Brian Kelly breaks down challenges of Georgia defense

If LSU wants to leave Atlanta Saturday with an SEC Championship win over Georgia, they’ll certainly have to find a way around the Bulldogs’ defense, which is the top-rated unit in the country. Georgia’s defense has given teams fits all season, highlighted by standout talent like Jalen Carter and Robert Beal, as Tiger’s head coach Brian Kelly broke down why the Bulldogs have been so dominant this season.

“Certainly physical, the defensive tackles are outstanding, Carter and Beal. I think it’s pretty clear that what you’ll see is the perimeter players not only are athletic but they’re outstanding tacklers, and that doesn’t surprise me coming from what Kirby does and obviously what he demands from his players,” Kelly said.

Smart has led this defense into one of, if not the, most feared group in the country, holding teams to a nation-leading 11.3 points per game and only allowing opponents to reach the end zone eight times this season. They’re a unit with tons of talent and depth, but also have a unique edge to them, which Kelly also addressed.

“They’re tough-minded, they play physical, they play down hill, and they play three down, four down, which we’ve obviously seen a lot of it, but you’ve got to make sure you minimize the negative plays against a defense like this,” Kelly said.

The Bulldog’s ability to give teams a variety of looks combined with their overall discipline and physicality makes them challenging to face, but Kelly does know the keys and areas that the Tigers will need to execute on in order to be successful against them.

“You could get into some bad plays and now you’re behind the chains, they get you in third down, now there’s a lot of things they can do,” Kelly said. “So first and second down and eliminating negative plays against this defense in particular is really big.”

Staying ahead of the chains will be crucial for the Tigers, and they have the perfect weapon to do so in quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has established himself as one of the premier dual-threat quarterbacks in all of college football this season. He’s throw the ball extremely efficiently for the Tigers all season, only throwing two interceptions on the season and ranking second in the SEC in completion percentage at 68.6%.

He’s also the Tigers leading rusher this year, with 824 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, and his 4.7 yards per carry could be critical in LSU’s early down success against the nation’s top defense this Saturday.