Georgia football: 3 simple keys for the Dawgs’ defense in Miami

Georgia football needs to get more pressure on Michigan’s quarterback

In the first game of the season, Georgia sacked Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei seven times. Perhaps the most impressive thing about that stat was that six different players had at least one sack, proving how much depth the Georgia defense has.

Fast forward to the SEC Championship Game, and the Georgia pass rush was virtually non-existent. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young wasn’t sacked once and often had plenty of time to make a play. He went on to carve up the already banged-up Georgia secondary for over 400 yards passing.

Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara doesn’t throw the ball often because of the dominant Wolverine run game, but he is efficient when he does pass. He has completed 64.6% of his passes, throwing for 2,470 yards, 15 touchdowns, and has only four interceptions on the year.

Unlike Georgia starting quarterback Stetson Bennett, McNamara is not much of a runner, which bodes well for the speedy Georgia edge rushers and linebackers.

This assessment is a lot easier said than done, though. Michigan’s offensive line won the 2021 Joe Moore award, an award given to the nation’s best offensive line. They rank in the top five and ten in almost every o-line category.

Getting to McNamara often will be necessary for the Georgia defense. Even though he likely won’t pass the ball 40-50 times in this game, the Dawgs need to bring the heat and force him into making a mistake whenever he does drop back to pass.