ATHENS, Ga. — Saturday night could be a coming-out party for Georgia’s defense when the Bulldogs open their season against Boise State in the Georgia Dome.
It’s essentially a debut for starting nose Kwame Geathers, who played sparingly in eight games last season, and it is the debut for backup nose and junior-college transfer John Jenkins. Alec Ogletree will make his first start at inside linebacker after finishing last season as a starting safety, and outside linebacker Jarvis Jones will play his first game for the Bulldogs since transferring from Southern Cal.
“I think it’s time for our whole defense to come out,” Jones said. “There are a lot of new faces on defense, and I just think it’s time for us to come out and have fun and do what we’ve been preparing for.”
The Bulldogs are ranked 19th nationally in the Associated Press poll despite finishing 6-7 a year ago. The return of sophomore Aaron Murray, the preseason All-SEC quarterback selection, is part of the reason for optimism in Mark Richt’s 11th season as head coach, but so is a defense that will be in its second year under coordinator Todd Grantham.
Grantham implemented a 3-4 system filled with new terminology and new calls, and the results weren’t always pretty last year. The Bulldogs were last in the SEC in third-down defense, allowing a 41.9-percent conversion rate, and their 147.2 rushing yards allowed per game were the most since 1996.