Ryan Day Talks Georgia's Defensive Depth Being a Factor

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day talked about how Georgia's defensive depth will be a factor in the Peach Bowl.

Jonathan Williams | Dec 26, 2022

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day met with the media on Monday ahead of his team's matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs in the Peach Bowl in the semifinal round of the college football playoff. Kirby Smart and his team currently remain as a 6.5-point favorite over the Buckeyes for this weekend's game.

Since taking over at the University of Georgia, Smart has quickly formulated a national identity for having one of the nation's most dominant defenses every single year. Georgia's defense was a big reason they won the national championship last year. Despite losing eight starters to the NFL this offseason, the Bulldogs' defense continues to thrive this year.

During his press conference, Day talked about Georgia's defense and specifically discussed the defensive line and what makes them such a force up front. Here is what he had to say:

"I think, when you look at their defensive line, first off, you see some really good players with really good size, but you also see multiple people that can play. You see really two, sometimes three deep each of the positions inside. I think they do a great job with their hands. I think they do a good job with their pad level, and they try to just eat up as many gaps as possible and try to create a mess inside, and they do a good job of that, and they have. They've done that against a lot of great teams and a lot of great offenses. We know we've got to play our best game up front. We know what the challenge is and certainly some great players over there. That's what working towards this all year is all about. You have to be playing your best football right here in the CFP, and certainly we're going to get challenged here on Saturday."

Georgia's defensive line features Jalen Carter, who is currently being projected as a top-five draft pick for the upcoming NFL draft. The Bulldogs lost three starters from their defensive line this past offseason to the NFL and all three were drafted in the first round. That didn't create a drop-off in production for defensive line coach Tray Scott and his unit as they rank as the best defense against the run in the country, allowing just 76 rushing yards per game.

Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud is a two-time Heisman finalist and Georgia will need to do all that it can to create disruption in the pocket and maintain the Buckeyes' high-powered offense.

Coach Day said that his team will need to play their best football on Saturday if they want to dethrone the Bulldogs. Georgia will have to do the same if they want to keep their record blemish-free and punch their ticket to another national title game.

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