After losing yet another hard-fought battle to perpetual nemesis Alabama, into Athens comes the Kentucky Wildcats. While they should be a much more manageable opponent for the Georgia Bulldogs than the Crimson Tide, just because they have one of the worst offenses in the Power Four does not mean we should be breaking our arms to pat ourselves on the back over any job well done.
Yes, this is 100 percent about Glenn Schumann, Georgia's Tom Smykowski of a defensive coordinator. What exactly does he do here? We have no earthly idea, but he is the apple of head coach Kirby Smart's eye for some reason. Maybe he loves cleaning up his messes like Fido would create at home? Well, the man has been working for Smart for a decade and he is not progressing as his coordinator.
With Bush Hamdan's Kentucky offense mostly stuck in neutral, this is not the game to give Schumann infinite praise should Georgia do what it does when it plays the Wildcats. This is an annual beatdown for Mark Stoops' team, as they have never beaten the Dawgs since he took over. With Auburn coming up, that might be a better litmus test for if Schumann has it cut out to remain a defensive coordinator.
Let's just say a Schumann pander fest after Saturday's game shall be the death of this year's team.
Even in a blowout, let's not praise Glenn Schumann after Kentucky game
So how bad is Kentucky's offense? Well, ESPN's Billy Connelly ranked the Wildcats quarterbacking tandem of Cutter Boley and Zach Calzada as the worst in the Power Four. All 67 other teams at the level of competition have put forth better combined quarterbacking efforts over the first month of the season than Kentucky. Again, stopping Kentucky through the air is nothing to write home about.
If we do want to give praise to a well-done job defensively, let's start with the players first. After all, they are the ones tasked with making plays whenever they are out on the field. After that, it might make sense to praise other position coaches. For example, if the pass rush finally comes alive and the defensive line looks tasty vs. a usually strong Kentucky offensive line, give Tray Scott his flowers.
Ultimately, the only way that Georgia gets back to being Georgia in terms of an overall sense of dominance from a national perspective is to upgrade their two coordinators of note. That would require Kirby Smart telling one of his best friends in Mike Bobo that his services are no longer needed. It would also require Smart cutting ties with a promising protege bud that never blossomed.
If Schumann wants to keep earning his big paycheck, he has to make it count vs. better opponents.