Back in August, during fall training camp, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart expressed concerns about the team’s depth.
“I feel like we’ve got less depth than we’ve ever had,” Smart commented on August 14. “That’s a common theme talking to other coaches. I call it the deterioration of football because, every year we’ve been here, it seems like we’ve had more players capable of playing winning football. That number has been decreasing, and we need to keep working to increase it.”
However, Saturday’s dominant 48-3 win over Tennessee Tech highlighted a different story for Georgia’s skill position depth.
Georgia used 7 different receivers in the 1st Q:
Arian Smith
Dillon Bell
Branson Robinson
Oscar Delp
Dominic Lovet
Colbie Young
Trevor Etienne— Kramer (@KramerNFL) September 7, 2024
In the opening quarter alone, quarterback Carson Beck targeted seven different receivers: Arian Smith, Dillon Bell, Branson Robinson, Oscar Delp, Dominic Lovett, Colbie Young, and Trevor Etienne. By halftime, Beck had expanded his repertoire to include a total of eight receivers, adding third-string tight end Lawson Luckie to the mix.
Beck’s efforts paid off as five of these receivers caught touchdown passes, including a 37-yard strike to Luckie that helped Beck tie Georgia’s single-game record for most passing touchdowns. By the end of the game, more than a dozen different receivers had been targeted.
With that 5th TD to Lawson Luckie, Carson Beck just tied Stetson Bennett, DJ Shockley, Aaron Murray and more for the most TDs in a single game for Georgia.
— Kramer (@KramerNFL) September 7, 2024
Beck finished the day completing 18 of 25 passes for 242 yards and five touchdowns before exiting the game with just over 11 minutes left in the third quarter. Backup quarterback Gunner Stockton took over, showcasing potential as Georgia’s future signal-caller once Beck heads to the NFL next spring.
Georgia’s victory marked their 40th consecutive regular-season win, and the performance against Tennessee Tech underscored that the team’s skill position depth is far more robust than anticipated. While it’s unlikely they’ll distribute the ball to over a dozen receivers every week, this game demonstrated that Georgia’s elite talent and depth remain formidable, even as they face one of their most challenging schedules in recent memory.