How Todd Monken’s offense statistically compares to Mike Bobo’s previous offense

Mike Bobo knows what kind of pressure cooker he’s walking into as Georgia’s offensive coordinator. He served in the role before, leading the Georgia offense from 2007 to 2014.

But in replacing Todd Monken, the gold standard for offensive coordinators at Georgia, Bobo faces increased levels of scrutiny. He will constantly be compared to what Monken was able to do at Georgia, in addition to the usual second-guessing that comes from fans and the media about personnel decisions and play calling.

Related: Todd Monken forever reset the offensive standard for football in Kirby Smart, Georgia

Bobo has found success at Georgia before and will be tasked with doing so in an immediate way for the Bulldogs in 2023. The program is going for its third national championship.

Below is a look at Bobo’s previous offenses at Georgia, South Carolina and Auburn, up against Monken’s time at Georgia. The data points from South Carolina and Auburn don’t exactly do Bobo justice, as he was working with far less talent, but his previous offense at UGA was in 2014.

Scoring offense

The main job of Georgia’s offensive coordinator is to score points. Everyone from Kirby Smart to Monken to retiring quarterback Stetson Bennett underscores this fact.

“Let’s not fool ourselves with what we’re doing,” Monken said. “I get paid to score points and run the offense, and that relationship only goes so far.”

Monken’s offense in 2022 averaged an astounding 41.1 points per game, including 52.3 in the team’s three postseason games. The full-season mark was the highest in the Smart era and the second best in program history.

No. 1 belongs to Bobo’s 2014 Georgia offense.

Bobo scoring offenses:

Monk scoring offenses:

Bobo’s scoring offense was comparable to Monken’s, although Monken’s was better nationally. The 2023 offense is a bit safer than what Bobo has had to work with in the past, as Georgia returns perhaps the best offensive line in college football along with players like Brock Bowers, Ladd McConkey and Kendall Milton.

Explosive plays

If scoring points is the most important attribute of a Georgia offense, creating explosive plays is a clear No. 2. It’s easier to score when you put your playmakers in space and make them rip off big plays .

To no surprise, Monken’s Georgia offense did this very well. The Bulldogs led the country in plays of 10-plus yards and 20-plus yards in 2022.

“We’re throwing the ball more and we’re scoring more points this year, and so far it’s been more explosive,” Bennett said before the Heisman Trophy ceremony. “It’s been asked of me this year, which has been fun for me.”

As for Bobo, he pretty much sees things the same way. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t try to get the ball down the field one four-yard carry at a time.

Bobo explosive plays:

Monk Explosive Plays:

Yards per play

You get a better sense of how good an offense is when you use yards per play instead of total offense. Some schools run a ton of plays, which increases their offensive production too much. While schools like Georgia will move at a slower pace in part to help the defense.

Bobo yards per game:

Monken yards per game:

Anything over 6.5 yards per play is very good, and if you can push yourself closer to the 7.0 mark, you have one of the best offenses in the country. That will be the goal Bobo should aim for in 2023.

Run/Pass splitter

This number changes every year, as a good offensive coordinator combines talent with play. If you have a backfield with Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb, you probably run the ball more.

Conversely, if you have Bowers and McConkey carving up opposing defenses, you’re more likely to put the ball in the hands of your Heisman Trophy finalist quarterback.

Bobo percentage of run games vs. passing game

Monk percentage running game vs. passing game

For the most part, Monken was much more consistent when it came to run plays called compared to pass plays called. Some of that can be traced back to the fact that Georgia went 37-3 in the three seasons Monken served as the team’s offensive coordinator.

If Georgia is able to achieve similar team success with Bobo calling the plays, perhaps the fan base will begin to recognize and appreciate his offensive acumen.

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