Is Georgia's Defense Good Enough to Carry the Dawgs Again?

ATHENS - For all of the attention and discussion about UGA’s new offense, the program is going to need its best asset, its defense, to be ready to go early and often. 

It is hard to imagine Georgia (+7.5) taking out Alabama without a dominant performance on the defensive side of the ball that day (or night). Even a really good performance might not be enough with the way Bama has been scoring these last few years. 

We saw what it was like for the Dawgs’ offense to struggle at the end of last season, and the defense had better be ready to build a bridge to October. Because this is going to take a little time.  

Last year was tough to stomach on the offensive side of the ball. Only once, against Tech, did Georgia score more than 30 points in the final seven games of the regular season. With as many draft picks as took snaps on that side of the ball that’s inexcusable. 

The Dawgs fought their way to another SEC East title with guts and determination. Twice in that final seven games of the year the Dawgs shut out their foe. In six of those seven games the Dawgs didn’t allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter. What more was needed from that side of the ball?

The opportunity to end games early was provided by the defense early and often. Georgia’s offense didn’t take advantage of that in any of the games… even at lowly Tech (up only 17-7 at the half). 

Still, UGA pushed as far as they could with the defense. The offense just didn’t keep up. It had gone limp; sloppy; stale. Whatever you want to call it - “it” wasn’t good. 

At at the start of this season the defense might have to save them - particularly at Alabama. The Tide, even after Tua Tagovailoa left, scored left and right in 2019. Bama’s defense isn’t what it used to be, but when you score 47, 35, 48, 41, 38, 66 and 45 you are still doing OK. 

Kirby and company are going to have to hold Alabama down… this time for the entire 60 minuets of the game. 

And while the defense “seems” capable of doing their part, Georgia is going to have to score this fall to win the way it wants to. Everyone knows the first true test is at Alabama. And the Bama game is a key to the 2020 season - notice “a” key; not “the” key. 

Now matter how big a game it will be hyped up to be, neither team’s season should be defined by the outcome of that game. But a win would do a ton to help the Dawgs get back to Atlanta again. 

If that’s going to happen, Dan Lanning and company are going to need to be ready to roll from the start.