Dogs seek defensive improvement in Independence Bowl

By Bud L. Ellis

Nothing came easy for the Georgia Bulldogs’ defense in 2009, and that trend will continue when the Dogs wrap up their season in the Independence Bowl against Texas A&M.

The Dogs (7-5) allowed 20 or more points nine times in 12 games, not exactly the recipe Georgia fans hoped for when the season kicked off. But from the season opener at Oklahoma State, a disturbing trend reared its ugly head time and time again:

When the Dogs needed to stop the opposition, they almost always failed to do so.

Georgia allowed 26.4 points per game, not exactly the way to have success in the ultra-tough SEC. In Georgia’s big conference games, the Dogs allowed 41 points in a loss to Florida, 45 points in a loss to Tennessee, 37 points in a win over South Carolina, 41 points in a win over Arkansas …

You get the idea.

It’s that type of performance that led head coach Mark Richt to fire defensive coordinator Willie Martinez and two defensive assistant coaches last week. All three dismissed coaches declined Richt’s invitation to coach in the bowl game, meaning Richt will spent most of his time leading up to the Dec. 28 game working with the defense.

And that defense figures to get one more good workout before calling it a season. The Aggies average 465 yards of offense per game and scored nearly 34 points per contest in 2009. Nine times this season, Texas A&M scored more than 30 points, including four games of 39 or more points.

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 9:50 pm by bud

Tags: Georgia, Independence Bowl, Mark Richt, Texas A&M, Willie Martinez