re: Can the defense be fixed?

Like the one where Bama blitzed 6 and Hubbard hit Stockton right in the teeth and somehow he got a deflected pass into the WR’s chest in the smallest window possible?

Or the two 3rd and 17, 3rd and 22 that #5 gave up bc he won’t turn his head around?

Or the game-changing INT by QB Reese?

Or the 4 fumbles Georgia happened to fall on.

But sure stick with the narrative the defense sucks. Bet you will not care to make a wager that UGA gets held below 20 by anyone the rest of the season or that an opponent averages more yards rushing per attempt than them the rest of the year?

Should be easy money since Bama D is so terrible and allowed a 20 spot to Georgia.

Sometimes you have to tip your cap to the other guy. Stockton, who I was not too high on coming into the game, made throw after throw after throw on third down. Some of them under pressure and most of them heavily contested. He had about a six inch window to hit on multiple throws to keep them on the field and he hit every single one of them. Their WRs also caught them all. Most of those throws were indefensible.

Greene being out of the second half had a lot to do with that ground game success. Georgia had 150 yards rushing after halftime.

He received a lot of help from Dijon Lee.

We have one player that everyone since FSU exposed him, has taken advantage. It's not a "defense" problem it's a Dijon Lee problem and probably a bigger issue if Kane keeps forcing him back out there because the transfer CB doesn't look that great at times either.

Going on THREE seasons now, Bama under CKD has lost exactly ONCE when the offense has produced 21+ points (Vandy in Year 1).

You clearly blocked out the Golding Era and the fact that Bama’s defense from 2018-2023 had some of the most talented defenses ever assembled and still managed to allow 38+ points ELEVEN times in those 5 seasons.

You can bash the defense all you want, but the QB Reese interception should’ve been the defining play in that game, losing Green was a major blow, Stockman made some ridiculous throws on 3rd down and #5 cost them big time.

Create a turnover deep inside Georgia’s territory when it’s a tie game in the 4th quarter instead of letting them kick a FG to win 20-17. Bench #5.

That’s it. There’s your “fix”.

What the hell is going on in here?

They gave up 10 points in the 1st and 10 in the 2nd against the backdrop of the officiating we saw.

Are some of y’all ok?

Dude’s a baller. Period. He doesn’t look good but he beats your arse, bottom line.

No doubt #5 is the biggest problem and has contributed to opponents extending drives, and also long completions for scores (FSU several times).

I have no idea why Chuck McDonald has not taken his place at this point. He has played extremely well.

Sticking with #5 absolutely cost Bama the game.

The personal foul that allowed Georgia to run out the clock was a fitting end.

quote:

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No doubt #5 is the biggest problem and has contributed to opponents extending drives, and also long completions for scores (FSU several times).

I have no idea why Chuck McDonald has not taken his place at this point. He has played extremely well.

Sticking with #5 absolutely cost Bama the game.

The personal foul that allowed Georgia to run out the clock was a fitting end.

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I’ve been saying this for weeks now. #5 is a complete liability on the field at the corner position. Chuck McDonald in very limited reps just looks and moves much more like a pure play CB. Lee is a safety.

Hubbard does some good in the box/within 10 yards of the LoS. But like Dijon Lee, Bray is a weak-link on the back end in pass coverage and a busted play waiting to happen. He isn’t fluid enough nor does he have the top end speed to be playing his current role. If you are gonna key the run, you better have the wheels to bust arse and recover if you get caught cheating down (like he does nearly every play)

Red and Zabien are the only guys out there in the secondary right now that are playmakers that you can also rely on to be in position on a consistent basis.

Someone needs to change with the other three spots because this unit as-is will not cut it for the remainder of the season. We need Jireh to grow into a bigger role and fast. Lee obviously has to sit (no idea who comes in at that spot though).

The front seven was far from “dominant” but did more than enough to win that game. Will note that being without Justin Hill and Zulu (but primarily Hill) did not help our cause at all from a pass rushing and outside run containment standpoint. And our defense clearly dipped when Terrence Green went out (man, do I wish Beaman was available for games like this, or that Freddie Roach could at least try to earn his salary and develop Steve Mbolo into anything that could actually be a viable option to run out there). Run fits and pass rush efficiency needs to improve, no doubt about it.

Hard to say what I think about CKW, his scheme, and ability to call a game at this point. He’s said previously that he has the pieces he needs to produce a top-notch, championship-caliber defense, but I’m not seeing it in the secondary. Ultimately, if you said before the game “UGA is being held to 20” I’d have taken Bama 10 times out of 10. But UGA seemed to have their way on offense the majority of the game (however, there were a number of times we had them in uncomfortable spots and gave up inexplicable conversions, with the same usual suspects in crimson being involved over and over again .. *cough* *cough* Lee and Hubbard).

Long story short:

Offense - just keep getting better and more comfortable day-to-day / week-to-week. Feature the run game when it’s working.

Defense - fixable issues in the front seven + get healthy. Secondary - not as easy, need to figure out some personnel issues and fix them quickly.