D-line provides hope, stability for Georgia’s defense
The return of John Jenkins at noseguard gives Georgia's defense reason for hope. (UGA photo by Jim Hipple)
ATHENS – We know that Georgia will be missing a lot of pieces from its defense in the early going this coming season. But the Bulldogs won’t be missing some primary parts in the middle and that’s a big thing.
Pun intended.
Big John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers are back to man the middle from the noseguard position this fall. Not only are they present and accounted for this spring — by all accounts, they’ve managed to avoid the suspension bug that has been going around – but they’ve been playing at a high level.
“John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers are really, really coming on,” Georgia defensive line coach Rodney Garner said. “I’ve got to stay onto them about fundamentals and about steps, pad level, hand placement and just little things. . . . We may not be quite there, but I’ve been very, very, pleased with both kids.”
It can’t be overstated how important it is to have a large, athletic presence in the heart of Georgia’s 3-4 defense. Not only is it needed to create some penetration in the middle of the line, it’s critical to tie up blockers, which in turn frees up stunting and blitzing linebackers. Jenkins and Geathers were able to fill that bill nicely this past season.
Geathers (6-foot-6, 350 pounds) started the first four games, Jenkins (6-3, 343) started seven and the two players rotated liberally on the way to 42 combined tackles. By the end of the year Jenkins was dominant and finished with six tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks.
Georgia also returns senior starter Abry Jones at defensive end/tackle. But depth is an issue outside and a battle is on for the spot opposite Jones. Junior Garrison Smith is the heir apparent but the Bulldogs moved Cornelius Washington and Ray Drew down from outside linebacker in search of quality depth.
“It’s a transition,” said Washington, who said he now weighs more than 280 pounds. “I’m not going to say it’s the easiest thing in the world because it’s not. But I’m just trying to get used to it, trying to develop my skills at the different spots.”
Said Garner: “Obviously, the closer you get to the ball the more physical it is and the faster things happen. . . . I think the biggest thing is the physicality part of it, you know, they’re making that adjustment. But I definitely think there’s some guys there that can make it happen.”
Meanwhile, sophomore Mike Thornton (6-1, 287) has moved inside to back up Jenkins and Geathers as “a changeup” at nose.
“He just has an unfortunate deal in that he’s playing behind probably two of the biggest athletic men in college football,” Garner said of Thornton, a former AJC Super 11 selection out of Stone Mountain. “But I think Mike is getting better; I think he’s improving, I think he definitely has a role here on this team and will be a solid guy for us.”
As for the attrition the defense has had to endure — seven defensive players have been suspended, dismissed or transferred this year — Jenkins said nobody’s losing sleep over it.
“Man, to be honest with you, that stuff that’s going on, I try to be positive about it,” he said. “What happened, happened. Those suspensions are there. It’s not like we can just walk around with our heads down and be angry. The younger guys have got to get ready and look at it as an opportunity to step up. You can’t be annoyed or aggravated. It’s a team thing. At the end of the daywe’ve got to play.
NOTES: The Bulldogs practice was shortened Tuesday due to heavy thunderstorms that swept through about two-thirds of the way through their workout. They were able to finish inside the multi-purpose facility. . . . Offensive lineman Dallas Lee (concussion), tailback Keith Marshall (pulled hamstring) and Drew (illness), were absent from practice. Tailback Richard Samuel also was not in attendance during the open periods but no one could say why. . . . Wide receiver Rantavious Wooten (leg) and linebacker Amarlo Herrera (shoulder) practiced in non-contact jerseys. . . . Former Bulldogs Akeem Dent (Atlanta Falcons) and Darryl Gamble (San Diego Chargers) attended Tuesday’s practice. . . . Also in attendance was former UGA line coach and UAB head coach Neil Callaway.
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121 comments Add your comment
UGADawg91
April 4th, 2012
10:36 am
@DIT – I agree! Can really do without all the nonsense.
