The Georgia defensive line has been getting called out all season, but Saturday night they answered the bell with a strong performance in a 35-10 win over the Texas Longhorns. Georgia's front four kept pressure on Arch Manning all game and sacked him three times, while holding Texas to 23 yards rushing.
Expect the Bulldogs to move up to fourth in the next college football playoff rankings and a 10th win next Saturday against Charlotte should all but lock up an at large position at worst.
Nick Saban challenged Georgia's defense to step up
The former Alabama coach was doing his weekly spot on the Pat McAfee Show and said that the Bulldogs' pass rush was a concern going into the Texas game.
"The only thing that is Georgia's issue is they don't have a significant pass rusher, and they don't create a lot of negative plays on defense, and they haven't been able to get off the field on third down like they historically have been able and that allowed the other team to keep the ball," Saban said.
It's been tough sledding to find the consistent play along the defensive front for the Bulldogs this season, but when it mattered most, the defensive line came through and kept Manning uncomfortable.
Kirby Smart gives the defensive front credit
In his post-game interview with ESPN/ABC's Laura Rutledge, Smart made mention of the pass-rush issues and joked that it was about time they performed to expectations..
“How about your past rush?" Rutledge asked.
“They got after it didn’t they? It’s about time, nah just kidding," Smart replied.
Was he kidding? Maybe a little. It's easy to be lighthearted after a big win, especially after the coach rolled the dice on a successful onside kick attempt after a touchdown.
But there was also some seriousness to that comment. Smart knows that the defensive line play hasn't been up to Georgia standards this season, and it's something that he and defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann took personally. With the playoffs on the horizon, there's still time to change the narrative and last night was a good start.