ATHENS — Mike Bobo can undoubtedly relate to what Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is going through at the moment.
Bobo received plenty of criticism following Georgia’s 27-24 loss to Alabama, which effectively ended Georgia’s 2023 season. Monken is experiencing the same following Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, a game in which the Ravens’ running backs had just six carries in the loss.
While Monken may not be beloved in Baltimore at the moment, this past season showed he still has plenty of fans and supporters.
Bobo, who worked with Monken during the 2022 season while Bobo was an analyst, has the utmost respect for Monken and the job he did.
But Monken’s success — Georgia won back-to-back national championships as the offensive coordinator — didn’t make things any more difficult for Bobo.
“I think there’s pressure in every job. I’ve heard the saying, I think Kirby might have said it before, pressure is a privilege,” Bobo said prior to the Orange Bowl. “You’re at a place like the University of Georgia, there’s pressure for us to play well, for us to win. I think that’s part of the job. I think you learn to live with those pressures. Quite frankly, you welcome those pressures, those expectations. You want to be at a place where the expectations are high.”
In Bobo’s first season back at Georgia, the Bulldogs thrived in a number of areas. Georgia finished in the top 10 in both yards per game and points per game. The Bulldogs also finished first in the country in third-down conversion rate, hitting at a rate of 55 percent.
That was all with a first-time starting quarterback in Carson Beck. As a junior, he shined under Bobo’s tutelage.
“I think the more experience he gets, the better,” Bobo said. “Very, very accurate at completing balls. I think we’ll work on down the field throws a little bit more and that’s not just him hitting guys in stride or on target, but that’s us finding ways to be creative and push the ball a little bit more downfield and having some higher success rate throwing the ball downfield.”
Beck announced in December he would be returning to Georgia for another season. As a junior, Beck threw for 24 touchdowns and 3,941 yards.
As the partnership between Beck and Bobo continues to grow, the Georgia quarterback knows he can continue to build off what he’s already done in his career. This past season was the first time Beck and Bobo worked together in an intricate way, as Bobo worked mostly with the tight ends in 2022.
Beck expects the bond between himself and Bobo to continue to grow this offseason, with the former firmly entrenched as the starter for the Bulldogs.
And more strong play from Beck will go a long way in ending any comparisons between Bobo and Monken.
“I think he’s done a great job up to this point,’ Beck said. “I think a lot of people give him hate and criticism, and I just don’t think that it’s fair. You know, the statistics that we’ve put up as an offense and the way that he’s been able to call plays and be explosive this year, and really, you utilize the guys that we’ve had on offense. I think he’s done a great job. I think that’s only going to improve as we continue.”
Beck and Bobo both hope the Bulldogs have a different ending to the upcoming season. The loss to Alabama, much like Kansas City’s win over Baltimore will for Monken, will leave a lasting memory for the Georgia quarterback and playcaller.
“Having to go through a loss and having to feel that sense of failure. But like I told him after the game, the other side of failure is success,” Bobo said. “You’ve got to keep getting yourself up and going out there. He’s had the right mindset. He is starting to trust guys more on our football team, and he’s had to do that. We’ve been so in and out of skill players this year, whether it’s Brock or Ladd or this or that. Learning to trust it, no matter who you’ve got to throw to, him learning to trust more than anything who’s out there.”
