Leading 40-6 in the fourth quarter of a Sep. 18 game, the Georgia Bulldogs allowed a South Carolina touchdown on a 36-yard pass. Three weeks later, Georgia was up on No. 19 Auburn 24-3 when it gave up a touchdown late in the third quarter.
Those two instances are a comprehensive list of the touchdowns that the Georgia defense has allowed this college football season.
Just two in six games; none of the other 129 FBS teams has allowed fewer than five.
The Bulldogs have a historically good defense. They’re allowing 5.5 points per game, which ranks No. 1 in the NCAA – all divisions – and is half as many as the second-best FBS scoring defenses (12.2 points by Cincinnati and Clemson). For good measure, they also allow an FBS-low 201.2 yards per game.
Kentucky’s offense will have the formidable task of facing the juggernaut on Saturday, when the No. 11 Wildcats, a 23.5-point underdog, visit No. 1 Georgia at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
The 2011 Alabama defense is considered by many to be the best college defense of the past couple of decades, and FiveThirtyEight writer Alex Kirshner says Georgia’s could make a case for that crown.
“Repeatedly, and across different metrics, the picture is clear: 2011 Bama has been the gold standard, and 2021 Georgia is threatening that standing to an unprecedented extent,” Kirshner wrote.
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Aside from the two touchdowns the UGA defense has allowed, the only other touchdown an opposing team scored this season came when UAB, trailing 56-0, returned an interception for a score against the Georgia offense. The Bulldogs have also allowed four total field goals.
Georgia has yet to allow a touchdown when leading by fewer than 21 points, and its defense has actually scored more points (two pick-6s and a safety) than it has yielded.
“They’re the No. 1 team in the country for a reason,” UK quarterback Will Levis said.
UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen noted that the Bulldogs “play physical, play violent,” and receiver Wan’Dale Robinson praised their athleticism.
“Their safeties can run,” Robinson said. “They come downhill really hard. Their corners can run as well. So, just all three levels of their defense is really solid. We just have to be ready to execute on all three levels.”
Georgia permits only 3.56 yards per play, which is the lowest in the nation and on pace to be the third-lowest since 2004. The Bulldogs are unanimously No. 1 in the AP Poll and — despite the fact that UK is also 6-0 overall and 4-0 in the SEC – are the largest favorite of any College GameDay matchup this season.
The Wildcats, however, have a strong defense, too, ranking second in the SEC and 14th in the nation in yards allowed per play (4.61). Georgia, which averages nearly 40 points per game, has outclassed recent opponents, but if UK can hold the Bulldogs near what they scored in their season opener – 10 points against Clemson – the Wildcats will have a shot to score enough to win.
That will require the Wildcats to do something that has proved difficult: score a touchdown or two against Georgia.
“In any game really, you just can’t miss (opportunities). You have to take care of it and strike when you can and when you have the right looks,” Coen said.
Scrambling quarterbacks can prove to be an advantageous wrinkle against an elite defense, and UK’s Levis has established himself as a dual-threat, most recently racking up 75 rushing yards and two touchdowns in UK’s win against LSU. That should behoove UK – but even Auburn’s dual-threat Bo Nix, who ran for 74 yards and a score against LSU, wasn’t able to run for positive yardage against UGA’s daunting defense.
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A big play or two could be a reasonable avenue for success, and even though Georgia hasn’t permitted many plays of chunk yardage, UK has big-play ability, particularly with the explosive Robinson.
Levis nearly connected with Robinson late in the second half against LSU on what would’ve been a 50-yard completion into double coverage, and the Wildcats have shown the ability to execute an offensive play to perfection for a big gain – like on a number of long Chris Rodriguez runs or when a screen pass to Robinson resulted in a 41-yard touchdown against Florida.
“We just need to be smart about the shots that we do take,” Coen said of explosive plays.
UK’s offense has shown the ability to mount long drives, too, and perhaps that’s what it will take against the nation’s No. 1 defense. Georgia does, however, allow the second-fewest first downs of any team in the country.
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Georgia’s good. In fact, the most points a UGA team has allowed this year happened back on April 17, when the ‘Black’ team permitted 28 points in the team’s annual intra-squad scrimmage. The second-most points allowed came that same day, when the ‘Red’ team allowed 23.
In a meaningful game, the most the Bulldogs have surrendered was 13 points, which South Carolina scored thanks to a meaningless touchdown after the game’s outcome was already decided.
Saturday will be a supremely tough task for UK. But this season, the Wildcats have risen to the occasion when challenged.
The Wildcats handled business through their first few games, upset Florida, and held serve against LSU at home. Now, they’re faced with a chance to level up even further against a historically good defense.
“We’re excited to go out there and compete,” Robinson said, “show what our offense can do against that defense.”
Hayes Gardner can be reached at [email protected]; Twitter: @HayesGardner.
