With the Bulldogs up 55-0 midway through the fourth quarter and the Red Wolves faced with a fourth down inside Georgia’s redzone, the Bulldogs’ defense was challenged to preserve the shutout.
Arkansas State had a 4th and 5 at the Bulldogs 13-yard line. There was some pre-play chess between Kirby Smart and Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson, with both sides calling time-outs before the snap. The fans remaining inside Sanford Stadium were on their feet in unity, attempting to help the players preserve the shutout. The Red Wolves attempted to throw a fade into the endzone, but freshman defensive back Lewis Cine jumped the route and intercepted the pass. When asked about the stand, Smart said he welcomed the pressure-packed situation.
“It was good for them to have a little anxiety, a little crowd noise, a little ‘Hey, this is important,’ because a lot of those kids may be in the game if somebody goes down.”
Smart was asked for his thoughts on the shutout.
“I want that for them. I want that reward for them,” said Smart. “I want it for the coaching staff. For all the (graduate assistants) who spend countless hours staying up there and game planning for every little thing you could get. You might plan for 1,000 things a week and only get 10 of them. It's nice to walk out of there with a shutout and reward the players who got to play and played to the standard.”
Georgia’s defense didn’t do anything flashy against the Red Wolves. They didn’t score any points and only created one turnover. What they did was have an all-around stout defensive showing. The defensive line plugged gaps. The linebackers swarmed to the ball and made tackles. The defensive backs were breaking up passes left and right. What more could you ask for?
Tyler Clark had a monster showing. The senior defensive tackle made good on his earlier promise of “being back.” He led the team in tackles with five, including 1.5 sacks, which also led the team.
Junior Tyson Campbell showed why he came out on top of the cornerback battle with DJ Daniel during preseason camp. The Plantation, Florida native had three tackles on the day and led the team with three pass breakups. As a whole, the Georgia secondary had eight pass breakups.
Georgia stifled Arkansas State’s typically potent offense, only allowing 220 yards today. The Red Wolves came into the contest averaging 456 yards per game so far this season.
“We played more physical up front, and we were able to play looser coverages and some things to help guys out,” said Smart. “I thought the linebackers added in and did some things that created problems for them and helped us be free to play some different things.”
The players were ecstatic to have completed the shutout, especially the ones who weren’t on the field in the fourth quarter.
“We always emphasize ‘When you’re out there, you’re a starter, so go out there and play to the standard.’ It was awesome,” said Tae Crowder, who finished the game with three tackles, including one for loss. “We just stood up as a defense. Stood tall. And we made it happen.”
Senior safety J.R. Reed was proud of the younger guys, saying they fought for more than just themselves.
“They fought. They fought for us. They fought for something. They fought to have that shutout,” said Reed. “We haven’t had a shutout in a long time, and when you get that it’s just a good feeling.”
