Better/Worse in 2016: Georgia pass defense

Statistically, at least, the creme de la creme of passing defense in the SEC and America last season was in Athens, Ga.

Opponents had more interceptions than touchdowns (12-11) against Georgia, and they completed just 52 percent of passes, which was the third lowest in the SEC. The benchmark for passing defense, though, was the 156 yards per game the Bulldogs allowed.

For perspective, only five teams in the country allowed fewer than 170. Those numbers stand out especially if you consider that Tennessee had 312 yards and three touchdowns against Georgia, and Penn State had 281 yards and two TDs. But they can be deceiving because Georgia was fourth in the league in allowing third-down conversions (29 percent) and second-to-last in passes defended (45).

This should be one area to determine what kind of impact the coaching changes made because former defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt was also the secondary coach. Yet Pruitt, Kirby Smart — a former defensive back at Georgia — and new defensive coordinator Mel Tucker all have ties to Nick Saban.

One question is how will Georgia’s pass rush play a role in assisting the secondary’s performance.

Pass rush

There’s no shortage of depth here, but the challenge will be replacing Leonard Floyd and Jordan Jenkins, who were the most consistent performers among the front seven last season. Georgia had 21 sacks, 10th in the SEC, and had just three in the three losses and three against ranked teams.

Tucker will use a 3-4 alignment, but also employ some 4-3 fronts, or even 4-2-5 alignments with an additional cornerback.

A host of top recruits are expected to assume the mantle left by Floyd and Jenkins, and that starts with Lorenzo Carter, Roquan Smith, and early enrollee Julian Rochester. Georgia fans have been waiting for Carter to showcase his many talents. Carter (below) had 4.5 sacks in 2014 but didn’t register one as a sophomore.

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Linebacker Natrez Patrick started the final two games last season and had one sack. Davin Bellamy and Tim Kimbrough are also consistent players who could lift the front seven.

Smith, who missed spring practice with a wrist injury, was named a newcomer of the year at the team’s gala after last season. In limited action, he had 20 tackles and one and a half tackles for a loss.

Of course, one wild card could be Reggie Carter, who has started one game since 2013 and has had shoulder surgery.

Sack artist

It’s difficult to see an improvement in the pass rush without a big year from Carter, who has already received plenty of coaching and motivation prep in spring practice. His sophomore slump is well-documented, and he’ll be coached by Kevin Sherrer for the third straight season. It appeared to sink in as he was given the team’s Hustle Award in the spring.

Can he become Alabama’s version of Tim Williams, a destructive force off the edge? That’s the hope.

Carter, who is 6-foot-6, added 10 pounds when he arrived at Georgia from high school, and remains in that frame, now listed at 242 pounds. He’s considered a potential first-round NFL Draft pick in 2017 provided he can return to the production he offered as a freshman.

“Lorenzo, he’s what you want in an athlete, he’s what you want in an edge guy,” Jenkins told the Athens Banner-Herald. “He’s about 6-5, 6-6 and 240 pounds and four or five percent body fat. He’s got all the tools. He’s just got to go out there and just show it and just ball. Just ball in front of the coaches and show it.”

Ball in the air

Georgia’s secondary is talented and loaded. Safety Johnathan Abram is the only player who must be replaced. Otherwise the secondary is one of, if not among the, best units in the country, led by All-SEC selection Dominick Sanders (below).

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Five returning players all had at least two pass breakups last season.

One addition of note is five-star recruit Mecole Hardman, who is already one of the fastest players on the team and figures to challenge for a starting position. Aaron Davis, a former walk-on, holds one starting spot at cornerback and started eight games last season alongside Malkom Parrish.

A couple of questions coaches must address: How they views starting positions, either week-to-week or constant for the season, and how much they plan to use five defensive backs. So far, competition will be everywhere, Smart told the Macon Telegraph.

“I’m looking for great competition because there’s some young talent in the secondary that may be as talented or more talented than a guy ahead of them when it comes to jumping, running fast, but maybe they don’t have as much experience,” Smart said. “There’s competition there. We told them nobody’s job is safe on defense or offense. This is going to be a totally competitive environment where every position is up for competition. If you don’t compete every day, you’ll be moved. We want to create that competition. I think competition breeds a little more success.”

Pickoff artist

Sanders has started 25 out of 26 games at Georgia, and led the team and was tied for first in the SEC with six interceptions last season. Sanders has gradually developed into a consistent contributor after two interceptions two years ago in the Belk Bowl win over Louisville in a season when he had five pass breakups. Sanders is already in the top three of safeties in the SEC, and is one of Georgia’s top NFL draft prospects.

Greatest concern

Last season’s passing yards yielded per game, which led the league and country, was a bit of a mirage because of the schedule. Not only did Georgia play Georgia Southern and Georgia Tech — two option-based offenses — down the stretch, the Bulldogs also kept Auburn, Southern and South Carolina all under 100 yards passing.

The concern is that while many of those teams are on the schedule again this season, it will be difficult to maintain those numbers. What’s more, North Carolina, the No. 3 passing offense in the ACC last season, and Ole Miss, the top passing offense in the SEC, are on the schedule.

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One stat that must change in 2016

Georgia must put away the teams with losing records, and one way to do that is limit their passing games. Last season, Georgia was only marginally better against winning teams versus non-winning teams in passing defense.

Winning teams threw for 1,044 yards against Georgia, while non-winning teams collected 911 yards. There was also a negligible difference in completion percentage as well, from 49.4 percent against non-winning teams, while 55.6 versus winning teams. It was highlighted by the fact that Georgia only played three ranked teams last season and that figure should be about the same this season.

Better/Worse in 2016

There is a concern of complacency with the Georgia passing defense primarily in the sense that it’s difficult to improve on being the best in the country. The coaching staff maintains competition will keep it at a high level, and there is little turnover among the personnel with an influx of recruits.

Given a change in schedule with four different teams, there’s little chance Georgia will keep five teams under 100 yards passing again. Having said that, the Bulldogs could be statistically worse than in 2015, but still among the best in the country. They could give up even 50 more yards passing per game, on average, and still be in the top half of the SEC.