“If Todd Grantham learned anything from Nick Saban though, it would be the need to stress fundamentals.”

No, this isn’t written in code.

UGA plays a mix of combination coverage and man/man coverage schemes, but is primarily a C2 zone defense with rolling C3 against spread formations in their Nickel package. Since the one-gap 3-4 is a pressuring defense like the Under 4-3, the man coverage is primarily based on man/man pressing packages using a single high safety and a “robber” underneath that is usually a linebacker. In any man/man scheme, the cover man is aligned with the correct leverage to funnel his receiver inside to the FS or to the boundary – i.e., towards the cover man’s best help. An alternative commonly used is 2 Man, with dual high safeties, that operates on the same concept.

It’s from Shakin the Southland‘s DrB’s exhaustive – and, boy, do I mean exhaustive – analysis of Georgia’s 3-4 defensive scheme.  It’ll take you a while to wade through it, but it’s worth the effort.

Oh, and bonus points awarded for the brief slap at Al Groh’s Georgia Tech run defense.