Georgia defense returns to New Orleans with edge, ‘chip on their shoulder’

NEW ORLEANS — Georgia’s defense has been taking the field with an edge, the numbers reflect it, and it’s easy to understand why the Bulldogs’ edge will be even sharper this week.

The Caesars Superdome towers above the New Orleans business district, a familiar and memorable site for many of the Bulldogs’ players who were part of a 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in last season’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal game.

“There’s intrinsic motivation for the people that played in that stadium last year. You don’t wanna go out feeling like that,” linebacker Raylen Wilson said of UGA’s return trip to New Orleans, where it will play Ole Miss at 8 p.m. Thursday.

“I feel like the people that played last year in that stadium have got a chip on their shoulder.”

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Fifteen Georgia players were in on more than 10 snaps on offense or defense, with quarterback Gunner Stockton already saying the game left a bad taste in his mouth.

UGA veteran cornerback Daylen Everette echoed the sentiment.

“We didn’t get an outcome that we wanted, (and) everyone that was in that game that’s gonna be in this game this year, we all remember how that felt,” Everette said.

“We’ve just been trying to emphasize that to the other people that really didn’t have that opportunity (to play) and let them know how serious it is for the guys that were there.”

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The Bulldogs’ defense actually had a strong outing, as Notre Dame’s 244 yards of total offense were the fewest by a winning team in CFP history.

The Fighting Irish won the game on the strength of a 54-second stretch that saw them score 17 points.

Notre Dame kicked a field goal to go up 6-3 with 39 seconds left in the first half, then scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass with six seconds left in the half, one play after Stockton was stripped of the ball. The Irish returned the opening kick of the second half for a touchdown at the 14:45 mark of the third quarter.

When needed, the Irish were successful holding the ball, too, winning the time of possession 31:47 to 28:13, with UGA often out of sorts.

Georgia, which fumbled at the Notre Dame 10 on its second possession of the game, did not appear as focused as usual throughout the action.

Wilson indicated there’s been a concerted effort to bring more focus, from top to bottom.

“I feel like coach tried to handle it better than last year,” Wilson said. “I just feel like we have more time to recover — I feel like that’s going to be helpful.”

It seemed the only way Notre Dame could move the ball on UGA last season was on the ground, rushing for 154 yards while passing for 90 against an uncharacteristically soft Georgia front.

CJ Allen, who has spearheaded a Bulldogs’ effort that has led to UGA being ranked fourth in the nation in run defense, said the players had the run-stopping deficiencies at the forefront of their minds throughout the offseason.

“It’s definitely been talked about,” Allen said. “You’ve got to actually buy into it, definitely a priority in the run (defense game).”

When asked the key to this year’s success, Allen said it has simply been “tackling.”

So now it’s Ole Miss rolling into New Orleans, boasting the No. 2 total offense in the nation, averaging 498 yards per game.

UGA defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann said he believes this year — unlike last year — this unit will be up to the challenge of doing whatever is needed.

“I just think there’s a lot of guys that have grown up over the course of the year,” Schumann said. “We knew that would be the case. The more you play, the more confidence you gain.”