ATHENS, Ga. — Brett Thorson, a 22-year-old Georgia punter with wit and humor, was asked this week about competing for the Ray Guy Award.
“I don’t know if I even punted enough to qualify,” he said.
Thorson likes to create these kinds of rifts and is frustrated that Stetson Bennett and then Carson Beck don't let him get on the field enough. However, the buzz around the team this spring is that despite losing three potential first-round picks in Brock Bowers, Amarius Mims, and Ladd McConkie, the offense is still struggling to get the most out of the defense. It was said that it was used for Kirby Smart confirmed that idea last week when he told ESPN, “I don't know if we're going to be great this year (defensively), but I think we have a chance to be great offensively.” .
Smart also said the offensive line is “obviously in good shape,” which could easily be interpreted as a concern that the defensive line, which wasn't very good last year, is still not doing well.
So it might not be a very good sign. However, there are some important caveats.
• The defense was missing a number of key pieces in spring practice, but they are expected to return this fall: safety Malachi Starks (likely first-team preseason All-American), inside linebacker Smale Mondon (second on the team in tackles last year), defensive ends Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (a potential starter) and Kristen Miller (defensive tackle, who should see a lot of playing time). On the other hand, the offense was close to full go until 2 deep, as expected.
• Smart is almost always the defense's worst critic. That's his side of the field, he's a demanding guy, and previous defenders have set high standards that have always been difficult to live up to.
But that aside, Georgia's offense could really be the team's strength. W, this is nothing new to anyone who has been paying attention over the past few years. The question is, how much of a concern is that for the defense, and by extension, the team as a whole?
When Georgia boasted a generationally dominant defense in 2021, the image of a defense-first, run-heavy program was reinforced, and in reality, it was evolving. Todd Monken, in his second year as offensive coordinator, brought a more pass-oriented attack, and Mike Bobo continued it.
Georgia has finished in the top 10 in scoring each of the past three seasons and finished fourth in the past two seasons. And the Bulldogs have ranked fourth in the nation in yards per play in each of the last three years.
However, the defense is no longer dominant either. They ranked 11th in the nation in yards allowed per play last season and were 15th the year before, second in the 2021 season. (Same in 2019.) Scoring defense ranked fifth in each of the past two years after being first in 2021.But the most concerning trend was in run defense: after being at the top of the rankings. two It was ranked in this category every year from 2019 to 2022, but last year the unit fell to 37th place.
The reason it's so concerning could be due to the absence of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Devonte Wyatt, and Travon Walker, who all left before last season. And this year's group doesn't have that many stars yet.
Still, Smart pushed back against the idea that he was a bad defensive line or run defense in general.
“I don't know where this came from. Maybe there's a story out there that I don't know about,” Smart said Tuesday. “I don't know what you guys are reading or saying or seeing. I'm not slacking on run defense.”
(It was Smart's comments to ESPN that led to this report, but to be fair, he didn't explicitly say run defense was a concern. Anyone can see that it wasn't like the Carter Davis fight (Wyatt era).
And Georgia may never be as good as it was back then. But that doesn't mean the Bulldogs are bad this year. Or even average.
“We weren't as good as we were that year, but we're better than a lot of other years,” Smart said. “I wouldn't trade our group for any group in the country in terms of defensive line group. Overall, we have a group that can get the job done.”
Optimism: What's happening this spring is more about Georgia's offensive line, and it could be something very special. As good as Cedric Van Plan-Granger was at center, Jared Wilson might be just as good even if he's not yet a starter. The guards next to him, Tate Rutledge and Dylan Fairchild, could be dominant. Ernest Green is poised to be an All-SEC type left tackle, and former five-star Monroe Freeling has great ceilings at right tackle. Xavier Truss, a versatile sixth-year player, can step in anywhere.
To protect his defense, Smart said he practices and scrimmages against “one of the best three or four offensive lines” he will face this season. It may be underestimated. But that optimism is that this is the opposite of his 2019-21 era. While the offensive line was a concern at times, remember that going up against an elite defensive line made many games easier by comparison. The result was a unit with the second-fewest sacks in the SEC in 2021 (helped by the presence of a mobile quarterback in Bennett) and the second-best rushing average in its first championship year. Ta.
Maybe this year's defensive line doesn't have star power. But there's a mix of veterans (Ingram-Dawkins, Nazir Stackhouse, Warren Brinson) and up-and-comers (Miller, Jordan Hall, Joseph Jonah-Ajonier, etc.). The linebacker corps also has some positives, especially once Mondon gets healthy, but CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson continue to gain experience and how Jaron Walker and Mikel Williams settle into their roles. It depends on the crab.
Similar to last year, when the run defense was spotty, the team ended up just three points away from winning the SEC Championship and making the College Football Playoff.
But it is was 3 point difference. And the criteria now is to get a national title or at least get into the CFP, which will be easier in a 12-team field, but it won't come automatically. This year also begins with no room for failure. The first four games were against Clemson, Kentucky and Alabama, and none of the three games were at home.
The offense will probably lead the team for a while, maybe even forever. I think the defense, especially the run defense, is probably better than expected. (And yes, saying the secondary needs to replace three starters is just cheating for now. There's plenty of time between now and August 31st to dig into it. )
In any case, all we have to decide now is what Georgia's troops will do with each other. And no matter how you look at it, one side has an advantage in trench warfare. What we do with that information is up to us.
For example, Mr. Smart chose the long route to August.
“We have players on our defensive line who can improve even more,” he said. “The worst feeling as a coach is when you don't have a player who can get better. There are coaches all over the country who are on the defensive line right now who don't have a single 300-pound player. Some. There are. We just need to continue to improve them and perform at a higher level.”
(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)
