Georgia Football: Bulldogs' Incredible Defensive Turnaround Deserves Praise

Talk all you want about freshman running back Nick Chubb’s emergence as a replacement for star running back Todd Gurley, but the Georgia Bulldogs defense is the most praiseworthy facet of this team.

Just a few short weeks ago, the high expectations for new defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt seemed patently misplaced.  Entering October, the Bulldogs were 3-1 but had more than a few causes for alarm on defense. 

A Week 3 loss to South Carolina fell, by Pruitt’s own admission, squarely on the shoulders of the defense.  “You ought to be raking me over the coals,” he told Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding blame for the loss to the Gamecocks.  He had a point given the 27 first downs, 447 yards and 38 points surrendered to the Gamecocks.

Just two weeks later, it took late-game heroics and 208 rushing yards from Gurley to survive against a mediocre Tennessee team as Volunteers quarterback Justin Worley torched the Bulldogs for 264 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Things looked bleak for Georgia off the field as well.  Junior college transfer Shattle Fenteng, who was expected to contribute in the secondary, underwent surgery in late September and was ruled out for the season.  A few days later, Sheldon Dawson, a contributor at cornerback, was dismissed from the team.  Then, defensive back Rico Johnson was medically disqualified and freshman cornerback Shaquille Jones was dismissed.

For a team in desperate need of answers, things went from bad to worse over the course of just a few days.  By conventional logic, the indefinite suspension of Gurley, which was announced two days prior to an October 11 date at Missouri, would put further pressure on the defense and likely sink the team.

But then it didn’t.

To that end, the cohesive rally of Georgia’s offense, led by Chubb, has stolen headlines.  But lost in that deserving tale of defiance by the seemingly down-and-out Dawgs is the fact that Pruitt’s defense has turned things around decisively.

And while the offense has made do by plugging in more-than-competent talent to replace a star, the defense has played to a different tune—one composed equally of steady reliance on its existing strength and ongoing improvement in an area of concern.

That strength, of course, is the Bulldogs front seven, and that unit is no secret.  Amarlo Herrera and Ramik Wilson continue to pace the team with 57 and 55 tackles respectively from their middle linebacking spots.  Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd terrorize opposing quarterbacks from the outside with their quick first steps and use of leverage.  To date, the two outside pass-rushers have combined for 12.5 tackles for loss,  8.5 sacks and an astonishing 32 quarterback pressures.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

And the defensive line has certainly done its job in eating up space, occupying blockers and making plays in the backfield.  Ray Drew, who appeared lost in the depth chart this spring, has racked up 10 quarterback pressures.  Toby Johns, Sterling Bailey and Mike Thornton have been persistent forces as well.

Ironically, improved play in the secondary has furthered the showcase of Georgia’s athletic front seven.  In that light, Pruitt’s defensive backs’ ongoing improvement has been the most pleasant surprise of the past few weeks.  This unit is playing knowledgeably within the defensive scheme, aggressively when necessary and with a newfound sense of urgency.  The result is a higher success ratio in one-on-one matchups and more time for the defensive front to disrupt.

And these improvements are widespread in the secondary.  Damian Swann, who has started more than 30 games over the course of his Bulldogs career, has never played better.  On Monday, he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week.  On the other end of the experience spectrum, true freshman Dominick Sanders has risen from unheralded recruit to full-time starter and star.

The stellar play of the defensive line and linebackers and marked improvement of cornerbacks and safeties has vested itself in stellar performance—even from a statistical standpoint.  Georgia ranks 19th in the nation in scoring defense, 16th in yards allowed per game and 11th in turnovers forced.

But perhaps the most telling improvement of this Georgia defense is on a game-by-game basis.

Opponent	Scoring Average	Points vs. Georgia	Yards Average	Yards vs. Georgia
Clemson	34.6	21	440.1	291
South Carolina	35.1	38	450.9	447
Troy	19.6	0	361.6	216
Tennessee	24.4	32	325.1	401
Vanderbilt	17.6	17	270.4	320
Missouri	30.7	0	323.7	147
Arkansas	38.3	32	454.1	422

Georgia has held each of its last three opponents below their season scoring average, and on the year, only two opponents (Tennessee and Vanderbilt) have surpassed their average yard production against Georgia. 

Yesterday, ESPN analyst and former Bulldogs David Pollack told ESPN Radio (per Chance Linton of 247Sports) that Pruitt was making “a big difference.”  He added, “I think you gotta start paying more attention to Georgia now.”

Future opponents probably are taking notice.  And it’s not just the Georgia offense they’re worried about.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all stats courtesy of GeorgiaDogs.com.