Georgia football: 5 quick takeaways from the terrific G-Day game

Georgia football saw its first-string defense step up

There will likely never be another Georgia football defense like 2021, but the 2022 defense picked up where they left off last season during Saturday’s performance.

Guys stepped up at every position and showed that this group could be another top-rated defense. This group won’t be as good as the 2021 one, but they will be elite in their own way.

The Dawgs’ starting defense played on the Red Team, and that group recorded seven tackles for loss, four sacks, eight pass breakups, a blocked kick, and two interceptions.

Those numbers are what we like to see out of this defense, and it’s what Dawg fans have grown to expect.

Jamon Dumas-Johnson led the defense with seven tackles, five solo ones, and two assists. Nolan Smith recorded two of the four quarterback take-downs, and he looked strong. He will be the vocal leader for the Dawgs in 2022, but Dumas-Johnson fell into the role nicely on Saturday.

He looked comfortable running the defense and playing in Nakobe Dean’s position. Another guy who stood out to us was Trezmen Marshall, who caught one of the picks and recorded two pass breakups. He looked a lot healthier and was ready to step up and be a significant contributor.

Jalen Carter is a cheat code when he is on the field, and while he didn’t have big stats today, he bullied Georgia’s offensive line and had one of the sacks. He looked to be in excellent shape and had tunnel vision. Everyone has high expectations for him and should because he is a monster that will be a massive asset for the Dawgs in 2022.

The secondary saw strong moments from Kelee Ringo and Dan Jackson. Both guys recorded pass breakups on big plays, showing their experience to the younger receivers.

This defense met the expectations, and while there is still room for improvement, what we saw on Saturday was a great start.