Georgia lost just one game last season. It came in the SEC championship game against Alabama when the Bulldogs lost 27-24.

That loss prevented Georgia from making it back to the College Football Playoff. And the way that game played out has clearly had a lasting impact on Georgia coach Kirby Smart.

When speaking on WJOX in Birmingham this week, Smart shared what his defense had been working on this offseason.

“We’ve looked at a lot of different ways,” Smart said. “The quarterback running the ball, the running quarterback, is becoming more prevalent, and so we want ways to change it up to affect him and not let him sit there and be comfortable. We looked at a lot of things in that, a lot of gap-scheme things defensively.”

Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe finished with modest stats in the win. Milroe had only 192 passing yards in the win, while Georgia limited him to just 29 rushing yards on 14 carries.

But Milroe had two key touchdown passes, whereas Carson Beck had none. Twice in the fourth quarter, Georgia needed only a stop to get the ball back to its offense with a chance to take the lead. Both times, the defense failed to get a stop. Alabama scored a touchdown and then successfully ran out the clock on Georgia’s season.

The Bulldogs had 4.0 sacks in the loss but you could argue they should’ve had more. Michigan stifled Milroe in the Rose Bowl. Milroe had only 116 passing yards and was sacked 6.0 times.

Georgia brings back its top two pass rushers in Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams. The latter will work more at outside linebacker this year, in hopes of further unlocking his pass-rushing powers.

Williams came down with an interception in Georgia’s spring game, looking every bit like the disruptive defender Georgia needs him to be.

“He’s been able to practice,” Smart said. “He has not, he had spring practice last year, he missed some practices. He had fall camp last year, he missed some practices. I explained to him, if you want to have a really good year, you want to have a really good camp. He’s kind of bought into that. Practicing good makes you better. It’s not his fault, he’s been injured. But you can’t play good if you don’t practice. I thought that he had a really good spring from a standpoint of leadership, toughness.”

Georgia should be deeper on the defensive line this season, thanks to seniors Warren Brinson and Naz Stackhouse returning for the 2024 season. The hope is that their veteran experience paired with the development of Christen Miller, Jordan Hall and others turns Georgia’s defensive line into a unit that more closely resembles what the Bulldogs had during the 2021 season.

Milroe was far from the only mobile quarterback that gave Georgia problems in 2023, with Auburn and Georgia Tech playing Georgia closer than expected thanks to the mobility of their respective quarterbacks.

Georgia will see a difficult schedule in 2024, as the Bulldogs all play Alabama, Texas, Clemson, Ole Miss and Florida away from Sanford Stadium. Yet of those teams, only Alabama’s Milroe figures to have the type of athleticism to stress the Georgia defense.

The Bulldogs visit Alabama on Sept. 28. Georgia will open the 2024 season against Clemson on Aug. 31.