The full pads don’t go on until Thursday, but already defensive coordinator Dan Lanning said the Bulldogs’ offense is proving a challenge for his unit to try and contain.

“One of the goals coming into fall camp was to create that competitive atmosphere on both sides of the ball,” Lanning said. “I’d say they’ve certainly won some, and we’ve certainly won some, but it’s fun when you have a side of the ball that’s really talented. I think Coach (Todd)Monken and his side of the ball do a phenomenal job of getting those guys ready to play. They’re doing a lot of things that stress us defensively which is good. I’d rather see that now than when we get to the season.”

Per Lanning, Georgia’s offense is not only strong in depth, but boasts a bevy of explosive players sure to give any opposing defense a difficult time.

Of course, it starts with quarterback JT Daniels. Lanning said the Bulldog quarterback has performed just the way one would expect him to. But he’s not alone.

“JT is obviously an operator,” Lanning said. “They have a lot of talent in the backfield there, and we're excited to see some young guys step up on the other side of the ball and stretch us vertically. Really attack a lot of pieces that are tough for us on defense. It’s a good group to go against.”

Count Georgia’s tight ends and perimeter players among those earning early kudos.

According to Lanning, one aspect that sometimes goes overlooked about the Bulldogs’ receivers is that they combined excellent size to go along with very good speed.

In the case of sophomore tight end Darnell Washington, his development as a receiver is also a factor. Lanning expects Washington will give opponents some serious problems through the fall.

“All those tight ends and wideouts we have obviously creates a lot of issues. We’ve got of big bodies who can go down and catch the ball in space. I think the biggest thing is they make contested catches and they run really, really well,” Lanning said. “For Darnell being a guy who is over 270 and able to move like he moves is pretty impressive with a big catch radius. Even when you’re playing tight coverage, that may not be enough, so that’s something we’re battling every day and it’s good for us to go against those guys in practice.”

Lanning welcomes all the good looks his defense can get.

With the opener in Charlotte against Clemson, the Bulldogs will face what very well could be the best offense they face the entire season.

In an era where up-tempo offenses are now the norm, defenses are finding it harder and harder to keep up.

Still, if the Bulldogs want to accomplish all their goals, Lanning knows it’s going to be important for his defense to be able to dictate the course of the upcoming 12 regular season games as much as possible.

“I think one of the things that Coach (Kirby) Smart has been able to do is, we adapt the way we practice. Before, you’d run a play, coaches would come back to the huddle, coach up the player on what technique they did wrong, then go out, set up the next play, and run it,” Lanning said. “Now, with fastball, tempo offenses, Coach creates those periods within practice, makes our guys communicate fast, and a lot of times you’re coaching off film, but it makes them react, go faster, and think. Defensive football is all about trying to recreate what you see in-game during practice, and Coach has done a good job of simulating those situations.”