The 2024 Georgia Bulldogs finished with 11 victories, extended their series win streaks over rivals Auburn, Florida, Georgia Tech and Tennessee, and won the Southeastern Conference championship despite losing their starting quarterback on the final play of the first half in the title game.
And yet it felt like a slightly down season.
There were definite offensive shortcomings in the escape at Kentucky, the debacle at Ole Miss and in the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame, yet there were occasions when things seemed to be a bit off defensively as well.
“We weren’t consistent enough to meet the standard here,” Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann said earlier this month in a news conference. “That’s just the reality, and we know it has to be better. Consistency is the mark of a great defense, and to be elite you have to be consistent. That’s what makes something elite.
“Everybody in that room knows that when they came to Georgia, they came to play championship defense, and anything short of that isn’t the standard.”