ATHENS - Georgia’s defense has talent. No one around the program is arguing that. But after recent games, the Bulldogs are staring at a problem they can’t ignore: the tackling has slipped.
Auburn and Alabama both found real success on the ground against Georgia, with Alabama running for 161 yards and Auburn piling up 192. Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown was the latest example of the issue, rushing for 115 yards and a touchdown in the win and becoming the first opposing player this season to top 100 rushing yards against Georgia.
Even with 5.0 sacks folded into Brown’s final numbers, Georgia never fully took him out of the game.
“That’s a big target area for us,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “We think missed tackles are up as a whole across college football, so we’re not immune to that.
We’re part of that problem, but how do we do it better than they do it? That’s really what we’re trying to do this week.”
The Bulldogs’ next challenge comes after the bye, with Florida’s Tramell Jones and Ole Miss’s Trinidad Chambliss both presenting different kinds of rushing problems for the Georgia defense. The message inside the program is simple: contain the quarterback, and do it more consistently than Georgia has lately.
“I mean, even, it’s just all the little things,” Georgia safety Khalil Barnes said. Just understanding the little stuff that becomes second nature when you’re out there, but again, the guys that play against their own scholarship too, they’re getting paid NIL too.
So the game’s playing a lot of space, so we’re gonna miss some tackling, but we do understand we gotta get better with limiting that number, and we are. We’re gonna get better with it.”
There are still pieces in place for Georgia to clean this up. Linebackers Chris Cole and Raylen Wilson led the team in tackles again against Auburn, and the Bulldogs were also missing star safety KJ Bolden, who they hope to have back soon.
But the problem isn’t just one missed stop here and there. Georgia also put itself in a tougher spot by losing the possession battle. Auburn ran 76 plays to Georgia’s 65, and three Georgia turnovers handed Auburn extra chances.
The Tigers only turned those giveaways into three points, but the turnover count still mattered. Auburn didn’t give the ball away once, and the 3-0 edge in that category was the difference.
“How can we get better incrementally and gain inches,” Smart said. “When the margins are tighter, the inches are everywhere.”
Georgia’s coach didn’t go full movie-monologue, but the point was clear: with Florida and Ole Miss on deck, the Bulldogs need their defense to finish better. For a team built to win with defense, tackling can’t be the loose thread.
“It’s a byproduct of effort,” Smart said, and against Auburn, that effort wasn’t good enough.
In Other News...
Georgia Showed Fight At Clemson But One Late Problem Remains
Georgias first real test of the preseason brought plenty of signs that Mike Whites group can compete under pressure. The Bulldogs erased an 11-point second-half deficit to pull even with Clemson with 13 seconds left, leaning on a strong effort that included Kanon Catchings 19 points in an 82-80 exhibition loss at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Mike White had reason to like the fight Georgia showed, but the ending also highlighted how thin the margin can be against a quality opponent. Clemson finished it at the buzzer with a layup, leaving the Bulldogs with a close loss and a clear reminder that the late-game details still need work before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Bye Week Comes At A Huge Time In The SEC Race
Week 8 has set up a crowded SEC picture, with Georgia and Kentucky tied for first in the conference standings as the league heads into another pivotal stretch. For Georgia, the timing of the bye week on Oct. 24 could hardly be better, giving Kirby Smarts team a chance to catch its breath before a high-profile meeting with Florida on Oct. 31 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Smart has already pointed to the growing parity across college football as one reason the race feels tighter than ever, citing the way talent is spread around and how player compensation has changed the landscape. For Georgia, that reality makes the pause even more valuable, because every week in the SEC can reshuffle the standings, and the Bulldogs will return to a schedule where there is little margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Could Face A Surprising Playoff Rest Debate Soon
Georgias bye week comes at a useful moment in the regular season, but it may also be the start of a much bigger conversation about rest. Sitting at No. 5 in the AP Poll, the Bulldogs are positioned in a way that keeps both the SEC title path and the College Football Playoff picture very much alive, with the possibility of earning a first-round bye if they keep winning and claim the SEC Championship.
Georgia could also end up in a different kind of rest spot if it falls out of the SEC title game race, and thats where the debate gets interesting. A bye during conference championship weekend has historically been viewed by some as more favorable than waiting for a first-round playoff break, which means the Bulldogs may be staring at a scenario where the most valuable pause of the season is not the one that comes with the biggest reward. [Read more 🡒]