LOS ANGELES — There was a time earlier in Kirby Smart’s tenure when it seemed uncertain whether his inclination toward defense would inhibit Georgia’s ability to rise to the very top of a sport that was in the midst of an offensive explosion.
It’s not that the Bulldogs were bad offensively, but they sometimes lacked the aggressiveness and dynamism in the passing game that Alabama and some of their peers had embraced. For coaches who love defense as much as Smart, it’s not always easy to buy into the idea that being elite only on that side of the ball isn’t good enough anymore.