Last Saturday’s opener against Austin Peay didn’t provide third-ranked Georgia much of a challenge. The secondary in particular was only called upon to defend 21 Governor passes.
That won’t be the case for Georgia in this weekend’s game at South Carolina. Quarterback Jake Bentley and a host of quality receivers figure to give the Bulldogs’ young defensive backfield a huge early test.
“They're big, they're physical. They throw the ball vertically down the field. I think Jake Bentley does a tremendous job of throwing the touch passes, throwing fade routes, throwing vertical patterns; and they catch them at a high percentage,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “I think if you look back over the last few games, they've hit a lot of those long balls, and they have big wide-outs to do it with. They're committed to the run game to the point where you can't sit there and cover up the pass the whole time. So they take their shots and you have to cover them.”
Senior corner Deandre Baker and junior safety J.R. Reed obviously have plenty of experience and are two of the better players at their respective positions in the SEC.
Elsewhere, it’s a ton of youth. This fall marks the first extensive action for sophomores William Poole, Richard LeCounte, Deangelo Gibbs, and Mark Webb. Redshirt freshman Eric Stokes and true freshman Tyson Campbell will be playing in just their second collegiate game, and first in a hostile SEC environment.
So far, however, Smart likes what he’s seen, especially at corner where Campbell made his first career start last week. He's expected to do so again against the Gamecocks.
“I feel a lot better about where we are at corner right now than I did at times in the past,” Smart said. “They just need to go play. They're going to have to play well this week, because they (South Carolina) have some really good wide-outs."
All-American candidate Deebo Samuel gets most of the ink for South Carolina, and rightfully so, but the Gamecocks also have Bryan Edwards (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) and former Georgia commit Randrecous Davis. Both Edwards and Davis know how to get deep. Both caught touchdown passes in last week’s win over Coastal Carolina.
Reed said, “They kind of remind me of our team with the receivers, running backs, and smart quarterback they have. They have really big receivers and they have a lot of speed. Especially from what you see from Deebo (Samuel). He is a very big and physical receiver. He is one of the top wideouts in the SEC. Jake Bentley reminds me a lot of Jake Fromm. He is very smart, a great competitor, and will play really hard out there for his team. It’s going to be a good game. We can’t make any mistakes back there in the secondary, but as long as we stay in communication, we’ll have a great game.”
No doubt Bentley will try and test the freshman Campbell, who last week made three tackles and broke up one pass.
Smart believes, however, that the former five-star will be ready.
“He communicated well. I think he got settled down more as the game went on. He's got a lot of speed. He's got a lot of toughness. He's a competitor. He hadn't been in the environment he's going to be in Saturday, but a lot of teams across the country have young DB players; the only way they grow up is to go play,” Smart said. “So, he needs to do that. And we've got other guys that can roll in and play. Eric Stokes came in and played well. So, did Mark Webb.”
Defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter agreed.
“The first game is always a big moment. You’re nervous, you’re anxious, but I thought he was able to shake all that off and play well,” Ledbetter said. “He made some tackles and had good coverage. It was not his best game, but he’s only going to go up from here.” Having an experienced quarterback like Bentley obviously makes Georgia’s job even tougher.
“There are games I've watched Bentley play over the years, it seems like 30 games now—seeing the kid in the game, understanding it. Whether it was on TV or watching him on tape, it comes down to a two-minute situation. You like having a coach on the field,” Smart said. “He's more athletic than you give him credit for. He scrambles for first downs when things are covered. He handles pressure well. He knows where to go with the ball. He's unbelievable in the RPO game.
"I mean, he's a really good quarterback, and as an offensive coordinator, it's a lot easier to call the game when you've got a guy you know makes good decisions with the ball. That’s what he does best."
