Getting off the field

Saw a quote from Todd Grantham about being tougher on 3rd down, which led me to this nugget:

"I think we've got to continue to work on our first and second down run defense. You need to create negative plays to put the offense in second and seven or more."

Cool story, bro.

Looking at UGA's split stats from last year, we were average at getting to 3rd down. 3rd down was a whole other story:

2013 UGA Rush Defense Stats

Situation	G	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD	Long	1st	10+	20+
1st Down	13	255	1007	3.95	5	75	23	23	6
2nd Down	13	170	559	3.29	14	32	39	21	3
3rd Down	13	83	310	3.73	5	69	32	10	4
3rd Down, 1-3 To Go	13	39	187	4.79	4	69	25	4	1
3rd Down, 4-6 To Go	10	17	67	3.94	1	36	5	3	2
3rd Down, 7-9 To Go	10	11	-3	-0.27	0	9	1	0	0
3rd Down, 10+ To Go	9	16	59	3.69	0	24	1	3	1
4th Down	7	12	50	4.17	1	43	7	1	1

2013 UGA Pass Defense Stats

Situation	G	Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	TD	Int	Rating	Long	1st	15+	25+
1st Down	13	128	77	60.2	1011	7	2	141.42	77	40	29	10
2nd Down	13	131	74	56.5	850	3	3	113.98	83	41	18	6
3rd Down	13	113	62	54.9	961	7	2	143.20	99	39	21	12
3rd Down, 1-3 To Go	5	7	4	57.1	36	0	0	100.34	23	3	1	0
3rd Down, 4-6 To Go	12	36	19	52.8	227	1	1	109.36	44	16	5	2
3rd Down, 7-9 To Go	12	32	19	59.4	351	4	0	192.77	68	13	9	5
3rd Down, 10+ To Go	11	38	20	52.6	347	2	1	141.45	99	7	6	5
4th Down	8	10	8	80.0	134	1	0	225.56	73	6	2	2

Just looking this over gives me the hives. Georgia was 64th in 3rd down conversions allowed with just a shade under 40% converted. But look at the third and long percentages, especially on passing, clocking in at a staggering 28%. Over 1/4 of all 3rd and longer than 7 yards, teams converted when they passed the ball.

For a more stark illustration, check out the SEC 3rd and 7-9 yards to go stats:

Name	G	Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	TD	Int	Rating	Long	1st	15+	25+
Florida	9	22	7	31.8	95	0	2	49.91	34	4	2	2
Vanderbilt	10	21	11	52.4	153	1	4	91.19	39	7	3	3
Kentucky	11	23	11	47.8	155	0	1	95.74	29	7	5	2
LSU	12	30	14	46.7	187	0	0	99.03	33	11	5	3
Texas A&M	11	30	18	60.0	250	0	3	110.00	29	15	6	2
Missouri	12	28	15	53.6	153	1	0	111.25	38	10	4	1
Mississippi State	12	34	21	61.8	212	0	0	114.14	26	13	3	1
Tennessee	9	21	10	47.6	142	1	0	120.13	38	5	4	1
Alabama	12	32	16	50.0	260	1	0	128.56	95	10	6	3
Auburn	12	24	14	58.3	208	1	1	136.55	54	9	3	3
Mississippi	11	21	9	42.9	231	1	0	150.97	60	8	6	5
South Carolina	12	30	20	66.7	292	2	1	163.76	96	10	5	2
Arkansas	9	23	14	60.9	252	1	0	167.26	88	13	5	1
Georgia	12	32	19	59.4	351	4	0	192.77	68	13	9	5

On the most obvious of passing downs, Georgia allowed a staggering passer rating of 192.77, a full 25 points higher than Arkansas.

Which is why I'm so nervous about how Pruitt works with our very young DB corp. Is there potential to improve? Absolutely. Will we? I'm not convinced, at least in year one.

Do we need to improve against the run in short yardage situations? Yes, we were terrible there, too. We have some beef returning and hopefully that experience, and talent, will pay off. But if you want a first step in improving getting off the field, doing so when you are expected to would be a great start.
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