ATHENS – Georgia’s defensive line gets the lion’s share of credit for the Bulldogs’ dominance on defense this season. But that has somewhat overshadowed exemplary play in other areas as well.
Take the secondary, for instance.
With the loss of a eight defensive backs to either graduation, transfer or the NFL draft, that was by far the most concerning area on the field for the 2021 Bulldogs. So how are they doing?
In SEC play, Georgia is first in the league passing yards allowed (163.8) and pass efficiency defense (121.0). The Bulldogs continue to lead the league in total defense (243.2 ypg) and scoring (7.2). Again, that’s in conference games only, which, at this point, is all that matters.
Again, strong defensive line and front-seven play is a major contributing factor to that. But, at the end of the day, the DBs still have to cover. After some early-season alarms went off about an apparent susceptibility to deep throws down the sidelines, that appears to have been brought under control, at this point.
Starting cornerbacks Derion Kendrick and Kelee Ringo are a big reason for that. According to an analysis posted by Pro Football Focus after Saturday’s 34-7 win over Florida, Kendrick has been on the field for 233 coverage snaps this season. Out of those, his man has been targeted 23 times and come up with eight catches for 113 yards with no touchdowns and one Kendrick interception.
Asked about the veracity of those numbers this week, Smart first groused about the source.
“I think those (analytics) are a joke really, personally,” Smart said. “When we go talk to NFL scouts they laugh at PFF, or whatever the source may be. … A lot of times, PFF is a guy that works at another job during the day and that’s just his secondary job to chart whether or not D.K. or Nakobe Dean or Travon Walker or Warren McClendon or Jamaree Salyer did their job. Their evaluation is probably not as important as ours.”
Interesting opinion. But, numbers aside, Smart’s assessment basically jibed with the analytics.
“I’m very pleased with what D.K.’s doing,” Smart said. “I’m not going to base it on what a statistician says. … DK’s doing a really nice job, a phenomenal job, of practicing, taking notes, understanding the importance of things.”
Put another way, it could be argued that Georgia’s acquisition of Kendrick out of the NCAA’s transfer portal was the single most important offseason move the Bulldogs made. Kendrick came to UGA from Clemson, where he was a three-year starter (two on defense) and participated in the College Football Playoff each season.
Kendrick was dismissed by the Tigers just before spring practice. He subsequently was the arrested in his hometown of Rock Hill, S.C., on gun and marijuana charges, but those eventually were expunged.
Since arriving at Georgia in early June, Kendrick has been the model of obedience and consistency. Heading into the final third of the regular season, Kendrick has started all eight games at the challenging field-cornerback position. He enters Saturday’s game as the team’s 10th-leading tackler (20) with two pass breakups and an interception and 9-yard return against South Carolina.
Just as important as Kendrick’s play on the field has been his influence on Georgia’s other defensive backs. Redshirt freshman Kelee Ringo, a former 5-star prospect who now starts at the opposite corner, has been one of Kendrick’s most loyal pupils.
“Derion Kendrick, man, he’s a great DB; he’s a great leader on the field,” Ringo said after the Bulldogs’ practice Tuesday night. “He’s somebody I can lean on. He’s played football at the highest level, played against great teams here and when he was at Clemson. I just continue to listen to him and soak up as many things as I can to influence and enhance my game in all aspects. That’s something I’ve really been focusing on.”
With Kendrick identified as the proverbial lock-down corner in Georgia’s secondary, most of opponents’ explosive targets have come Ringo’s way. He began the season as the backup to fifth-year senior Ameer Speed on the boundary side of the field. But between Speed’s ankle injury and Ringo’s continued progression, he gradually has taken over the position.
Ringo is expected to make his sixth consecutive start Saturday against Missouri. He enters the game with 20 tackles, shares the team lead with 5 pass breakups and has an interception as well as a quarterback sack.
“Kelee Ringo just works so hard in practice,” linebacker Channing Tindall said. “He’s just a hard worker. Coach Smart stays on him and what-not, but he just keeps working and working and working.”
As most Georgia fans can attest, if Smart “stays on” somebody in Georgia’s secondary, it’s usually because he believes they have great potential. All-America safety Richard LeCounte was a seemingly singular focus for Smart his early years at Georgia.
CBS cameras caught Smart in a passionate sideline discussion with Ringo during the Florida game Saturday. Smart said he didn’t like Ringo’s reaction when he a teammate made a mistake in coverage.
“He knew he was right; he just didn’t necessarily handle it the right way,” Smart said. “But I’m proud of Kelee. He’s come a long way. He still has a long way to go. But he hasn’t missed practice one time since he had surgery last year. So, I’m very pleased with where he’s come and proud of the way he works. He’s gotten a lot tougher, contact-tough, and gotten a lot smarter in terms of understanding our defense. But he still has a ways to go. And he will be a leader on this team because he’s going to be a guy that has a lot of experience.”
In other words, Smart sees Ringo eventually being where Kendrick is. And the Bulldogs are extremely thankful that Kendrick is with them at this point.
Had Kendrick remained at Clemson or ended up somewhere else out of the portal, No. 1 Georgia might not have the lock-down corner it so covets.
“D.K. came in with a foundation similar to what a senior would be for us, right?” Smart said. “He played on a really good defense, he played in a scheme-diverse defense under coach (Brent) Venables (Clemson’s defensive coordinator). I’ve been thoroughly impressed with how he handles practice, walk-throughs. He is a consummate, dedicated senior focused on getting the little things right. And when you correct him, he handles it real well.
“So, everything that was said about him (at Clemson), that he’s very coachable, that he wants to do it right, all those things have been true, and I’ve been pleased with that.”
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