Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 SEPT. 11, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED that ranked 11th out of 14 SEC teams in 2016 will require more than just better line play. Sophomore quar- terback Jacob Eason must improve upon his 120.25 quarterback rating, which ranked 13th in the conference. Eason has prototypical size and a tremendously strong right arm, but he must become a more accurate passer after completing just 55.1 percent of his tosses as a true freshman in 2016. UGA's receiving corps is young, but it is a skilled group that combines with the aforementioned tight ends to give Eason plenty of weapons to work with. "[Junior] Terry Godwin and [senior] Javon Wims will see a lot of action, but all the hullabaloo has been centered on former five-star athlete Mecole Hard- man," Nabulsi said of the dynamic sophomore. "He spent last year trying to learn to be a cornerback, which made sense according to his size and ability. "… That transition was taking lon- ger than Georgia would have liked and he was cross-trained as a wide receiver in the spring. In the fall, he has jumped to the top of the slot re- ceiver depth chart and the coaches are looking at getting him the ball as a kick returner as well." While there are concerns about the offense, Georgia's defense is expected to be one of the best in the SEC, if not the entire country. Lindy's and Ath- lon both rank Georgia as having the best linebacking corps in the country, and its defensive line is ranked as the sixth-best group in the land by Lindy's. Lindy's, Athlon and Phil Steele's all named junior linebacker Roquan Smith — Georgia's leading tackler in 2016 (95) — as a first-team All- SEC pick. Pro Football Focus ranked junior Trenton Thompson as the fourth-best run-stopping defensive tackle in the country last season. Senior outside linebackers Lorenzo Carter and Davin Bellamy are also back after combining for 10 sacks and 30 quarterback hurries last fall. Six of Georgia's front seven starters from last season return, and the lone "newcomer" to the starting lineup — junior Jonathan Ledbetter — was a former Rivals100 recruit and has four starts of his own under his belt. Despite the high expectations for the Georgia front seven — and head coach Kirby Smart's pedigree after running Alabama's defense from 2008-15 — Nabulsi is concerned about the matchup against a Notre Dame offensive line that has two players — fifth-year senior left tackle Mike McGlinchey and senior left guard Quenton Nelson — considered preseason All-America candidates. "What do they feed those guys, I suspect they feast on small villages and broken dreams," Nabulsi joked. "While Georgia does have a few tal- ented defensive linemen, most are only sophomores and with Mike Mc- Glinchey and Quenton Nelson work- ing one-on-one to corral Thompson, those young Bulldogs are going to have to contend with other talented Notre Dame linemen, which could make for a long day." Georgia was slated to return all four starters in the secondary, but a camp injury to senior cornerback Malkom Parrish has forced the Bull- dogs to shift their plans. "Senior safety Aaron Davis has re- turned to the role he played in his first two years, taking over for Par- rish at cornerback," Nabulsi said. "True freshman Richard LeCounte — a Rivals100 standout — appears to be the newcomer to replace the safety spot Davis' move leaves open. "Parrish is undersized but a tal- ented and vicious little cornerback and strong tackler. Losing him hurts Georgia, but Davis should be fine there. Forcing LeCounte to start as a freshman is less than ideal, though." Parrish was second on Georgia's roster in solo tackles last season, making 36 individual stops. He also led Georgia with nine passes broken up and was second on the team with two interceptions. Losing Parrish was a huge hit to Georgia's experi- ence and production on the back end of the defense. Expectations are certainly high for the Bulldogs defense, but there is one specific area that must dramatically improve if Georgia is going to have a defense capable of carrying the pro- gram in 2017. "The defense has to show major improvements in its red-zone de- fense, which ranked in the bottom five of all 128 FBS teams," Nabulsi said. "Let that sink in for a moment; opposing offenses scored 90 percent of the time when they reached the red zone, and 75 percent of those scores were touchdowns." ✦ GAME PREVIEW: GEORGIA 2017 GEORGIA SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 Appalachian State W, 31-10 Sept. 9 at Notre Dame (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 Samford (SECN) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 23 Mississippi State TBA Sept. 30 at Tennessee TBA Oct. 7 at Vanderbilt TBA Oct. 14 Missouri TBA Oct. 28 vs. Florida* (CBS) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 4 South Carolina TBA Nov. 11 at Auburn TBA Nov. 18 Kentucky TBA Nov. 25 at Georgia Tech TBA * at Jacksonville, Fla. 2017 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 2 Temple (NBC) W, 49-16 Sept. 9 Georgia (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at Boston College (ESPN) 12 p.m. Sept. 23 at Michigan State (FOX) 8 p.m. Sept. 30 Miami (Ohio) (NBCSN) 5 p.m. Oct. 7 at North Carolina TBA Oct. 21 USC (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 NC State (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 4 Wake Forest (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Miami (Fla.) TBA Nov. 18 Navy (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at Stanford TBA Senior linebacker Roquan Smith is expected to emerge as one of the SEC's top players at his potion after pacing the Georgia defense with 95 tackles a season ago. PHOTO COURTESY GEORGIA