ESPN analyst Greg McElroy extremely critical of Georgia defense after loss to Florida
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In nearly every game it has played this season, Georgia has displayed the stifling defense that the college football world believed it had going into the year.
Through the first five weeks, only Alabama scored more than 21 points against the Bulldogs.
After Saturday’s 44-28 loss to Florida, former Alabama quarterback and college football analyst Greg McElroy was extremely critical of Georgia’s defense, eviscerating the Bulldogs’ showing against the Gators during his appearance on “College Football Live”.
“There’s no excuse for Georgia to go out in the two biggest games of the year and get pushed around offensively and to give up that kind of offensive productivity. We’re talking about a group that got shredded by Alabama and shredded by Florida in their two biggest games of the year, and this is a team that’s supposed to win with their defense?” said McElroy, per Austin Nivison of 247Sports.
“I’ve heard all the conversation and vitriol being spewed at Stetson Bennett and D’Wan Mathis, the quarterbacks. I get it. Is it warranted? Yeah, to a certain extent, but this team is built to run the football and to win on defense” continued McElroy.
“In the two biggest games, they couldn’t do either. If I’m Georgia, I’m looking in the mirror and asking is this the best way to proceed? We’re calling this the best defense in America? Clearly, it’s not based on the performances they’ve had against two very capable offenses in Alabama and Florida.”
McElroy has a point, as Georgia has failed to step up with the strengths of its team in the biggest moments of the season.
This unit will likely end the year on a positive note, as the strength of schedule lightens up significantly with games against Missouri, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Vanderbilt still to come.
Even if Georgia finishes the season 4-0, however, Bulldog fans will still have the bad taste in their mouths of knowing they couldn’t get it done in the two games where it mattered most.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Lucas is a digital reporter for 104.5 The Zone in Nashville, and a high school play-by-play broadcaster. Lucas has been covering SEC football for Saturday Down South since 2018.
