Georgia might have escaped Florida, but lingering passing-game concerns threaten title hopes

Georgia's defense and ground game have masked issues through the air, but tougher opponents could force the Bulldogs to open things up

Oct 31, 2026 at 7:57 pm ET • 3 min read

Coming out of its bye week, No. 3 Georgia began its home stretch with a big 27-8 win over No. 17 Florida. You never snub your nose at a three-score rivalry win, but the Bulldogs' offensive performance wasn't as rosy as the scoreboard might suggest.

Georgia totaled just 318 yards of offense against a Florida defense that has been leaky all season, but, to be fair, some of that was due to the defense. The Bulldogs forced four turnovers. One of them resulted in a scoop-and-score, and two more resulted in short fields, which Georgia converted into 10 points.

The biggest question about the Dawgs' offense after this win is the passing game. The running game eventually found some consistency, allowing Georgia to lean on the Gators in the second half. Quarterback Gunner Stockton, on the other hand, couldn't find much success against one of the worst secondaries in the conference.

Entering the game, Florida ranked 13th in the SEC and 121st nationally in passing yards allowed per game (255.0). The Gators also ranked 112th in EPA per dropback (0.23) and 126th in passing success rate (50.7%).

Despite that, Stockton finished the game with just 101 passing yards on 13-of-23 passing. Freshman Craig Dandridge was the team's leading receiver with 39 yards, and 32 of those yards came on the Bulldogs' longest pass play of the game.

In his postgame interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe, Kirby Smart complimented Stockton's grit and willingness to run the ball but admitted that Georgia has to get better through the air.

"We missed some throws," Smart said. "We left some points out there. We gotta get better."

He's not wrong. If Georgia wants to achieve its goal of winning the national championship, Stockton and his pass-catchers will have to be much better than they were today, and that day may come sooner rather than later.

Big tests coming for Bulldogs

Over the next three weeks, Georgia will face quarterbacks capable of scoring points, even against one of the best defenses in the conference.

Trinidad Chambliss and Ole Miss are stepping into the batter's box, Austin Simmons and Missouri are on deck, and LaNorris Sellers and South Carolina are in the hole.

There's a good chance at least one of those quarterbacks forces Georgia to engage in a higher-scoring game. If that happens, are the Bulldogs capable of answering the bell?

Stockton has turned in some big games this season. He threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns against Vanderbilt, and he made some incredibly difficult throws in Georgia's road win over Alabama. Still, the lack of production against Florida is a red flag.

For starters, even when some of the production is there, Stockton has been prone to mistakes. Just look at the Bulldogs' loss to Auburn. He played well for 90% of the game, but his three turnovers played a key role in the Tigers leaving Athens with a win.

It doesn't help that Georgia hasn't had any playmakers emerge in the receiving game. Dandrige is the team's leading receiver with 20 receptions for 349 yards. The Bulldogs are loaded at tight end, but none of those players have become real threats in the passing game on a consistent basis. Lawson Luckie leads that group with 12 catches for 197 yards and two touchdowns.

Maybe the Bulldogs can get through the regular season by patching together their passing attack. After all, the defense is capable of holding talented quarterbacks in check. We've already seen that with Keelon Russell. Who's to say that unit can't give Chambliss, Simmons and Sellers problems too?

But Georgia's ultimate goal isn't to go 11-1 in the regular season. It isn't even to win the SEC Championship. The Bulldogs have their sights set on a national championship, and they will likely encounter potent offenses along the way. Miami, Notre Dame, and LSU are all capable of putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard. Ohio State has the best player in the country, with Jeremiah Smith putting up monster numbers every week.

At some point, Georgia will need its passing attack to make big plays, and it's fair to wonder whether that will happen when the moment arrives.