win
The No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs are being criticized for their defensive effort against the Massachusetts Minutemen in their Week 13 matchup. Georgia coach Kirby Smart led the team to a dominant 59-21 win over Massachusetts on Saturday, their ninth victory of the season.
Massachusetts (2-9) started the game strong with a 10-play possession, which led to running back CJ Hester rushing for a touchdown to give his team a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Georgia (9-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) scored on their next possession and didn't give up a lead for the rest of the contest. The Bulldogs ended the first half of the game 28-14 and had the football to start the third quarter.
Despite the 14-point advantage, On3 writer Ari Wasserman voiced his displeasure to SEC fans on X about the Bulldogs' defensive issues in the first half of the game.
"For the everyone sucks but the SEC Crowd: Georgia has given up 14 points and 208 yards to UMass in the first half," Wasserman wrote.
Wasserman's comments were met with mixed responses from fans who weighed in on his thoughts about Georgia's performance.
"SEC fans AND analysts are living in the past. This is a new age of football. This is the NIL/Portal Age. To Top it off, The SEC hamstrings itself with its transfer rules for SEC to SEC transfers. The SEC has a lot of good teams but it's starting to look like it doesn't have any dominant teams," one fan wrote.
"Shhhh! Don't say it so loud.," another fan wrote.
"I'm sure UGA is playing all their starters and really giving max effort in this Massive game." A fan replied.
"12 noon letdown game. Stop. You're better than this," a fan wrote, criticizing Wasserman.
"No one says that, but the SEC is still better on the top," another fan responded.
College Football Week 13: Georgia outperforms Massachusetts
Georgia continued their momentum from the first half to outperform Massachusetts for the rest of the game. The Minutemen scored their final touchdown in the third quarter when quarterback AJ Hairston threw a 75-yard pass to wide receiver Jakobie Keeney-James.
Georgia's defense regrouped for the rest of the game and made several big plays, including a fumble touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Carson Beck had another excellent performance for Georgia, with 20 of 31 completed passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns. The NFL draft prospect continues to make a case for getting picked early next year.
The Bulldogs will be in action for their final regular season game next Friday, against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).