It seems the bye week after facing Alabama was just the thing the Georgia defense needed to return to its stellar form. Defensive coordinator Dan Lanning's unit was able to keep Kentucky out of the endzone in a 14-3 win.
Richard LeCounte and Nakobe Dean shined in the effort LeCounte tallied 13 total tackles and three pass breakups, while Dean one-upped his teammate in the tackle department with 14 on the day.
Azeez Ojulari and Jermaine Johnson continued their hot run from the outside linebacker spot. Ojulari had three tackles, including 1.5 sacks, while Johnson added another sack.
Georgia held Kentucky to just 3.6 yards per play during the Wildcats' whopping 35 minutes of possession. But LeCounte noted there were plenty of things his unit could've improved.
“We definitely could’ve tackled better," LeCounte said. "There’s a lot of things we could’ve done better as a defense. But we kept on pushing. I’m still proud of these guys, but we’ve got to get back to the drawing board.”
Georgia was able to hinder the Wildcats' offense despite injuries to key starters and contributors. Lewis Cine, Jordan Davis, Julian Rochester, Quay Walker, and Tyrique Stevenson all suffered injuries. Monty Rice was also limited in the contest.
Head coach Kirby Smart couldn't provide any updates to their current conditions, but praised his team's resilience.
“I don’t know how they are," he said. "But you don’t shake your head, that’s what you’ve got those other players for. That’s why you have 85 scholarships. You use those and you get the next guy up and ready to go play. That’s why we rep those guys. That’s why we train those guys. They rep in practice every day, and when their chance comes they get their opportunity to play. I don’t know if all those guys were ready for that kind of physicality, but they better get ready, because they’re playing in the SEC the rest of the way."
Smart and company were forced to go deep into their defensive rotation, especially in the trenches. Devonte Wyatt, Warren Brinson, and Nazir Stackhouse were forced into more duty than usual following the departures of Davis and Rochester.
"I can’t wait to watch the tape to see," Smart said when asked about their performance. "Because not only did they play—we can’t play them more, because the other guys are out. We have to play more guys. Naz got to play, who’s been working real hard on scout team. I’ve got to watch him play. And Warren Brinson played more. So we’ve got to get some help in there. We’ve got some guys back home that we think can help us.”
Now would certainly be a good time to have the annual bye week prior to the matchup with Florida, but circumstances didn't go in Georgia's favor this year. One thing that's certain is the Bulldogs' defense will need as many back as it can get.
