Things had to change for the Georgia secondary. After letting Jacob Coker go 11 of 16 and having Josh Dobbs pick them apart for 312 yards, the Bulldogs needed to try something different.
So against Missouri, Jeremy Pruitt trotted out three freshmen in defensive backfield: Rico McGraw, Jonathan Abram and Juwuan Briscoe. McGraw and Abram had started a few times, while Briscoe made his first career start.
The results: Missouri passed for 143 yards on 26 attempts and six total points, with three of them being gifted to the Tigers after Greyson Lambert's game-opening interception. It was the first time Georgia held an SEC opponent without an offensive touchdown since the Missouri game last year.
New faces were expected to log time for the Georgia defense. It's hard, though, to know how well freshmen are going to perform.
That isn't the case anymore.
“We knew a lot of young guys were going to play. In the secondary there was a bunch of them,” Ganus said. “And they did a really good job. They know their stuff. Coach Pruitt wouldn’t have put them in if they weren’t prepared. They’re just going to keep getting better. ”
After giving up a 33-yard pass play early in the game, the secondary didn’t allow much the rest of the way.
The secondary’s feat is even more impressive when you take into consideration that Dominick Sanders was ejected in the third quarter because of a targeting penalty.
“I think they’re being coached well. They are a bunch of young guys and they are getting better as they go too,” Mark Richt said afterward.
Richt added that they are trying to find the right combination of guys in the secondary. And while right now it seems like a mishmash of puzzle pieces, with Sanders being out and Quincy Mauger being limited by injury, McGraw, Abram and Briscoe all look like long-term solutions in the defense.
McGraw and Briscoe were the only two players who had pass break ups on the day. Abram had four tackles, with one being for a loss. Abram also had an interception wiped off the board when Missouri’s quarterback Drew Lock stepped out of bounds before throwing the pass.
After kicker Marshall Morgan missed what would’ve been a go-ahead field goal, Missouri seemed poised to take a lead of its own.
But each freshman defensive back made a play; Briscoe and McGraw forced incompletions and Abram made a tackle. Missouri had to punt again.
Georgia kicked the game-winning field goal on the ensuing possession and Missouri ran four final unsuccessful plays to secure the Georgia win.
To some, the performance of the three freshmen might come as surprise. But to Malcolm Mitchell, who lines up against them everyday in practice, the more surprising thing would have been if they played poorly.
“They did well, just as they have all season,” Malcolm Mitchell said. “Our defense didn’t give up a touchdown, so I think they’re ready to go.”
