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Kirby Smart clears air on much-maligned Georgia defensive line
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Kirby Smart clears air on much-maligned Georgia defensive line
ATHENS — Kirby Smart liked the progress the Georgia defensive line made up front last week enough to share warm sentiments.
Comments
The run totals mentioned are deceiving because much of that yardage came on QB runs. If you look back UGA was hurt most by QB runs not the from the traditional running back formations. If you go back and look at the run game yardage you will see that the bulk of the yardage was from the QB position. Either designed QB runs or scrambles. Even the great linemen we had in the 21 and 22 seasons had trouble against the mobile QB's (CJ Stroud). The mobile/athletic QB is just hard to defend. The only real defense is to hit them hard and often to put some trepidation in their minds about ruining.
I agree the QB runs really hurt the Dawgs last year and I believe part of it was because of the defensive philosophy. UGA used the OLB to squeeze inside on read option type plays leaving the outside open. If you watch the games from last year, especially Auburn, the OLB would pinch down on the play fake to the RB and the QB would keep and get to the edge. Traditionally, the OLB or edge player has containment responsibility and forces the play back to the inside, but Smart intentionally has his edge pinch inside to clog up the middle. This requires the MLBs to flow quickly to the outside and make the tackle and that wasn't happening all the time last year. This philosophy worked the past few years with the inside DL getting penetration and forcing everything wide giving the LBs more time to pursue; last year we didn't get the initial penetration and the this gave the QB a shorter edge to get up field. I know, too much geeky football stuff, the bottom line is this can be fixed with better inside play and an adjustment to the defense.