Georgia’s defense is gearing up for Tennessee’s fast-paced offense that will be on display Saturday in Athens.
The Vols have the top scoring offense in the country, averaging 49.4 points per game behind Heisman Trophy favorite Hendon Hooker.
“All I know is that they were No. 1 in the country last year in pace of play. ... They are No. 1 this year,” Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart said. “I would say that it is faster because everybody is back. Their offensive line has four or five guys back. Their quarterback (Hooker) is back. The backs are back. The receivers are back. When you get everybody back, it is like Stetson (Bennett) being back. You know how to do it faster. You know how to do it quicker and get it in and out of plays, which they do a great job of doing.”
Hooker has thrown for 2,338 yards and 21 touchdowns this season. But, it’s his confidence and comfort while scrambling that makes him so dangerous in the Vols’ passing attack.
“He’s an athletic quarterback, so he can get out of the pocket and run, he can throw the ball deep downfield, so we just have to contain him inside that pocket and play within the framework of the pocket,” Georgia defensive lineman Tramel Walthour said.
Georgia’s defense should provide a test for Tennessee’s scoring prowess.
The Bulldogs have the second-best scoring defense in the country – they’re holding opponents to 10.5 points per game – and are displaying defensive dominance similar to the 2021 unit.
“It is just the standard,” Walthour said. “Just because you lose good players does not mean you are not going to be good the next year. Maybe that is an expectation that some teams have, but that is not the expectation of any team I have ever been a part of. The expectation is that you are going to be good because you recruit good players and because you coach hard.”
The Bulldogs likely will need their best defensive performance of the season Saturday.
“We’ve got Bama’s game from last year and our game from last year,” Smart said of Georgia’s preparations for the Vols. “We have all the games. We look at all the games. You evaluate how people have played them and what has been successful. They are looking at every game on us and trying to see where the explosive plays are coming from. They have certain plays they are going to run regardless of that. It is probably more different for us to play them because everybody they play plays them differently because of their offense. We don’t put more stock in one game over the others.”
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