Georgia
Georgia’s Defense has Stars at all Three Levels
Georgia needs its stars to step up on defense this fall. Luckily, the Bulldogs have plenty of contenders to fill those roles.
Last season was a regression for Georgia’s typically elite defense. The Bulldogs finished ninth in team defense, 66th in sacks per game, and 69th in takeaways with just 17 on the season.
Georgia simply wasn’t as dominant on the defensive side of the ball and a lot of that had to do with a lack of standout performances from individual players. They had a lot of excellent players on the defensive side of the ball, but none made the individual impact like the Jalen Carters, Roquan Smiths, and Jordan Davis’ of recent seasons.
Saturday, during Georgia’s annual G-Day spring game, we saw a few players who look primed to fill that void at each level of the defense.
Perhaps the biggest standout was defensive end Mykel Williams. The junior rushed the passer well and had two pass deflections, including one he caught himself for an interception off of Carson Beck. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has spoken about unleashing Williams as an edge rusher, standing him up on the outside instead of down in a three-point stance. The Bulldogs desperatly need pressure from the defensive front and Williams looks to be the guy.
At linebacker, CJ Allen continued to build on a very successful freshman season. Physically, the true sophomore is built in the mold of former Georgia greats Roquan Smith and Odell Thurman. He made a sensational play on Saturday, baiting Carson Beck and intercepting a pass over the middle. He has a shot to be Georgia’s next Butkus Award winner.
Though he didn’t play on Saturday, Malaki Starks is a known commodity. The junior was a freshman All-American in 2022 and followed that up with an All-American season last year. Entering his third season, he very well may be the best safety Kirby Smart has coached at Georgia. This season is about winning for Starks, but its also likely his final season to put together some elite tape for NFL scouts.
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ATHENS, Ga. – Designated hitter Daniel Jackson and centerfielder Rylan Lujo combined for nine RBI Sunday, leading fifth-ranked Georgia to a 12-1 win over LSU at Foley Field.
Georgia improved to 41-11 overall, 21-6 in the SEC, while LSU dropped to 29-24 overall and 9-18 in conference play.
The Tigers return to action at 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday when they play host to Florida in Game 1 of a three-game SEC series in Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field. Thursday’s game will be broadcast on the LSU Sports Radio Network and streamed on SEC Network +.
“Georgia won the moments in this series,” said LSU coach Jay Johnson. “They’re going to score, so you’ve got to capitalize against them when you have scoring opportunities on offense.”
Georgia starting pitcher Caden Aoki (8-0) was the winner, limiting LSU to one run on four hits in 5.0 innings with two walks and seven strikeouts.
LSU right-hander Casan Evans (2-3), making his first appearance since April 17 versus Texas A&M, started the game Sunday and was charged with the loss, working 1.2 innings and allowing four runs on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts.
“I thought Casan’s stuff looked great, and that’s good for him from a health standpoint,” Johnson said. “He’s a guy that the more he pitches, the better he is, so there might have been a little bit of rust, but I thought he competed fine.”
Georgia struck for four runs in the bottom of the second inning in an outburst highlighted by Jackson’s two-out, two-run single and an RBI single by second baseman Ryan Black.
The Tigers narrowed the gap to 4-1 in the third when designated hitter Omar Serna Jr. delivered an RBI single.
Georgia extended its lead to 7-1 in the fourth as Jackson launched a two-run homer and centerfielder Lujo lined a run-scoring single.
Lujo unloaded a grand slam in the fifth, giving the Bulldogs an 11-1 advantage.
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