Dogs seek defensive spark, new leader
By Bud L. Ellis
It’s no secret the Georgia Bulldogs have struggled on defense this season. And most everybody knows the Dogs have let go of three defensive coaches – including defensive coordinator Willie Martinez – in advance of the Independence Bowl.
But when the Dogs line up against high-powered Texas A&M on Dec. 28 at Shreveport, will Georgia have its next defensive coordinator hired?
So far, two of the top candidates for the job – Alabama defensive coordinator and former UGA standout Kirby Smart, and Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster – have publicly said thanks but no thanks. Smart came out last week to say he wasn’t leaving Alabama, the school that Smart has helped direct to the SEC title and a berth in the BCS National Championship game. Foster has agreed to a five-year extension to stay at Virginia Tech.
There is plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball for Georgia. That much was shown in two of Georgia’s last three games of the regular season. The Dogs overcame a slow start defensively to hold off Auburn at Sanford Stadium, stopping the Tigers’ potential game-tying drive in the final seconds deep in Georgia territory.
Then the Dogs’ D helped fuel Georgia’s upset of then-No. 7 ranked and eventual ACC champion Georgia Tech on Thanksgiving weekend in Atlanta. Georgia bent, but didn’t break, most of the night, and kept the dangerous Tech offense out of the end zone in the final three minutes to preserve a 30-24 victory.
Is it enough to boost the Dogs against Texas A&M? The Aggies will be one of the stiffer challenges for the Dogs this season, averaging 33.9 points per game. It will be incumbent on the Georgia front line to pressure Aggies’ quarterback Jerrod Johnson, who has passed for 3,217 yards and 28 touchdowns this season.
Georgia fans may shudder at the thought of so much pressure on a defensive corps that, for the most part, has underachieved this season. But if the Dogs can play up to their potential, not only could Georgia end the season with three victories in their final four games, they might not have as much trouble luring a new defensive coordinator to Athens.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 8:26 pm by bud
Tags: Alabama, Auburn, Bud Foster, Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Tech, Independence Bowl, Kirby Smart, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech
