Georgia secondary seeking better play against Tennessee

Georgia has several areas in need of improvement going into Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. game with Tennessee. While the list of things to fix isn’t short, the team’s secondary is very likely its primary concern.

In two SEC games, the Bulldogs have allowed 706 passing yards on a secondary that was the best in the nation statistically one year ago. Not only did Missouri and Mississippi pile up passing yards on Georgia, but they did so via big plays several times. In those two games alone, Georgia allowed 16 passes of 15 yards or more.

It’s no secret that Georgia needs to see major improvements in pass coverage in a game against Tennessee that will be pivotal for both teams’ chances of winning the SEC East.

“It's another challenge for us to go up and make some plays and get some guys in the game that can compete and fight to make the plays down the field,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “Ultimately, you're going to be in those opportunities, those situations where you've got to win some one-on-one battles out there. We’ve got do a better job of doing that.”

The defensive backs have struggled to explain what exactly has gone wrong for a unit that did a lot of things right in 2015.

Safety Aaron Davis explained that eye discipline has been a huge issue so far this season and that the players needed to follow through on the fundamentals more than they had. Safety Quincy Mauger echoed those ideas, saying that everyone involved had to do a better job reading the keys of the opposing offense and tackling better.

Mauger said he was happy with the defensive backs’ responses this week on the practice field after what was a poor showing in Mississippi.

“Everybody's been very focused,” Mauger said. “Every game is important. This game (against Tennessee) is our main focus.”

Based on the team’s practices this week, one piece in the secondary puzzle has changed. Sophomore cornerback Juwuan Briscoe did not run drills with the first-team in preparation for the Tennessee game, being replaced by fellow sophomore Deandre Baker. Baker came in for Malkom Parrish in the loss to Ole Miss and recorded three total tackles. On his weekly radio show Thursday, Smart said Briscoe was “dinged up,” which led to lesser reps.

“(Baker) did a good job,” Smart said. “He didn't get a lot of balls thrown his way. It's not one that he played so great; he just didn't get tried. We're trying those guys every day out there right now, testing them and trying to make sure they can make plays.”

If the 5-foot-11 Baker does start Saturday, he’ll face a tough task. The Volunteers have several stout wide receivers, as four of the players on their two-deep at the position are at least 6-foot-3.

The size difference between the opposing receivers and Georgia’s defensive backs has been a topic of discussion in the past two weeks. So far, the Bulldogs have struggled with not letting that obstacle get the best of them.

In Mauger’s eyes, the challenge just comes with the territory of playing in this conference.

“It's the SEC,” Mauger said. “Every team in the SEC, and even in the ACC, they all have their big factors in the wide receiver corps. Tennessee is a great team, and we've got to be very sound all across the board.”

Georgia’s season is still relatively young, which means the consensus on the secondary’s ability can change. But the unit’s task each Saturday won’t get much easier, considering the slate of games that the Bulldogs will soon face as part of conference play.

The Tennessee game is the defensive backs’ next chance to show whether or not the promise at practice yields results in Sanford Stadium.

“We're going to get tested every week,” Mauger said. “It's physical, hard football. You've just got to love it.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 11:16 AM with the headline "Georgia secondary seeking better play against Tennessee."