I think the D will be fine. Yeah, we will be missing 3 Sr DBs and that will hurt. But the front 7 is in place except Ogletree but Herrera, Gilliard, Robinson should be able to handle that loss. Gilliard and Robinson are Srs adn Herrera got a lot of reps as a true freshman last year. Still got Jarvis and Washington getting after the QB. I expect Mizzou will come out passing all over the place with the situation in the secondary. Swann and Moore are young but a lot of talent. Mitchell was one of the highest rated CBs coming out of HS so talent is there too. Now they just have to go out and play but the DL and Jarvis have to get after the QB. Give the young guys some help up front and pound the ball with all the RBs. UGA should be fine until the D gets all the guys back.
DIT
April 4th, 2012
10:39 am
Maybe we can trade a couple of receivers for a couple of your defensive backs……
Crap, I might have just stirred up a hornets nest with some other posters… for them, it was a joke.
Noticed that is a pretty young group of receivers. Heck, I think Spurrier could have a bunch of midgets as receivers and still figure out a way to make them effective.
It should be a loud and fun game! To me, Knoxville might be larger, but Columbia is louder.
DIT
April 4th, 2012
10:43 am
@UGADawg91
I agree about Mizzou spreading it out and passing it everywhere. Hopefully a couple of knocks on their QB from Jarvis will rattle him a good bit. I hear he’s a pretty good QB. I also heard that they lost a good bit of thier O-Line as well. Have you heard? If so, our front 7 should have a big day!
I wish I could head out to that game, but schedule restraints keeps me from doing so.
How many out there are going to Mizzou for the game?
bham dawg
April 4th, 2012
10:55 am
The front 7 should be very dominant again this year. Hopefully they can keep us in the Mizzou game with all the suspensions in the secondary. On another note: 2013 WR Justin Wyatt was a practice yesterday and he said, “This year it looks like they are running a lot more shotgun sets, and throwing it around a lot, so I liked that.” I’m glad we impressed the young prospect but i don’t find this statement very encouraging. This tells me that they are not expecting the o-line to push anyone around. Power running and dominant defense wins in the sec.
DawginLex
April 4th, 2012
11:01 am
Would love to see our OL get good enough to consistently run the ball and allow our team to shift from pass first.
This would place the emphasis on the defense, the best part of the team, to keep the game close and we could grind out the clock.
Also, takes heat off of Murray to try and be wonderboy and reduces the possibility for his mistakes where he tries to do too much.
Somehow, this comment will get interpreted as me drinking kool aid because:
1.)I didn’t say Mason was better
2.)i didn’t say fire Richt
3.)I didn’t say McGarity is an idiot
4.)I didn’t say fire Bobo
DIT
April 4th, 2012
11:10 am
“This tells me that they are not expecting the o-line to push anyone around.”
Yeah, that kind of tells me the same thing.
@DawginLex – Somehow, this comment will get interpreted as me drinking kool aid because:
SO true. I have just come to the conclussion to not involve the negative posters on here.
Unfortunatley I have noticed more and more Dawg posters being negative towards other teams that attracts the people from Bama etc.. to do the same to us. I can’t fault them for that.
I get tired of the Saban bashing from UGAer’s. I’m not crazy about him, but he’s not hiding anyting about his recruiting tactics so I put more of the blame on the recruits & parents if the scholly is pulled more than I would Saban. The guy can flat out coach though.
tide roll
April 4th, 2012
11:11 am
O-Line provides no hope, instability for Uga’s offense.
DIT
April 4th, 2012
11:17 am
I also have to say that Murray needs to mature much more coming into this season. I think he has all the tools to be a great QB. He has a ton of talent! He needs to learn to protect the ball more and as you said Lex, “stop trying to be wonderboy.”
That stuff works in HS, but not college. I look for the offense to spread everything out and hit on passes 5 to 20 yards. Kind of like the West Coast Montana offense.
