Georgia defenders see 'great opportunity'

photo Georgia linebacker Amarlo Herrera

ATHENS, Ga. - Tennessee has all new faces on its offensive line this season, while Georgia has all familiar faces at linebacker and returning experience on its defensive front as well.

The Bulldogs like that aspect entering Saturday's showdown at Sanford Stadium.

"You always want to dominate the line of scrimmage," Georgia senior inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera said this week, "and when you have a chance against guys who haven't played before or haven't played a lot, then that's a great opportunity for you. It's fun to play around with guys who haven't played before, because you can mess up their protection."

One of the biggest potential mismatches favoring Georgia this week is its defensive front seven against the rebuilding offensive line of the Volunteers. Tennessee coach Butch Jones said this week that there could be many instances in which an entire side of his offense is comprised of true freshmen: right guard Jayshon Robertson, right tackle Coleman Thomas, tight end Ethan Wolf and receiver Josh Malone.

Tennessee ranks last in the Southeastern Conference with nine sacks allowed through three games, while Georgia has collected eight sacks in its three contests. Herrera has three sacks to lead the Bulldogs, while sophomore outside linebacker Leonard Floyd has two.

When told Monday night of Tennessee's number of yielded sacks so far, Floyd told reporters that was "good news" for him and his teammates.

"I saw the comments of Leonard Floyd, and I know they're very, very confident and looking forward to this game, and probably rightfully so," Jones said. "It's a great challenge for us, but I see our offensive line gaining confidence as the season continues to progress."

Georgia's defensive front seven made an impressive opening statement in the 45-21 rout of Clemson, holding the Tigers to 88 rushing yards while racking up five sacks. That dominance could not be repeated in the second game at South Carolina, when the Bulldogs allowed 240 first-half passing yards by Dylan Thompson and were overrun in the second half by the tailback tandem of Mike Davis and Brandon Wilds.

The Bulldogs were way too much for Troy last Saturday, rolling 66-0, and they believe they have learned from the 447 yards they allowed in the loss to the Gamecocks, who returned four of five offensive-line starters.

"That game was more about what we didn't capitalize on," junior defensive end Sterling Bailey said. "We missed certain keys and alignments. We didn't do what we were supposed to do, and it got us."

Said Herrera: "They were getting rid of the ball quickly, and if you have a chance to throw the ball really fast, there is pretty much nothing you can do."

Should Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley use a quick release and negate Georgia's pressure, the Vols could attain their biggest potential mismatch of their receivers against Georgia's inconsistent secondary. Georgia senior cornerback Damian Swann returns after missing last week with a minor head injury, and he remembers facing Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson two years ago as the Bulldogs survived a 51-44 shootout.

The Vols will be without Von Pearson and are expected to be without Josh Smith on Saturday, but they will still have Malone, Alton "Pig" Howard and the sizable duo of Marquez North and Jason Croom.

"I don't really think we've been guarding guys of their stature," Swann said. "They're bigger guys, so it's going to be physical."

Georgia coach Mark Richt believes his team's foremost defensive objective will be stopping the run. The Bulldogs were hoping to do that two years ago, but having to focus on Hunter and Patterson allowed the Vols to gain some advantages in the ground game, which produced 197 yards.

The way Bulldogs first-year defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt sees it, his guys are going through the same developmental process as Tennessee's offensive line.

"They've got a lot of new guys up there, and the guys they had were there for a long time," Pruitt said. "They've been productive all year. They're probably like us a little bit in that when you've got five new guys or six or seven counting the tight ends, you might have six out of seven do the right thing on one play, but it only takes one guy for a breakdown.

"I'm sure they're like anybody else in the country in that they're trying to sustain over the course of a game."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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