Georgia Bulldogs full team grades after first third of 2014

Sep 27, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back

(1) is tackled by Georgia Bulldogs defensive end

(58) linebacker

(51) and linebacker

(59) during the first quarter at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

RUSHING DEFENSE: B

Yards Allowed Per Game: 107
National Rank: 25th

On the whole, the Bulldogs have done a good job stopping the run. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of a bad secondary is that linebackers are forced to drop back into coverage more often, and aren’t able to move up and plug gaps on the line.

The Dawgs get an A in stopping runs to the edge however. Teams that try to stretch out sweeps have been stopped cold for the most part. The Volunteers did run a successful double-revers against Georgia, but that was a well-designed and executed play. Few defenses would have sniffed that one out.

The front seven needs to do more in terms of getting tackles for loss in the run game, and turn these 2-3 yard gains into negative numbers. But that’s in a perfect world.

Overall, you can’t be unhappy with how the run has been defended. We’ll see how it holds up as the Bulldogs take on some tougher opponents who both pass and run the ball well.