DawginLex
April 4th, 2012
11:25 am
tide roll
robot roll call on the Tech blog
They are waiting on you
WE ALL KNOW YOU ARE A TECH FAN HIDING BEHIND A BAMA NAME AND SPEWING YOUR ALL BLACK RACIST AGENDA
You don’t even know who Bama’s offensive linemen are and where they went to high school and what color their skin is or you would not say things like
UGA’s White Private School Posse
Where did Bama’s Outland Trophy winner attend high school?
What color is his skin?
2 NCs in 3 years
April 4th, 2012
11:27 am
Georgia’s d-line? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH!!!!!!
DIT
April 4th, 2012
11:29 am
Don’t even give him the time of day Lex. It’s all he/she is looking to do is try and get a rise out of someone. You’re better than that!
bham dawg
April 4th, 2012
11:29 am
@Tide Roll… considering we haven’t seen the new O-line perform with the exception of Gates and Burnette who are very solid lineman and a few others in spot duty, it is very hard to say they provide no hope. Let’s see them play a few games before you say there’s no hope. That’s like saying bama has no hope on defense because you replace so many starters. We all know that’s not true becasue their are studs waiting for their oppertunity to play. But we haven’t seen them so there’s no hope.
2 NCs in 3 years
April 4th, 2012
11:30 am
Bama’s outland trophy winner Barrett Jones is the son of former Alabama basketball guard Rex Jones and is from Brentwood, TN. He is Alabama’s 3rd Outland Trophy winner in the past 13 years joining Chris Samuels and Andre Smith. So when is the last Outland trophy the dawgs won?
DIT
April 4th, 2012
11:37 am
Good point bham dawg.
I’m going to reserve my opinions on the O-Line until after the Mizzou game. We all know they are young, inexperienced and green. A good off season can help them out if they take advantage of it. Good thing is that they all know they have a chance to play so the competition should be intense!
Paddy
April 4th, 2012
11:43 am
I know I am in the minority here, but I think our O-Line will be a point of pride for this 2012 team. I know it will be better than what we have seen the past 2 seasons!
Dawg Haus
April 4th, 2012
11:46 am
Paddy, you never know. I think Coach Friend was a good hire and totally agree with his philosophy on building athletic linemen instead of just plugging gigantic monsters in there and hoping they know what to do.
bham dawg
April 4th, 2012
11:46 am
Bill Stanfill
DIT
April 4th, 2012
11:47 am
@Paddy – I hope you are right and I eat my words!
DawginLex
April 4th, 2012
11:47 am
2 NCs in 3 years
April 4th, 2012
11:30 am
Bama’s outland trophy winner Barrett Jones is the son of former Alabama basketball guard Rex Jones and is from Brentwood, TN. He is Alabama’s 3rd Outland Trophy winner in the past 13 years joining Chris Samuels and Andre Smith. So when is the last Outland trophy the dawgs won?
***************
That wasn’t my point you blithering idiot
bham dawg
April 4th, 2012
11:48 am
sometime in the late 60s
Alabama | MrSEC
April 4th, 2012
11:53 am
[...] in a row, Florida’s spring game won’t actually be a game.13. Georgia’s D-line is providing hope and stability (while the secondary’s in a shambolic state).14. Freshman tailback Keith Marshall will be [...]
The Tide is rolling and nothing can stop it
April 4th, 2012
12:20 pm
Georgia has a good defense…based on what FACT?
Dave
April 4th, 2012
12:22 pm
I had heard from a rabid SC fan on my tennis team that Latimore’s rehab wasn’t going well at all. Wonder how much truth there is in that. It’s really a shame because the kid is a beast and UGA hasn’t had much success stopping him in his two years. He’s just a men among boys in most games.
BIGame
April 4th, 2012
1:07 pm
SCs offense will have several new starters specifically at OL and WR. We have some strong new O-lineman. WR is a big question mark!
IF Shaq Roland is the real deal, the O should be better than last year. The RB core is good enough to keep a balanced attack to allow Conner to sling it around.
Kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
1:39 pm
Ok I admit I had a melt-down yesterday. I’m tired of All Trolls except GT Trolls, which I don’t have to explain why. Most not all bamma posters are arrogant Narcissus tools who have no class. GA.fans are leaving blog sites because of constant attacks and I for one am fed-up with it. I don’t try to deminish their school and they need to get off mine. I’ll fight for my school on the field, the blog, the bar, the street or in Heaven or H*ll. Yesterday, today or tomorrow. Sorry, I’m doing it again …
Dawg Haus
April 4th, 2012
1:57 pm
Speaking of the D-line, Marc Weiszer wrote a good piece on Cornelius Washington yesterday:
http://dogbytesonline.com/ugas-washington-adds-flexibility-to-dogs-defense-with-work-at-defensive-end-56807/
Kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
1:58 pm
Trolls, keep thinking what you want. Your QB and RBs are going to have a very, very bad day when we play. If CMR FIXES S/TS and we can stem the flow of suspensions and transfers, I’d bet the farm on Murray having a huge year behind these RBs, OL, TEs and WRs he has at his disposal. I don’t even think Bobo can mess it up now that Carlton did the right thing and left. Yeah, I said it…
Dawg Haus
April 4th, 2012
2:04 pm
Agreed, Kingdaddy. Let’s just hope Bobo doesn’t become too fond of sending Harton up the middle now.
Kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
2:45 pm
Dawg haus
LOL. Even a broke clock is right twice a day…
Airstriker
April 4th, 2012
3:06 pm
In 2011, UGA coughed up a lot of points against every good team.
For example, against teams that finished in the top 25:
35 to Boise
45 points to South Carolina
42 to LSU
35 to Mich St.
Most of these teams scored ABOVE THEIR average against UGA.
Guys need to learn how to tackle, on defense, punt return, and kick return, the technique is very poor.
And the defense needs to learn how to put together stops in the red zone. Ranking last in the SEC there is not good, basically coughed up 21 td’s, in 28 red zone attemps. HORRIBLE!
BigTimeTechFan
April 4th, 2012
3:11 pm
UGA’s DL should be awesome this year.
Washington will dominate if he stays healthy, I think he’ll be best DE in the Country.
But Tech OL will handle them for 48 – 13 win over UGA
DawginLex
April 4th, 2012
3:13 pm
48-13 TECH
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FUNNIEST THING I HAVE EVER READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
3:25 pm
Dawg Haus
Instead of 2 up the gut with Harton and then Murray throwing an interception on third an 10 to a packed secondary, how about Harton up the gut twice, and then PUNT on THIRD DOWN! If Bobos gonna give it away, maybe we can get some positive y yards out of it and maybe a turnover! !!
Kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
3:32 pm
Trolls
Save your advice for helping your boyfriends dress themselves. GA. doesn’t need your help. We know you have our best interest at heart. LOL …
WDE
April 4th, 2012
3:43 pm
One thing about the OL is newbies or not they are getting some good reps against as good a DL as they are likely to face in the regular season. Trying to stop Jenkins and Geathers all day every day will make a man out of a boy pretty quickly.
DawginLex
April 4th, 2012
3:58 pm
Only an idiot would throw Neil Callaway under the bus for failing as a head coach at UAB and not see that he was in Athens to visit his friend Coach Richt.
I guess if the shoe fits though……………
dawgfan
April 4th, 2012
4:30 pm
“One thing about the OL is newbies or not they are getting some good reps against as good a DL as they are likely to face in the regular season.”
Are they? I’m not so sure about that. I’m sure they get a few shots at them in a scrimmage but probably not every day. We had Geathers and Jenkins last year too and our O-line was still soft as linen. I bet Geathers and Jenkins dominate them so bad that the offense can’t get any work done in practice so they don’t do it very often. They ought to make every single one of our O-linemen go one on one with Jenkins EVERY DAY. That would toughen them up. They’re too busy working on their “footwork” and “hands” though. Its more like Dancing with the Stars for our O-line at practice than SEC football.
