For Eric Stokes, just hearing the numbers was like listening to fingernail scratches on a chalkboard.
Georgia’s junior cornerback was told Monday that the Bulldogs, after the 44-28 loss to Florida, had fallen to No. 93 in nation in pass defense. Heading into Saturday’s against Missouri, Georgia is giving up 262.8 yards passing per game. Opponents are completing 61.5% of their passes for 1,577 yards and 11 touchdowns against UGA.
There is the caveat that eight of those scores came against two dynamic throwing teams, Alabama and Florida. But that doesn’t make Stokes feel any better about it.
“Just hearing 93rd doesn’t fit right,” said Stokes, who’s tied for the team lead in interceptions (3) and pass break-ups (4). “Just hearing it doesn’t sit right with me at all. Because I know for a fact, or at least I believe, that we have one of the best DB units in the whole nation. So, hearing that is a reflection on us and me as a leader.”
There are other caveats. Georgia’s secondary has been ravaged by injuries. The Bulldogs were having to play Florida without their star safety in senior Richard LeCounte. Not only that, but then they lost their other starting safety in the first half when sophomore Lewis Cine was concussed and disqualified for a targeting hit on Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.
That left the Bulldogs with junior Christopher Smith and freshman Major Burns and their combined total of one career start between them to man the back third against an SEC TD record-setting quarterback in Kyle Trask. It wasn’t pretty as Trask piled up 474 yards, the second-highest passing total in Florida history and just eight yards shy of the single-game record set by Tim Tebow in the 2010 Sugar Bowl.
A couple of those throws simply couldn’t be defended. Georgia DBs were in position on at least three of the Gators’ explosive pass plays and the ball was simply delivered where the Bulldogs couldn’t get a hand on it.
Of course, Florida’s passing success didn’t all fall just on Georgia’s secondary. The Bulldogs’ linebackers were victimized all day by wheel routes and other running back-route concepts. The Gators’ backs accounted for 10 receptions for 212 yards, a number that jumps by 7 catches and 42 yards if including slotback Kedarius Toney, who is technically in the backfield.
That level of exploitation falls on Smart and defensive coordinator Dan Lanning for not making coverage or personnel adjustments when it was evident that linebackers Nakobe Dean and Monty Rice with couldn’t physically cover the backs or mentally recognize what Florida was doing.
But Georgia’s DBs weren’t ducking responsibility.
“We believe anything that gets 20 yards downfield is on us,” Stokes said. “We feel like as DBs we should have done more stuff and done more for our linebackers than we did. We don’t place the blame on the linebackers or anybody. We should’ve helped out more. We have to look ourselves in the mirror. ... We knew coming in that we needed to over-communicate. So seeing that we really messed up on communication is the one factor that I, as a leader, feel like we really messed up on, tremendously.”
Credit: Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
Credit: Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
In Georgia’s defense, it did make second-half adjustments. Lost in the shock of the rout is the fact that the Gators were limited to six points and no touchdowns after halftime. And while Stokes recorded a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown, the Bulldogs should have had at least one more as Mark Webb dropped a sure one in the fourth quarter.
“I really felt that our kids had a lot of fight in them for as many things that went wrong,” Smart said. “We missed tons of opportunities. But those opportunities our gone. Our next opportunity is with Missouri, and they have a really good football team that’s getting better.”
Indeed, the season rolls on. And the Bulldogs can be sure that Missouri studied the Florida game video long and hard. The Tigers have a pretty good bevy of backs (see senior Larry Rountree), too, and they seem to be operating decently on offense under the guidance of freshman quarterback Connor Bazelak.
While Missouri is in no means lighting it up on offense — its 22.6 points scoring average ranks 99th nationally — Bazelak has been extremely efficient with the football. His completion percentage of 69.1 percent actually ranks No. 17 nationally, one spot higher nationally than Florida’s Trask. He comes into the Georgia game averaging 230.2 yards passing with 4 TDs and one interception.
There are still obstacles to overcome. LeCounte is out for this game and might be lost for the year. Cine will have to sit out the first half, and that’s assuming he can clear concussion protocol to play. Rice and Dean are proverbially “nicked up,” as is seemingly everybody on Georgia’s team. And the Dogs' vaunted defense at the very least has been significantly humbled.
For the Bulldogs, it’s pretty much a pride thing now. And that they have plenty of.
“It’s doesn’t sit right with me, at all,” Stokes said how his unit has played. “I still believe we’re one of the best DB units in the whole nation. Hearing 93 reflects on me as a leader. … I know for a fact that we are way better than that.”
Georgia has at least four more games in which to prove it.
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