Georgia defense preparing for tough schedule with daily test

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia players often say that practices are harder than the games. That’s a jarring statement to hear but one that might carry with it some truth, especially considering the talent the Bulldogs have to offer.

For UGA’s defense, it could be a long fall. That’s not due to a lack of ability on that side of the ball, rather the fact that they may have to face the best player in College Football every day outside of Saturday. Carson Beck is the betting favorite to win the Heisman Trophy this season, and he’s posing quite the challenge for Georgia’s defense at practice.

“I think it’s Carson Beck, I think it’s the offense, the running game, I think it’s all the different elements of what we do. It’s hard,” Georgia safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson said on Tuesday when asked what it was like for the UGA defense each day. “I was fortunate enough I got a chance to play in a real game against Carson Beck, I got a chance to prepare against Coach Bobo in a real game, so I understand the difficulties of some of the things we do and that cause problems to a defense. I think the tempo and the different things, the motions and Carson is a really, really good quarterback who knows where to go with the football. Gets the ball out of his hand very well. He throws a deep ball well. Excited and challenged every single day.”

Robinson was on the sidelines for Alabama last season in the SEC Championship Game when the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide squared off. He claims he hasn’t given anybody in Athens a hard time about the result of that outing, but he’s not afraid to try and get in the ear of Beck at practice.

“I talk a lot of trash to Carson,” Robinson said. “He does a good job of handling it in the right way, and he does a really good job of responding. He makes bad plays, he picks it up and does something different. He’s a talented guy who is going at it and getting after it every single day.”

Georgia’s defensive backs, like Robinson, have embraced the challenge. They know that being opposite of Beck and the Bulldogs is going to be tough, but it’ll prepare them well to play a challenging schedule this fall. UGA opens with No. 14 Clemson (August 31) and goes on the road to play No. 5 Alabama (September 28) in the first month of the season. Road trips later in the year include No. 4 Texas (October 19) and No. 6 Ole Miss (November 9).

“Really thankful to go against him all summer because I wouldn’t want to go against another offense to make us better as a defense and really challenge us,” sixth-year safety Dan Jackson said when asked about Beck. “He just keeps getting smarter and smarter in my opinion and makes those good decisions.”

“It’s a great opportunity every day to go against our offense. At every level, all the positions. You know, offensive line, ton of experience, really talented. Obviously Carson plays at a really high level. There’s depth in the running back room, in the receiver room, and in the tight end room,” Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann added. “When you have an offense that I think there’s not one guy and every position group can be a threat, it’s really challenging for every position group on our side of the field. It’s an awesome opportunity for us to compete against them every day.”

Georgia’s defense ranked No. 5 nationally in scoring defense and No. 9 for total defense last season. The Bulldogs haven’t finished outside of the top-10 in either category since 2020, but they’ll be tasked with replacing a few key pieces this season. A secondary trio of Kamari Lassiter, Javon Bullard and Tykee Smith were taken in the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft. Defensive lineman Zion Logue went later while a couple of players like Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Marvin Jones Jr. entered the transfer portal.

Luckily, the likes of Malaki Starks, Mykel Williams and Smael Mondon are still around – providing an All-American caliber presence at each level of the defense – and are surrounded with plenty of talent. Nazir Stackhouse and Warren Brinson are both back for their fifth years on the defensive line. CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson each played important roles as freshmen at inside linebacker and gained experience for their upcoming sophomore seasons. There’s Daylen Everette returning as a starter at cornerback and options galore in the secondary to replace the outgoing trio.

So, while practicing against Beck and Georgia’s offense is a challenge each day, it’s one that provides the proper preparation for the Bulldog defense. They are talented too, and they aren’t backing down. Instead, they’re embracing it and welcoming what comes with it.