Georgia has given up 38 or more points in four of its last six games.

That’s something it did just two times under Mark Richt since before the Sept. 27 Alabama game--a 38-35 Sugar Bowl loss to West Virginia in 2005 and a 51-31 loss to Tennessee in 2006.

That has put the heat on defensive coordinator Willie Martinez.

Richt took aim at some of those critics who want a more aggressive defense during his Sunday evening teleconference.

Some perspective on all of those points scored against Georgia the past two games.

The 87 combined points given up to Florida and LSU the past two games is more than Georgia allowed against Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Arizona State, South Carolina, Central Michigan and Georgia Southern combined. Ouch.

No wonder the Bulldogs have dropped to 10th in the SEC in scoring defense, allowing 23.4 points per game after Florida's 49-10 woodshed game. They are ninth in total defense at 306.4 yards.

“We’re not happy,” defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. “Believe me, it’s embarrassing sitting there on the sideline. We’re not a 49-point team. I felt the same way about the Alabama game.”

The Crimson Tide ran out to a 31-0 lead after a momentum-killing early roughing the passer penalty. Florida scored 35 straight second half points after an 88-yard interception return.

Georgia’s defense is gearing up to face Arizona State and quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who trails only Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell and Missouri’s Chase Daniel among active players in touchdown passes. Carpenter has 71.

Bulldogs defensive coordinator Willie Martinez answered questions from reporters after practice on Tuesday about the game ahead and a look back at some issues that cropped up late in the game against South Carolina.

Here are some excerpts:
Q: Richt mentioned that Rudy Carpenter’s completion percentage is higher when teams blitz.
A: That could be true. He does a good job when you bring pressure or a four-man pressure. He feels the pressure and does a nice job of pulling out of it. You watch him enough on film, he’s tough.
Q: What concerns presented themselves on South Carolina’s last two possessions? The majority of their yards came on their last two drives?

After an offseason of anticipation for Georgia fans, game week is almost here.

Georgia players wrapped up practice for the week on Saturday morning and are off on Sunday.

Here’s a few things that jumped out to me as significant after Saturday’s practice:

--Georgia’s defensive ends are getting healthier. Rod Battle, Jeremy Lomax and Demarcus Dobbs all wore white jerseys instead of those green non-contact ones.
Jarius Wynn and Justin Houston have gotten most of the first-team reps lately because of injuries, but the starters aren’t set.
“There are guys that deserve to play more or start based on their production through camp or the offseason or spring,” defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. “We like to leave that competition going all the way through Thursday.”
Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (knee) was back in a green jersey but is expected to play.

Georgia has had a little success with former high school quarterbacks turned defensive backs since Mark Richt’s arrival.

Sean Jones went from playing quarterback at Westlake High School into an All-American safety. Thomas Davis played some quarterback and running back at Randolph-Clay before he made 272 tackles and 10 ½ sacks during his Bulldogs career.

Georgia can only hope for similar success from the batch of former high school quarterbacks that are making waves in Willie Martinez’s secondary in their first preseason in the program.

Brandon Boykin, Sanders Commings, Baccari Rambo and Nick Williams all were threats as quarterbacks before Georgia.

“I knew we were all athletic--the freshmen coming in,” Boykin said. “It was really a coincidence that we all played quarterback in high school Me, Nick, Sanders and Rambo.”

Georgia’s most high-profile freshmen include receiver A.J. Green, kicker Blair Walsh and running back Richard Samuel.

Lost in the shuffle is the fact that there are five—count ‘em five—freshman that are practicing with the Bulldogs for the first time this month.

So far they have left defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, who coaches the secondary, raving about the group.

He is very upbeat about cornerback Brandon Boykin, cornerback/safety Makari Pugh and safeties Baccari Rambo, Sanders Commings and Nick Williams.

“I like em all,” Martinez told me after Thursday night’s practice. “I like all five of them. They’re athletic. They’ve got speed. They have a willingness to learn. I like them. I really do, their workers.”

Then again, would he say anything else about the newbies in their first week of practice?

Georgia’s baseball team will try to take another step toward a national title when it opens play in the College World Series Saturday night against Miami. Meanwhile, back on campus, some future Bulldogs will be strutting their stuff at a football camp on the Woodruff practice fields.

Here’s some trivia that sort of ties the two together: Did you know that Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez lettered in baseball for Miami in 1984-85? He later signed as an undrafted free agent with the Baltimore Orioles. I’m sure it was for quite a bit less than the $625,000 or so signing bonus that Orioles draft pick and Georgia football signee Xavier Avery could pocket.

Martinez played for legendary Miami coach Ron Fraser. Bulldogs coach Mark Richt, a football teammate of Martinez, caught plenty of Hurricanes baseball games in Coral Gables, Fla.