As SEC defenses crumble, Georgia's looks as nasty as ever
Sometimes, you don’t need to be perfect to win a game. But, as we saw in Georgia’s win over Tennessee on Saturday, your talent finds a way to get the job done in the end.
And for a little bit, the Dawgs were clinging to a lead against a Vols team looking to show that it was ready to take the next step under Jeremy Pruitt. Georgia led 23-21 in the 3rd quarter, thanks to a pair of Jack Podlesny field goals, but its first 3 drives of the 2nd half were far from impressive.
Worse, the defense forced 2 turnovers to set up those possessions. Azeez Ojular recovered a fumble and Eric Stokes intercepted a pass. Both drives resulted in field goals. The 3rd drive was a 3-and-out.
Third drive: 3-and-out at their own 15. Punt.
The Dawgs’ defense was doing what it normally does, keeping the opponent in check until the offense found its footing.
It took awhile, but it eventually did. The Dawgs outscored Tennessee 27-0 in the 2nd half. Kearis Jackson caught his 1st career TD pass to give Georgia a 30-21 lead.
And after another the defense forced another 3-and-out, an 8-play drive ended with big defensive lineman Jalen Carter — all 305 pounds of him — in the end zone for the kill shot with 10½ minutes left in the game.
Was it a perfect wire-to-wire performance by the Dawgs? Not by a long shot. Trey Hill’s high snap on the 2nd play of the game, a ball that ended up being covered by the Vols for a touchdown after Stetson Bennett IV failed to snag it, may have caused a few fans to grit their teeth and prepare for the worst. Their offense spun its wheels for most of the 3rd quarter, leaving points on the field and failing to put their opponent away despite a pair of takeaways.
Fortunately, the Dawgs’ talent won out in the end, and they’re now 3-0 with their winning streak over the Vols at 4 games. Credit Jeremy Pruitt and Co.: They looked the part at times as Jarrett Guarantano made some plays in support of his defense in the 1st half, including a pair of touchdown throws to receiver Josh Palmer. Star sophomore linebacker Henry To’o To’o, with a game-high 11 tackles and 2 stops for lost yardage, will be playing on Sundays as early as 2022.
But Saturday showed that Georgia still has the edge in the East. And its defense deserves accolades once again.
Tennessee’s vaunted offensive line that was considered one of the best in the country? It was ineffective against the Dawgs’ defensive front, which allowed negative-1 yard rushing and has now given up just 115 in 3 games. Guarantano was sacked 5 times, including Ojulari’s that forced a turnover and a late strip-sack by Monty Rice, who scored on a 20-yard fumble return. The Vols didn’t cross midfield in the 2nd half until their final 2 drives, but by then the game was already decided.
It’s basically a foregone conclusion that Dan Lanning’s group will answer the bell every time it’s called upon. Best in the SEC, again? Can that statement be considered too much of a stretch through these first 3 games? I don’t think so. The SEC West may as well be playing in the Big 12 with the amount of yardage and points its teams have been giving up. And can any of the SEC East teams say that they’re playing on the same level defensively as the Dawgs right now?
Through its first 3 games, Georgia’s defense has allowed 3 touchdowns. That’s it. Along with the 115 total yards it’s allowed on the ground, it has conceded an average of 240 passing yards. It has registered 7 takeaways; its 3 takeaways against Tennessee were the most against an SEC opponent since setting the same mark against Missouri and Florida in 2018.
Now, the Dawgs have a chance to send a resounding message as all eyes turn to Saturday’s game in Tuscaloosa against Alabama, a Crimson Tide team that looked far from reliable defensively against Ole Miss in Oxford. Bama’s offense can still make it a long day for any defense in the country, even great ones like Georgia’s, with plenty of offensive weapons including Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Najee Harris.
But if there’s anyone that can stop them, it just might be Georgia.
Bama’s going to light Georgia up. Count on it.
K
MattC, the only way that happens is if the Bama defense totally shuts UGA’s offense down. As in like the GA-LSU SECCG last year.
I don’t see that happening. This one will be close.
Disagree. The Bama offense is stacked. OL, QB, RB’s, WR, TE. UGA doesn’t have the offense to keep up. Bama has plenty of D too.
The defense did well against the best offensive line in the history of the world.
It isn’t as good as Bama’s…stay tuned for that.
My post was sarcasm. UT fans were claiming their O-Line was the best in college football.
I’m sure Bama’s line is better.
Why bother explaining. It’s a Bammy fan….
Based on your posts KLF the “Bammy” fan used to many words for you to be able to keep up…
Ha! Bammy…..
It’s easy to say these things when Georgia has yet to see any offenses like Bama’s, Florida’s, LSU’s, or Ole Miss’s. They will get tested next Saturday.
UGA fans are not saying these “easy to say things.”
The author and the media are.
CWRillTide, and Bama has been feasting on T A&M, Ole Miss and Mizzou, all of who rank in the bottom half of the SEC in Passing Defense.
A&M is giving up 299 passing per, and they rate higher than Missou and Ole Miss. How much of it is Alabama’s the 2019 LSU offense and how much is they just haven’t really faced a good defense yet? We’re about to find out.
The Georgia Defense vs. the Bama Offense is going to be epic. We’ll know much more after they play.
I’ve said it before on other posts and I’ll say it again. Bama is the king of the SEC until someone dethrones them on the field and I’m not so sure we can do it next Saturday. It will be fun to hope and then watch but their receivers look like they’re from another planet and Mac drops dimes. We will have to find ways to get to him without blowing coverage for big plays. Bama has Harris too, and HES a beast after contact. Our offense, by the way, has to line up against the best defense they’ve seen this year.
I believe Mac Jones is a lot better than Kyle Trask. Everyone raves about Trask, but Jones seems to be QB best in the SEC. Najee Harris looked unstoppable Saturday. He is a beast and we will have our hands full. It’s going to be fun to watch strength against strength.
Go Dawgs!
Nasty as a teddy bear. Kirby is a great recruiter but he can’t hold Sabans’ clip board. Pathetic coaching and Bama is still the king.
I think Dawg’s defense is legit, but it’s going to be a severe test next week in Tuscaloosa. But they are every bit as physical at Alabama and we’ll see what Mack Jones can do with the Dawgs in his face. He hasn’t had to be that mobile and throw much on the run and I think that’s going to be a real challenge for him next week.
Not taking bait at this point. Just hoping for another classic Sat.
We shall see.
I’m just wondering if ‘Bamas D got exposed last night or were they looking ahead to UGA next weekend?
Ole Miss has a great offense.
IMO they aren’t far off from LSU’s 2019 offense.
I agree. Kiffin can run a great scheme of offense. Their defense is terrible, though.
The Bama D absolutely got exposed. The question is how much of that can the Dawgs offense replicate.
They won’t be able to match those passing numbers. Maybe they can make up the difference in rushing yards and time of possession.
Alabama can score 30 on any defense…I just don’t see UGA being able to keep up offensively…if UGA can line up and run the ball they have a shot…we’ll see Saturday night
Got a feeling be a different defense for Bama. Nick won’t just stand still over last night. Ga better bring A game on both sides. I love mailman but wondering if JT might get some work this week.
Yeah I’m going to guess that Bama defense will be ready Saturday night…I like Bennett also but some of those passes look like wounded ducks in the air..