We finally got it guys.
We got a stress free win. A win that was well in hand in the third quarter, and one where the bench got to be emptied.
We also got 40 points on the score board for the first time since the 2015 win over Southern.
Let's chat about it.
1) The run game looked good, but there's still cause for concern.
Whenever Georgia runs outside, it seems to work, with Chubb bouncing two runs outside for touchdowns. His best carries against Notre Dame the week before also came running outside the tackles.
My point: Quit trying to run it up the gut.
It doesn't work, at least not with this offensive line. The guards and center are not opening up holes up the middle, and that's where most of the negative yardage plays seem to come from.
All that said, I thought the offense did a nice job getting back to its roots, running the ball 54 times for 284 yards and three scores (compared to 15 passes for 175 yards and three scores).
2) I want Jacob Eason back.
Look, I know there are a lot of Bulldog fans who say Jake Fromm is better now as a true freshman than Eason is as a true sophomore.
The fact of the matter is that Eason beat him out for the starting job, one that Smart declared fairly early.
And no, three series against Appalachian State do not create a large enough sample size to declare a slumping year for Eason.
Fromm has performed admirably — absolutely no doubt about that — but he's also made a few freshman mistakes, something we would hope Eason has worked out of his system.
Those mistakes, like the fumble on Saturday, can be absorbed against the Samfords of the world, but against a team like Mississippi State or Tennessee (on the road) those mistakes could be the difference in the game.
Eason should (italicized for emphasis) be the better quarterback, and if he comes back I think the Dawgs will be in great shape for conference play. Fromm still makes me a bit uneasy, though I certainly think we can win with No. 11 under center.
3) D'Andre Swift is going to be a star.
Based on the early stories about D'Andre Swift, I imagined (without watching his highlight film, I admit) he was more of Sony Michel type. I heard he was fast and elusive, with that "home run" speed.
I was unaware he was also built like a truck, something that pairs nicely with that nasty spin move he showed off during his 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
He's only a freshman, but he's got the size of a big bruiser with the moves of a scat back. It's like Todd Gurley and Knowshon Moreno combined into one player.
Can't wait to see what he looks like as he develops.
4) The look ahead:
I had the pleasure of watching Saturday's game from the ESPN Lounge at Disney World, which was a fun experience on its own.
(Sorry, quick story before we get to State.)
My wife and I got there ahead of the Georgia game, and had the pleasure of seeing the distraught Tennessee fans, who had just sung a round of "Rocky Top," after Florida's Hail Mary.
After last year, it felt like a bit of retribution, at least until the Dawgs get to Knoxville and get a chance to redeem the Fail Mary of 2016.
Also included in my experience was the view of a small table of LSU fans who kept sinking lower and lower in their chairs as the Maroon Bulldogs kept piling on en route to a 37-7 thumping of the Bayou Bengals.
I also had a view of several adult beverages that were simply exquisite.
(We're back to talking football, thanks for indulging me.)
I was never much of a believer in LSU this year, to be honest. I know a lot of pundits pegged the Tigers as the second- or third-best team in the conference, but with their quarterback issues, I just couldn't buy them as anything more than a 9-3 team.
That said, anytime Mississippi State can beat LSU by 30, it means the cow bells are probably pretty tough.
I suspect Saturday's game will come down to two things, which are probably fairly obvious.
No. 1: Can Georgia get its run game moving, keeping the pressure off of Fromm (or maybe Eason?) to put up a bunch of points?
No. 2: Can the defense slow down star quarterback Nick Fitzgerald enough to keep the game from becoming a shoot out?
If the Dawgs can check those two boxes, I suspect they will start conference play 1-0.
