Georgia Football needs great play from the STAR position this week

The Georgia Football team is going to take on an explosive offense this week in Missouri and an unheralded part of its defense will need to play well.

The STAR position in Kirby Smart’s defense is one of the most important roles on the field. In Smart’s first season, that spot was manned by transfer Mo Smith, who is currently playing for the Miami Dolphins. Throughout last season, the spot was manned by Aaron Davis, another veteran and highly intelligent cornerback. Against teams like Missouri who can throw the ball around a lot, this position really matters, even if most observers don’t seem to notice it.

Emmanuel Hall and Nate Brown will patrol the perimeter although Brown is likely the fourth option in this offense. He has the size to cause problems for outside receivers but has yet to really show that he can take over and win a game. Hall is the true weapon and has already scored 3 TD’s while averaging over 23 yards per catch this year. He’s a dynamic playmaker but Georgia has the guys on the outside to handle him. Deandre Baker will likely be lined up on Hall for most of the game and should be able to limit his production.

It’s the inside receivers that could cause Georgia some real problems. Johnathan Johnson has already scored 3 TD’s from the slot for Missouri this season. He also had better stats than any Georgia receiver last year and he’s probably the Tigers third catching option. Albert Okwuegbunam was a threat all season to score from the tight end position. He became Drew Lock’s safety blanket in the red zone and scored 11 TD’s in 2017. That’s a whole lot of TD’s from a tight end and he’s added another two already this season.

It’s going to fall on the STAR position to guard these two players. William Poole has been an understated success so far this season. We haven’t heard much said about him and when you’re playing Nickel that’s normally a good thing. It means that you aren’t getting beaten consistently and that seems to be the case with Poole. He’s done a solid job of holding slot receivers to limited success. Look no further than week two when he held Shi Smith to just 2 catches for 11 yards.

But Poole won’t be able to do it alone. He will likely be the one guarding Johnson, but he’s not going to be able to do much against the 6-5 255lb Okwuegbunam. Last year, the Dawgs had Lorenzo Carter play in the STAR position against TE’s and he did a very good job. This year, it will be Walter Grant who will likely get the assignment of covering Okwuegbunam. The other potential option is DeAngelo Gibbs who has been Poole’s backup this season. While being behind Poole on the depth chart, Gibbs does have more size and could matchup against Okwuegbunam in certain sets.

All of these players are sophomores and it’s a tough ask for them to step up against two of the better players Missouri has. The Dawgs, however, have little choice. With Roquan Smith now gone, they just don’t have the ILB’s to be able to cover an explosive tight end. Smith could take players like this out of a game, but without him, it will fall to Grant, Poole, and Gibbs.

With so much youth, this position is a rare vulnerability in an otherwise strong team and Missouri does have the players to make UGA pay. If the Dawgs STAR’s deliver a solid performance like they did against South Carolina, then Georgia can shut down Mizzou’s offense. If they don’t, then it could be a very long day for UGA with Drew Lock taking their defense apart. A lot is riding on a position group that most observers don’t even notice on the field. As a former defensive back himself, Kirby Smart probably wouldn’t have it any other way.