LEXINGTON, Ky. - It's not an exaggeration to say that Georgia's defense is the biggest reason the Bulldogs are 1-0 in the SEC.
Kirby Smart's offense struggled for most of Saturday night's conference opener against Kentucky, amassing just 13 points and 262 total yards. The defense found itself on the field for 35 minutes of what proved to be a true 60-minute affair.
It wasn't a flawless performance from the defensive unit. But it was just enough to push the Bulldogs over the finish line in Lexington.
"That really shows that we got some dog in us, because a lot of people would have folded in that moment right there," outside linebacker Damon Wilson said. "Oh, man, I can't do it no more. But, I mean, we came in at halftime and said we need to get together, stick together to the end. Don't worry about the clock, because at the end of the game, we're going to have what we want. We just got to keep chopping wood. I mean, that was pretty much the theme, just keep chopping."
Kentucky amassed 284 yards of offense, narrowly outgaining Georgia. But the Wildcats were unable to find the end zone, instead settling for four field goals.
Saturday marked the fourth straight game where Georgia did not allow a touchdown, dating back to last year's Orange Bowl.
"We're playing with a chip on our shoulder," inside linebacker Raylen Wilson said. "We're going to keep playing with a chip on our shoulder. Georgia defense is built on nobody in our end zone. We cherish that."
Smart repeatedly praised his team's resiliency in his postgame press conference. That applied to the defense through playing in a "bend but don't break kind of scenario."
"I thought (defensive coordinator Glenn) Schumann and the defensive staff did a tremendous job game planning," Smart said. "I thought he called a really good game, he helped our players. A couple of drives or penalties would have been punts and not three points, and I think the game would have been better for us. But I'm proud of the way they played. They bowed their neck when they had to, and we took away a lot of shots. They are a shot team and they have extremely fast wideouts, and I thought we covered the shots well.”
The resiliency applied to all levels of the defense.
The defensive line dealt with injuries throughout the week and missed several key contributors on Saturday. A handful of players played more than their usual snap counts due to the lack of depth.
The secondary, meanwhile, operated without corner Daniel Harris who sat out due to a coach's decision. That put more responsibility on cornerbacks Daylen Everette and Julian Humphrey, the latter of whom had a key third-down pass breakup in the third quarter that preceded Georgia's lone touchdown drive.
"I think we were in a box, and then I got outside vertical," Humphrey said. "My man went vertical, and then he cut in, and I saw it. Then whenever I broke, I got a peek at the quarterback, and I knew because Brock (Vandagriff, Kentucky's quarterback) was like, he used to be here, I knew that he wanted that. So I drove it, and then I knew the ball was right there."
The Bulldogs know there is still plenty to work on heading into the first of two bye weeks. Georgia committed several key defensive penalties, and Kentucky found some success running the ball at times.
But for now, the Georgia defense knows that the team's 1-0 conference record rests largely on its shoulders.
"We stayed composed, for sure," Humphrey said. "We all just, every time we faced adversity, we always said, blow by blow, no matter how many it takes, blow by blow. And then we just kept pushing, stayed connected, and we just came out with the W."
