New Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt had the same role last season at Florida State, which won the national championship.
University of Georgia NCAA college football coach Mark Richt speaks to members of the media in Athens, Ga., in this file photo.Georgia football coach Mark Richt insisted his secondary under first-year defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt was improving, even after the Bulldogs surrendered 264 passing yards and three aerial touchdowns to Tennessee's Justin Worley on Sept. 27.
The two performances since would indicate that's indeed the case.
After allowing 188 passing yards to Vanderbilt in a 44-17 romp on Oct. 4, the Bulldogs held Missouri to 97 yards through the air in last Saturday's 34-0 skunking. Georgia had an interception for a touchdown against the Commodores and picked off four passes against the Tigers.
"I think the communication in the back end is getting better and better," Richt said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. "I just think they're understanding more of what Pruitt wants back there, and they're doing a good job of getting everybody on the same page. Every once in a while it may not be exactly what you've practiced, but if everybody communicates and is coordinated, you're still sound in what you do.
"The problem is when one guy thinks you're playing one thing and another guy thinks you're playing something else. That's when things get crazy."
The Bulldogs have not allowed a single reception or rush this season of 40 or more yards, and they are the only Bowl Subdivision team to accomplish that feat. Georgia surrendered 13 such gains last season, including Nebraska's 99-yard touchdown connection in the Gator Bowl.
"We know that when we communicate we execute," junior defensive end Sterling Bailey told reporters Tuesday. "Every day and every week, we're getting better little by little."
Pruitt, incidentally, has employed six different starting lineups in six games.
"We're figuring it out, and it's mostly trying to find the right guys," Richt said. "There are certain styles of play where you may want a bigger, thicker linebacker or defensive lineman to handle more of a pounding team than a team that likes to play a lot of three- or four-wide-receiver sets."
No change on Gurley
Richt was asked multiple questions Tuesday regarding the status of Todd Gurley, who remains indefinitely suspended while the university looks into whether the junior tailback was paid for signing memorabilia.
"If there is something worthy of reporting, then we'll report it," he said. "Other than that, we're focusing on things that we can control right now."
Richt admitted that Gurley is getting some reps at tailback this week but that those reps could decrease later in the week if his status remains undetermined. He reiterated that the game plan won't change, just like it wasn't altered this time last year when Gurley was sidelined by a high-ankle sprain.
Size disadvantage?
The Bulldogs made an effort in the offseason to slim down linemen on both sides of the ball. At 300 pounds, senior tackle Toby Johnson is the heaviest member of Georgia's defensive front, which could look diminutive Saturday afternoon compared to an Arkansas offensive line that averages 328 pounds.
Arkansas has the largest offensive line in football, college or pro.
"If you're quick and strong and sound in what you do, I think you can create problems for guys who are big," Richt said. "If you get covered up, you will run into some problems over time in the course of a game, but there is something to be said for quickness and strength and coming off the ball quickly. Sometimes you don't have to weigh three-hundred-and-something to get that done."
Odds and ends
Richt was less optimistic Tuesday that junior tailback Keith Marshall (sprained ankle and knee) would play Saturday, though Marshall did practice. ... Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo told reporters Tuesday night that sophomore J.J. Green practiced some at tailback, where he made two starts last season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.