ATHENS -- The Georgia and LSU defenses won’t face each other in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game; however, they’ve been battling hard this week in cyberspace.
Bulldogs outside linebacker Jarvis Jones seemed to touch a nerve in the Tigers’ camp on Monday when he told reporters he thought Georgia’s defense was “just as good as theirs, if not better.”
That comment quickly made its way to LSU players via Twitter, and was met with general disbelief. Wide receiver Russell Shephard retweeted the comment to teammates, adding, “Is this guy serious?” Fans of the nation’s No. 1-ranked team soon caught on and expressed incredulity.
That, in turn, got back to the Georgia camp, which felt disrespected.
“You don’t want to get into word battles,” junior linebacker Christian Robinson said, “but if they want to go and say things like [Shephard said], that’s the worst thing to do. There has been a lot of teams that go out there and run their mouth a lot and get beat.”
Of course, both defenses are very good. The Tigers enter Saturday’s game ranked No. 2 nationally in total defense while the Bulldogs are fifth. The two teams are comparable in virtually every defensive statistic. LSU’s work, however, has come against a higher-rated schedule.
“I mean, everybody praises LSU defense, but I know we’ve got a pretty good defense, too,” said Jones, the SEC quarterback sacks leader with 13.5. “We’re not cocky at all. We’re just going to play. We do our job and get after it on the field. We like having fun. We love playing football. We’re aggressive. We play just as well as them. A lot of people don’t give us credit [for] how we play.”
The respective defenses are sure to play a major role in the outcome of Saturday’s game. Each unit is ranked among the top 11 nationally in the five major defensive categories
“They are both good defenses,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “Both of them do it with big physical lineman, linebackers who run and hit, and safeties and corners who can play ball. They’re all good. They are well coached. They’ve both had a lot of success. I’m sure they are both very confident in their ability to play the game and play defense.”
Said Bulldogs defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, “We feel like we’ve got some guys who’ve got some size and strength also.”
While Georgia’s Jones was the first to broach the subject -- innocently enough, in answer to a question -- his teammates were quick to come to his defense.
“I’m going to back him up,” Georgia safety Bacarri Rambo said. “I also can say I believe we have one of the best defenses in the country, right up there with the LSUs. We have some very talented guys on the defensive side of the ball, too, and I can back it up when I say that.”
Robinson said, “Look at the numbers. We’re hanging. We’re up there in numbers, too. If we go out there and do what we’re supposed to do on this Saturday, we can end up better than they are, not just in the numbers but by winning the game.”
Georgia might have an advantage with a more diversified offense. The Tigers are a run-first offense, collecting 56 percent of their 386 yards per game via the ground. There is little deception involved in their running game. The majority comes on dives and toss sweeps from their four big tailbacks, Spencer Ware, Michael Ford, Alfred Blue and Kenny Hilliard.
“Their goal is not to trick you; their goal is to line up and play real sound football and basically maul you,” Richt said. “It’s going to be interesting to see. That’s maybe one of the most compelling matchups of the game: their run offense vs. our run defense.”
Georgia players say their front seven, led by noseguard John Jenkins and run-stuffing linebackers such as Alec Ogletree and Robinson, is bigger and more physical than any LSU has faced, with the exception of Alabama. Even after going against Georgia Tech’s run-heavy option attack last weekend, the Bulldogs give up only 94.8 yards per game, which ranks sixth nationally.
“They’re not going to go away from their game scheme, so we’ve just got to bow up,” Rambo said. “We’ve got to keep attacking and making tackles and not allow big plays. We know they’re going to run the ball, so we’ve just got to be prepared for it.”
Said Robinson, “I think we’ve shown we can hang with teams that run it. Auburn relied heavily on the run and we shut them down. LSU is not shy about their run game. That’s all they want to do, and then they’ve got some receivers that can go get it. So we’ll take the challenge, not in a cocky way, but we can hang. So we’ll be ready.”
LSU is capable of throwing the football and has done so with increased efficiency from quarterback Jordan Jefferson, who is now solidified as the starter, and big-play receivers Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. But in most cases, the Tigers choose not to throw because they don’t have to.
“It’s a challenge for us as a defense,” Jones said. “But you always want to be challenged and you want to step up [to meet] those challenges. So it’s going to be a big day for us and we’re looking forward to it.”
Defense by the numbers
LSU Georgia
2 total def. 5
4 rushing 6
3 pass eff. 4
2 scoring 10
6 passing 11
16 sacks 17
NCAA rankings
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