Thanks.
DawginLex
April 4th, 2012
4:42 pm
dawgfan
Thanks for the practice update. how is the weather in Athens?
i figure you must be standing on the sidelines
Right?
kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
4:45 pm
DawginLex
Look at the source. Don’t you remember, bad-dawg-bad-dawg. Now you go lay down in the corner and be a good dawg… To the trolls, the only good doggie is one that hates his school. Even if you don’t like Richt,you never side with the enemy or turn against your school. The grass is not always greener on the other side and TROLLS DO-NOT have your best intrest at heart! Stat-trolls all say,” You’re defense gave up 40 pts per loss to winning programs!” What they leave out is Not-so-Special-Teams play and Offensive Turnovers in their Red-Zone, doesn’t count against the defense…You got that? Don’t believe trolls because they are the DEB-BELL…LOL
kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
4:56 pm
Hey, going against Jones, Thornton(a real mean hand-ful), Washington and the Rev., is not a Sunny-day eating chilli-dawgs at Grant Park. Throw-in our LBs and it ain’t all about Geathers and Big Bad John! Doggies are in for a HUGE-FUN YEAR. Don’t believe the Trolls, cause Trolls be Trolling…
DawginLex
April 4th, 2012
4:57 pm
great waterboy references
dawgfan
April 4th, 2012
4:57 pm
DawginLex, I’m only drawing conclusions from the results that I have seen on the field for the past 4 seaons. Based on the way our O-line gets tossed around like a rag doll by the better teams on our schedule I believe its highly unlikely they are facing Jenkins and Geathers in practice everyday. That’s all.
Thanks.
kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
5:19 pm
Dawgfan
You ever heard Dwight Yoakams song ” Things Change”? Nothing remains the same and Nobody wins all the time,( except Baylors Womens basketball team”)!!!
Dawg Haus
April 4th, 2012
5:19 pm
Loving your 3:25 post, Kingdaddy!
kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
5:48 pm
I’d rather have young,lean,strong OLs, than Big Fat Linemen who get tired because they’re not in shape. Our NEW OL will be fine if Coach Bobo has any, I mean ANY IMAGINATION. DO NOT RUN UP THE GUT UNTIL THEY’RE TIRED CHASING YOU AROUND THE ENDS. Use two Tight End sets with A. Lynch at full back. Roll-out and screen passes. Use your brain Bobo, NO RUNNING UP THE GUT!!!
kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
5:51 pm
Thanks DawgHaus
Now I’m blushing.lol…
kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
5:58 pm
Going to see Alison Krauss and Union Station at Johnny Mercer Theater tonight,YEE-HAAA! Working on a Concerto Buzz-o…
kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
6:12 pm
I’m glad the Alabama trolls left this site. NOTHING COULD BE FINER— good post today! We need different opinions that are constructive critisisim. We don’t need “We’re the best and everybody else S~x!”. Good boy Finer, now sit…
BoaTime
April 4th, 2012
6:20 pm
My take is our D-Line got its’ lunch ate last year.
Sure, dominated little teams like Coastal Carolina Big deal.
But, let’s look at performance against ranked teams, and see how the defense ranked in the conference in 2011:
Good:
2nd in 3rd down conversions
4th in interceptions
Bad:
12th, Sacks
10th tackles for loss
7th rush defense
12th, fumbles recovered
11th in defensive scoring
12th in red zone scoring percentage (let them score 90% in red zone)
12th in td % in red zone (let them score td’s 65%)
Basically, it was one of the worst defenses in the conference in just about every area, when you look at real competition.
UGA d-line got DOMINATED by LSU, Boise, Mich St, and South Carolina.
kingdaddy
April 4th, 2012
6:36 pm
Ga. Did good until defense got tired as any defense would that makes a stop, gives it to offense just to watch Murray and company cough it up and give it right back, so the defense got no time to rest. Go away troll, your stats don’t tell the whole story. You are not a Doggie…