ATHENS — With such a lengthy layoff between when Georgia last played, it’s become en vogue to overanalyze the Bulldogs.

Georgia enters the College Football Playoff as the No. 3 overall seed, having gone 12-1 to this point in the season. Georgia won the SEC this season, avenging an early-season loss to Alabama in the process.

Perhaps no team had a stronger finish to the season than the Bulldogs. They beat Texas, Charlotte, Georgia Tech and Alabama in their final four games, with all three Power 4 wins coming against ranked foes.

Yet those in the national media still have their doubts about Georgia. Especially when it comes to the team’s pass rush.

“It’s a bit mindblowing considering all the talent we’ve seen come through Georgia’s front seven over the last decade, but this year’s Dawgs defense doesn’t do a good job of getting after the quarterback,” Tom Fornelli wrote of CBS Sports wrote. “The team’s pressure rate of 31.0% ranks 86th nationally and is dead last by a mile among the remaining field. Making matters worse, even when Georgia does get pressure, it does a terrible job of getting home.”

To make it even simpler, Georgia has just 20.0 sacks on the season. That is last among the teams in the College Football Playoff.

In the first game against Ole Miss, Georgia had no sacks and no tackles for loss. That is the only time in Kirby Smart’s coaching tenure that that has happened.

But since that Ole Miss game, Georgia’s pass rush has actually improved. Through the first seven games of the year, culminating with that game against Ole Miss, the Bulldogs had just 8.0 sacks.

In the six games since, Georgia has picked 12.0 sacks. Not exactly a fierce pass rush, but an improved clip for a young defense.

While fellow CBS Sports writer Chip Patterson sees the Georgia pass rush as a “fatal flaw” for the Bulldogs, he also saw improvement down the stretch.

“The defense as a whole has delivered good results, especially in the back half of the season, but it’s a group that doesn’t necessarily pose the same threats as previous Georgia teams in terms of having those game-breakers in the defensive front,” Patterson wrote. “Now it should be noted that this perceived flaw did not seem like much of an issue at all in wins against Georgia Tech and Alabama at the end of the season, but it’s worth considering that those performances were also impacted by the opponent’s flaws in the matchup.” 

Alabama did put up 34 points in its first College Football Playoff game, a win over Oklahoma. Georgia is the only team this season to hold the Georgia Tech offense without a touchdown.

In games against Texas, Georgia Tech and Alabama, the Bulldogs picked up 7.0 sacks. It’s a group that is improving, even as it deals with uncertainty regarding one of its key players in Gabe Harris.

The outside linebacker is dealing with a turf toe injury at the moment that could force him to miss the game against Ole Miss. But Harris has been much more impactful against the run than the pass. He has 4.0 tackles for loss in his last four games, yet only 1.0 sack.

“Gabe’s a wrecker, man. He wrecks things,” Smart said of Harris. “He’s tough, physical, relentless. He’s been a force with our defense, and he’s one of those guys that doesn’t question things. He just gets out there and works, competes, and gets better, and I’m really proud of the improvement he’s made for our defense.”

Harris ranks seventh on the team in sacks. Much of the pass rush has come from young players such as Chris Cole and Zayden Walker. The latter has seen an uptick in usage since the first Ole Miss game, which could give Georgia another way to attack the Ole Miss offense.

As Patterson noted, the lack of pass rush didn’t prevent Georgia from having dominant showings in its late-season games. Over the previous four games, Georgia has allowed just two touchdowns. The Bulldogs have 9.0 total sacks in that span.

Yes, the lack of sacks has been a season-long talking point. But it’s hard to ignore how well the Georgia defense has played out late, even as it still hasn’t been a defense reliant on sacks.

The keys for this group are to stop the run and get off the field on third down. In the last four games, Georgia has allowed just 128 rushing yards and 10 of 48 third-down conversions.

If the Bulldogs continue to be elite in those categories, they’ll set themselves up for a long College Football Playoff run. Regardless of whether or not they rack up more sacks at the end of the season.