Secondary a Problem That Needs Fixing
The 13th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs will resume action this week when they face off against Mississippi State in between the hedges. Georgia will take the field for the first time in two weeks after its game against Missouri was postponed because COVID-19. Head coach Kirby Smart and Co. hope to get back into the win column after a tough 44-28 loss to Florida in their most recent matchup.
After the Florida game, it became official that Georgia had a serious quarterback problem. Stetson Bennett or D'wan Mathis couldn't get the offense going, and the Bulldogs lost in their biggest game of the year in Jacksonville. The offense hasn't seemed to click at all this year, and it likely will cost them a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship.
While question marks remain as to who Smart will elect to give the nod Saturday against Mississippi State, there is another issue that Smart hopes to get fixed before the "Run N Gun" Bulldogs of Mississippi State come into Athens:
The secondary.
The stout Georgia defense that has been praised all year for being one of the SEC's best has struggled to stop the pass on many occasions. Georgia has allowed 263 passing yards per game, which ranks 103rd in the nation. A lot of that has to do with the two losses the Bulldogs have had this year. In those games, Georgia gave up 417 passing yards to Alabama and 474 to Florida. Those are video-game numbers that the Georgia secondary has allowed in their two biggest games. It could be argued that happened because of the opposing teams' quarterbacks. Both Alabama and Florida have potential Heisman candidates in Mac Jones and Kyle Trask.
However, if the bigger picture is examined, Georgia has also allowed two subpar quarterbacks to pass for over 200 yards. Jarrett Guarantano of Tennessee threw for 215 yards and Felipe Franks of Arkansas passed for 203. Most people, especially Smart, would agree those numbers are way too high for as talented a secondary that the Bulldogs have.
This week, Georgia plays a team that likes to sling the football. Mississippi State hired head coach Mike Leach this past offseason and Leach is known for his high-powered offenses that like throwing the ball around 70 percent of the time. Following is a look at how many times Leach and his heavy-pass offense have thrown per game this season:
- LSU: 60
- Arkansas: 59
- Kentucky: 55
- Texas A&M: 18 (missing starting QB K.J. Costello)
- Alabama: 37 (also missing Costello)
- Vanderbilt: 46 (also missing Costello)
Costello's status for the game is still unknown, according to Leach. Either way, Georgia will need to prepare to play the pass a lot. Leach historically does not like to run the ball, and that likely won't change because of Georgia's great run defense.
Smart and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning will need to develop an effective game plan to at least contain Mississippi State's pass offense. They have thrown for 303 yards per game, which is 18th-best in the nation. It will be hard to shut down the pass offense completely, but the Georgia defense can still hope to slow it down as much as possible. While Georgia's offense has been responsible for a lot of damage this season, Smart's secondary will have to be more prepared when they return to action against this AirRaid offense.
