Georgia Defense Finds Its Identity in Fourth-Quarter Grit Ahead of Sugar Bowl Rematch with Ole Miss
Back on October 18, Georgia’s defense didn’t exactly have its best day at the office. Ole Miss came out swinging, torching the Bulldogs for five touchdowns on their first five drives.
But when it mattered most - with the game and potentially the season hanging in the balance - the Dawgs dug in and delivered. That gritty finish didn’t just win Georgia the game; it may have reshaped the identity of the defense heading into the postseason.
Now, as Georgia gears up for a high-stakes Sugar Bowl rematch with Ole Miss, co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann is looking back at that 43-35 win not as a low point, but as a launching pad.
“We had overcome some adversity throughout the course of the year, and that was about as much adversity as you could,” Schumann said this week. “They didn’t punt until the fourth quarter, and at no point on the sideline did the guys panic.
They came over asking the right questions - ‘What do we need to do next time?’ ‘What’s the plan?’”
That mindset - problem-solving in real time - helped flip the script. Georgia’s defense, which had been getting gashed for three quarters, suddenly turned into a brick wall.
Two three-and-outs and a crucial turnover on downs in the final frame gave the Bulldogs the breathing room they needed. What had been a shootout became a survival test, and Georgia passed.
The turning point came early in the fourth quarter. Down 35-33, Georgia’s defense forced its first stop of the night with a sequence that included a tipped pass from Xzavier McLeod and a pair of incompletions.
The offense responded - Gunner Stockton found Lawson Luckie for their third touchdown connection of the game. Then came another defensive stop, followed by a field goal to stretch the lead to eight.
Finally, with Ole Miss driving to tie, the Bulldogs slammed the door with a fourth-down stop.
That fourth quarter wasn’t about schematics or exotic play calls - it was about execution, trust, and playing fast. Linebacker Raylen Wilson put it simply: “I really feel like sometimes we go out there and be in our heads about the calls and just not play football. I feel like we’ve just been playing football since then.”
Schumann wouldn’t go as far as calling that fourth quarter a defining moment for the unit, but the numbers since tell a pretty compelling story. In the six games following that Ole Miss win, Georgia’s defense has allowed just 11.7 points per game - including only 29 points total over the last four contests. That surge has vaulted the Bulldogs into elite territory statistically: fourth in the nation in run defense, eighth in red-zone scoring percentage allowed, and ninth in scoring defense.
It’s not just about numbers, though. Schumann sees something deeper - a group that’s grown up, locked in, and bought into the process.
“I think that guys have just continued to gain confidence from that, and they focused on, ‘How do I get better at my craft?’” Schumann said.
“How can we continue to be pros in the way we go about it - the way we study opponents, the way we prepare, the way we execute? And then how can we stay together - because it’s never going to be perfect.
And I think it’s only grown from there.”
That growth will be put to the test again Thursday night, when Georgia meets Ole Miss with a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals on the line. And make no mistake - this Rebels offense is still dangerous.
Schumann called quarterback Trinidad Chambliss “unbelievable” and praised the depth of talent around him, from a dynamic receiving corps to a tight end who can stretch the field. But the player who might keep Georgia’s defensive staff up at night is running back Kewan Lacy, who leads the nation in forced missed tackles.
To win this rematch, Georgia’s defense will have to win the one-on-one battles - something Schumann emphasized repeatedly. The Bulldogs did just enough of that in the first meeting. Now, they’ll need to do it again, only better, with everything on the line.
If they can channel that same fourth-quarter fire from October, Georgia’s defense might just be the difference-maker once again.