Georgia’s inside linebackers may hold the key to beating Florida
It’s beneficial for Georgia to have a four-deep group of contributors at inside linebacker.
The legs are frequently fresh, and the Bulldogs have plenty of options. But not all of those rotation pieces can be in the starting lineup at once.
“The challenge comes when you’re not out there with the (first team),” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “The other guy wants to be out there and go play. I think they understand that the guys who practice the best will go play. There are changes in rotations we use all the time, and we’re certainly looking for the right matchup.”
Georgia’s inside linebacker unit consists of seniors Juwan Taylor and Natrez Patrick, junior Tae Crowder and sophomore Monty Rice. The Bulldogs continue to recruit strongly at the position and expect significant production from freshmen Channing Tindall and Quay Walker, but those first-year players have played sparingly.
For any given game, it is unknown who will trot out and assume the two spots on the game’s first drive. Patrick said the “me, me, me” mentality isn’t present in position coach Glenn Schumann’s meeting room, but instead they’re able to embrace the changes that occur.
Smart expected there to be a more-rigid rotation within the linebackers as the eighth game of the season nears, but that hasn’t come to be the case for the 6-1 Bulldogs. It’s quite a different dynamic after losing Roquan Smith as a first-round NFL draft pick following last season.
While certain personnel adjustments were made, the expectation has remained constant.
“These are the same goals we’ve always had,” Patrick said. “It doesn’t matter if there is or isn’t a guy. The standard never changes.”
The group has posed itself a challenge — to win the line-of-scrimmage. It failed to do so against LSU as it allowed 275 rushing yards and lost as a result.
It has been the theme for Georgia throughout the past two seasons. If it accumulates more rushing yards than the opponent, it usually wins the game. The same can be said for the Georgia-Florida rivalry, which resumes Saturday (3:30 p.m., CBS).
“Coach Smart showed us a statistic in the Monday meeting,” Patrick said. “The past 10 years, whichever team had more rushing yards has won the game. That just explains it all. This game is going to come down to the front seven.”
It turns out that a rushing yardage advantage has decided the victor in the last 12 matchups between the Bulldogs and the Gators. Due to Georgia’s injuries on the defensive line, the inside linebacker play becomes more important.
“They’re the quarterbacks of the defense and communicate well with all of us,” Georgia defensive tackle Michael Barnett said. “We may see the signal, but if the offensive formation changes, they’re checking on certain things. They’ve got that vocal role, and we’ll be OK if we listen to them and get on the same page.”
This story was originally published October 24, 2018 at 5:15 PM.