Every week, Georgia's defensive players get their report card.
Instead of grades in biology or English, the evaluation outlines how the No. 2 Bulldogs are doing in regard to red zone defense. That's a stat the defense takes pride in, and one the coaches harp on in practice every week.
That emphasis showed in Saturday's 34-10 win at No. 18 Auburn, as the Georgia defense limited the Tigers once they crossed the 20-yard line.
It's no secret that Georgia has been one of the best defenses in the country this season. The Bulldogs have been so good, in fact, that they'd allowed just five red zone trips from opponents in five games entering Saturday's play.
Those five trips resulted in no touchdowns and three field goals. That mark placed Georgia fifth in the country entering Saturday in red zone defense.
"We emphasize that every week," head coach Kirby Smart said after the game. "We brag on our players. We post what they’re ranked in the red area. It’s a big pride thing for them to be really good in the red area."
Auburn tested Georgia's commitment to red zone defense right away on Saturday. The Tigers drove down the field on their first drive and had a first-and-goal at the Georgia 9-yard line.
An incomplete pass, a fumbled handoff that led to an intentional grounding, and a short completion led to an Auburn field goal. Instead of starting 7-0, the Tigers led just 3-0 after the first possession.
"We have a mindset on defense: nobody in our end zone. We preach that every week," senior defensive lineman Jordan Davis said. "We just want to hold them to zero points, at least a field goal. I don’t want them to get a touchdown. That’s our mindset all over the defense."
Late in the first half, Auburn found itself in the red zone again. The Tigers went for a touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line. Senior defensive back Latavious Brini broke up Auburn quarterback Bo Nix's pass in the back of the end zone, preserving Georgia's 17-3 halftime lead.
The Tigers did come up with one red zone touchdown in the second half. Still, out of 21 possible red zone points on Saturday, they came away with just 10.
"That’s the resiliency that we’ve been talking about," senior quarterback Stetson Bennett said. "We’ve got these four key culture things that we’ve been working on since, I don’t know, maybe January. Resiliency is one of them. The defense got punched in the mouth a few times, but every single time in the red zone, they bowed their necks and stopped them."
That ability to bow up in the red zone speaks to the sky-high confidence of the Bulldog defense. No matter how the drive has gone to that point, the defenders still believe the opponent won't reach the end zone.
That mindset has made the Bulldogs one of the best groups in the country halfway through the 2021 season.
"We don’t go in with the big chest and the big head," Davis said. "We always know we have a mission to do, we have a job to do. We complete that mission and we win the game, that’s all the confidence. You’ll see it on the sideline. You see the guys smiling. It’s not really boastful, it’s just more like a quiet storm. That’s how we carry ourselves on defense. We talk with our actions."
