The main thing to know about the Georgia defense is how the leaders responded to the loss to Alabama. Jordan Davis, for example, said it would act like “smelling salts,” or as a sort of wakeup call for the defense that was exposed in a way.

Nakobe Dean is another leader, and someone Kirby Smart refers to as the “Commander in Chief.” He vows to convert the Alabama loss into something that has a positive impact on the season.

“I got faith in this team, I love my brothers on this team, and I know what we can do,” Dean said. “I know the type of game we played that day, we just got outplayed. It was just uncharacteristic of us. I wouldn’t say weird, but it is what it is, and right now we’re looking forward to the next game. We have to trust the plan and execute.”

Dean has garnered respect on the Georgia defense because he’s tied for the team lead in tackles with 61, but that he also delivers plays like he did against Florida, a pick-6 that flipped momentum heavily toward Georgia. It was an impressive season despite him being picked to the All-SEC third team in the preseason.

Playing in coverage like that is even more impressive since Dean leads the team in tackles for loss with 8.5 and is tied for team lead with 5 sacks.

Another game that stood out for Dean was against Tennessee, when he delivered 11 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup in a game that was a turning point in Georgia being challenged this season. That was thought at the time to be the last test for Georgia’s vaunted defense in the regular season, and Dean was in the middle of that decisive 41-17 victory.

Dean has largely exceeded expectations, and made a splash, since he surprised Georgia on National Signing Day in 2019 when the 5-star out of Mississippi signed with the Bulldogs.

What frees up Dean to make some of those plays is the most imposing and dominant player on the field — Davis. Davis has impressed NFL scouts with his improved consistency and his effort has stood out to multiple TV analysts. Plays against UAB and South Carolina where Davis either ran down a quarterback or blew up a play near the goal line put him in a class by himself. Opposing coaches rave about Davis’ ability to make plays down the line of scrimmage and in space that explain why he’s elite.

His size — 340 pounds — is one thing, but Davis is mentioned alongside Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. and Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson because he’s not your average defensive tackle. It’s those kinds of plays where he shuts down the interior running game and forces opponents to try other paths to gain yards.

For a defense that has shown some weakness or concern in the secondary, Davis has removed all doubt or worry about how the run defense will be handled.

That will be critical to the Dawgs’ success against Michigan, a team that runs the football as well or better than any Power 5 program in the country.

Kirby Smart has said that Davis has been under tremendous media attention, and it’s lasted the entire season, from SEC Media Days in July, to all of the Heisman Trophy buzz as plenty of arguments were made about his chances to be included in the Heisman conversation.

There’s an old adage in baseball that great teams are built up the middle, and the same can be said for college football defenses. Georgia boasts exactly that with Davis, Dean and even Lewis Cine at safety.

In that same vein, Georgia must bottle up Hassan Haskins, or force Michigan to find another path to victory, and since the Wolverines don’t have a wide receiver among the top 15 Big Ten pass catchers, Davis and Dean are just what the doctor ordered in the Orange Bowl.