Georgia vs Tennessee: Is the Bulldogs' Secondary Ready for a Stiff SEC Test?

After three consecutive wins, University of Georgia fans are abuzz. Around water coolers and on on-line message boards across the Bulldog Nation, smiling Georgia faithful are murmuring, chatting, and even boasting loud and proud about the improvement that their beloved 'Dawgs have shown over the last three Saturdays. It's amazing how winning changes perceptions and attitudes.

But let's pause and pull back from the aura for a moment. Let's attempt to objectively assess where things really stand?

Realistically, Coastal Carolina? Well, they are Coastal Carolina. Yes, the Chanticleers, those Chaucerian yard fowl of the Palmetto State, are 3-1. And yes, they did crack the FCS poll, at No. 24, for the first time since 2007 this week. Nevertheless, they are still Coastal Carolina. They play in the Big South, not the Big East. And they are an FCS (formerly Division I-AA), not an FBS, program.

Ole Miss? Well, the Rebs, or whatever they are these days, are 2-3, having bested only the 2-2 Salukis of Southern Illinois and the 2-3 Fresno State Bulldogs. Simply stated, The Fighting Nutts just aren't very good.

And Mississippi State? Well, State now sits at 2-3, having beaten only Memphis and "LA" Tech. Granted, they've been beaten by Auburn, last year's national champs, LSU, currently ranked No.1 in the nation, and the 'Dawgs last Saturday Regardless of the "quality" of their losses, they are a team that was supposed to be a contender in the SEC West that simply isn't.

So where does that leave us, really? Have the Bulldogs really improved? Well, heck yeah, they have.

The 'Dawgs have clearly made improvements on both sides of the ball. On offense, the "Dream Teamers" that are getting big-time minutes show promises of stardom. Quarterback Aaron Murray, while looking shaky at times, looks like, well, like Aaron Murray at others—accurate, mobile and dangerous. The offensive line appears to be progressing, game by game. At present, the main questions surrounding this unit relate to stamina and killer instinct, or their lack thereof.

On defense, second-year coordinator Todd Grantham and his staff have clearly coached the defense up. Georgia is currently tied for seventh among FBS programs in total defense. Those who have suffered through the porous performances of Georgia defenses in recent seasons recognize and acknowledge this achievement as evidence of their vast improvement

That brings us to the issue of mirages. Among other things, a mirage is an illusion, something without substance or reality. Mirages are typically ephemeral figments of the imagination. So, is it possible that against Mississippi State 'Dawg fans suffered from a collective mirage?

Last Saturday, hungry Georgia fans in the know witnessed the 'Dawgs secondary raised their play to a level that it has not in quite some time. In recent tough seasons, one Georgia fan that I know and who shall remain nameless here (cough, cough) has often lamented that, "an old, fat guy could get open on the Georgia secondary within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage and will have blown by them after 20."

Against State, the defense took away the run and repeatedly forced State quarterback Chris Relf into passing situations. Georgia's defensive backs seemed both omniscient and omnipresent. They were everywhere on almost every play. It seemed as though they were playing a "dime package" of coverage rather than a nickel one.

Granted, Chris Relf, fine athlete that he is, is no Dan Marino, Tom Brady, Robert Griffin III, Aaron Murray or Tyler Bray. Regardless, he is an SEC quarterback. And on almost every play that he threw the football, Bulldog DBs were either there waiting already, blanketing the intended receiver, or were reading and breaking on the ball—and breaking hard.

Mind you, the DBs didn't haul in as many interceptions as they muffed catches, but they were there, johnny-on-the-spot, on almost every passing down. While 'Dawg fans had been noticing a tighter, more aggressive philosophy since the Boise State game, their performance against MSU was wowing, a rare treat amidst the Dawgs' defensive woes of late.

As the days have passed and Saturday's contest in Knoxville approaches, the question that arises is both a natural and skeptical one—was what we saw from the 'Dawgs secondary last Saturday a mirage, a fleeting domination of a weak passing opponent, or was it the new modus operandi for a vastly improved defensive backfield?

Tyler Bray, Da'rick Rogers, and the Tennessee passing attack that the 'Dawgs will face on the road on Saturday should reveal the answer to that question. Even in a losing effort against Florida on the road a couple of weekends ago, the Volunteers passed for 288 yards. Through four games, UT ranks 11th among FBS schools in passing yardage.

Within the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium, the Tennessee Volunteers should shed some light on whether what we saw from the Bulldog cover crew last Saturday was the real deal, or if it was simply a fleeting mirage, appearing amid a montage of mediocre opponents the Bulldogs have faced the last three Saturdays.

Or, perhaps, it will simply prove that mirages, like dreams, can be recurring.

Let's hope that in the throws of our thirsting for wins and titles over the last couple of years we weren't just seeing things last Saturday afternoon.

Oh, and let's hope for a couple of more picks back there too.