Georgia Bulldogs: Will Secondary Shine in Week 2?

The Georgia Bulldogs looked great for the most part in their home opener versus ULM last Saturday, winning 51-14 in Week 1 at Sanford Stadium.

However, if there was one thing that needed improvement on the defensive side of the football for the Georgia Bulldogs, it was continuity in the secondary. The two drives that ULM was able score on against UGA were due in large part to miscommunication in the secondary. UGA’s pass rush wasn’t as lethal on those two possessions and new starting QB for the Warhawks Garrett Smith was able to pick apart the UGA defensive backfield.

This isn’t all that surprising since this is only the second season in the Jeremy Pruitt defense. The secondary, for a lack of a better term, was in shambles prior to the start of 2014. UGA looked porous in the defensive backfield as South Carolina QB Dylan Thompson sliced and diced his way through the UGA secondary in the short-to-medium passing game. But after the Week 3 home victory against Troy, the Georgia Bulldogs established a cohesive starting unit in the defensive backfield and had one of the best pass defenses in College Football.

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With undisputed Senior Leader DB Damian Swann graduating and now playing in the NFL, we knew that it would take some time for the UGA DBs to adjust and find their new on-field leader. This offseason S Quincy Mauger argued that UGA would be able to lead by committee in the interim, but hinted that the defensive backfield would likely need a new voice to emerge.

Fortunately for the Georgia Bulldogs, they have a little more time for that voice to emerge, as UGA won’t play its first ranked team of the season until #2 Alabama comes to Athens in Week 5. But for Georgia to best prepare for a juggernaut like the Crimson Tide, they need to get on point in the defensive backfield. Will UGA shine in the secondary against Vandy? Is it important for them to start gelling in Week 2?

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We know DC Jeremy Pruitt has some great ballhawkers in his secondary like S Dominick Sanders, S Quincy Mauger, and CB Aaron Davis. OLB Leonard Floyd and DBs Rico McGraw and Reggie Wilkerson will play the STAR in nickel situations. Let’s not forget about DBs like Malkom Parrish and Tramel Terry getting some ample playing time this fall, too.

So Pruitt has both more established players and greater depth in the defensive backfield than the Georgia Bulldogs had last year. This should hasten the process of developing continuity in the secondary. While Vandy may run the ball more and opt to complete short passes to build confidence for QB Johnny McCrary, I see that if UGA doesn’t give up the deep ball and can break up passes on third down, the Georgia Bulldogs should feel good about its secondary entering Week 3.

Georgia would then have two more opportunities to tune up the in the defensive backfield before the Tide roll into Athens against South Carolina in Week 3 and the Southern Jaguars in Week 4. Georgia may still have a few kinks to work out in the defensive backfield after their game in Nashville this afternoon, but you have to feel confident about the team growing together in the first month without having to play a ranked opponent.

While the Georgia Bulldogs still need to take care of business to move to 4-0 before their College GameDay date with the Alabama Crimson Tide, look for the UGA secondary to correct last week’s mistakes and be in better position for when the Dawgs host the Gamecocks on the 19th. Forever, Go Dawgs!

Next: Georgia Bulldogs Face Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville

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