Georgia Football: Who has the edge in coaching at Rose Bowl?
By Mike Stowe
2. Defensive coordinator – Georgia.
Mel Tucker has done an excellent job as UGA defensive coordinator in his 2 short years in Athens. He hasn’t received the credit he deserved until recently when he started being interviewed for head coaching positions. While everyone knows that Kirby Smart’s handprint is on this defense, Tucker is a great coordinator and is more involved with the in-game decision-making with this unit than a lot of people realize.
This isn’t like Oklahoma’s offense where Riley pretty much is the captain of the ship. Smart has his say (he is particularly interested in working with the defensive backs, a position he played himself at UGA), but Tucker does as well. If you have ever had the pleasure to hear Mel Tucker during practice, you will see that his intensity and attitude is transferred to his players.
But recent UGA DCs like Todd Grantham has never been able to make them into a consistent elite unit for a full season. Mel Tucker has changed that. He has this UGA defense ranked number 4 in the nation in total defense. They have allowed an average of 13.2 points per game to opponents, and only 2 games where they allowed an offense to score above 20. Tucker is a great motivator and developer of defensive talent. This defense will be the best unit in the Rose Bowl (yes, that includes the Oklahoma offense).
To be honest, this one isn’t even close. Oklahoma’s defense is probably the worst overall unit in the playoff this season. Mike Stoops is a solid DC, but his unit has struggled to stop most opponents this season. It will be interesting to see if Georgia offense can make him pay in this game.