Our linebacker play.

I agree entirely. The LB's seem slow and tentative. The key question is why our linebackers are struggling so mightily? Is it a lack of experience, a lack of proper coaching, or do we simply have a talent deficiency?

This is a good point that many overlook. Having a lot of tackles, especially when most of them are assists and not solo tackles, don't mean you played well. It often means you helped clean up on a play.

Again, didn't Barrow and Welter have like 2 solo tackles combined? That means that 18 of their 20 tackles were assisted (or 90%). Compare that to Alexander who had 5 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles.

Fact is Barrow and Welter just aren't that good.

Think about this. Minter and Barrow, our senior starting LBers have combined 9 solo tackles in 4 games. NINE!

I expect Georgia to come out right from the start and attack our linebackers...

f anyone else has a fullback like JC, our linebackers will be fully exposed. It's one thing to use speed to run down a sweep....it's a far different thing to blow up a hole.

A big issue is MLB. DTs are actually playing well but they can only do so much up the middle. When Welter does hit someone up the middle he gets ran over and allows another 2-3 yards easy while he's hanging on to their ankles. If we don't have better options than him then we're in trouble period. He takes very poor angles too. This is really apparent on outside runs. He takes REALLY BAD angles there and you will immediately recognize it when he's trotting 5 yards behind the RB.

I really don't care what his stats were other night. He stuck out like a sore thumb on the bad plays. He did make a few nice stops though.

I thought that linebacker play, overall, was better in the Auburn game - now the entire defense kind of went passive during Auburn's, sort of, comeback, and give them credit for adjusting.

I thought Barrow, Welter and Alexander all had good games - combined for 32 tackles and held the top 3 spots.

WTF do you people want? The LBers had the top 3 spots in tackles. LOTS of stuffed runs.

We out rushed them and we out passed them. This is despite the fact that we ran 19 fewer offensive plays than they did. The turnovers put the defense in a bad position and they did give up 1 long 94 yard drive.

Other than that, I got no complaints about a overall solid defensive effort that had a couple of rough spots.

Linebackers had their best game as a position group.

(If anything, safety play is more troubling at the moment.)

They are light but they need to be strong and agressive. We need Jones out there more, we need Louis out there more, we need Beckwith out there more. This are your bigger, stronger, and just as fast backs. Welter has some decent solo tackles for loss but Mason ran him slap over. Barrow doesn't seem strong enough to get a tackles on his own.

In the secondary we have weak tacklers outside of Micah, Collins, and White. Thing is Eugene is horrible in coverage which is why Miles has switched him back to playing nickel. Loston can't wrap up and only knows to throw his shoulder. We are weaker on defense because we have no power. How many times was Mason and Payne allowed to gain extra yards by carrying our guys? The UAB RB did it too along with the TCU guy. We have to sacrifice at least a little speed to get tougher guys out there.

I also think Hunter should replace Rasco. That would sure up the ends. Freak has been decent, not great and Ego has been really good. We have to get the base alignment right. We have been doing nothing but experimenting and I think we put it together against UGA.

To the OP, so youre basically saying we need better D-line play then, not linebacker. You see, linebacker play isnt about penetration. They play 5 yards off the ball for a reason. If the D-line, specifically interior can fill the gaps, then the backs dont have anywhere to run now do they. "Line"backers scrape and fill the remaning holes. It starts up front.

Our linebackers are just not that talented. I can't believe people have not figured that out. Closing speed and size is not coaching.

Kwon and minter were both top 4 or higher in the nation at their position. Barrow, welter, jones, Louis, etc. just aren't going to be great lbers. Simple as that.

Beckwith will be a beast though.