KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Kevin Ramsey will be a familiar face in Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.

Just last season, Ramsey, Georgia's defensive coordinator, was the secondary coach for Tennessee.

While he's changed sidelines, he has not changed philosophies. The defense Ramsey directs in Saturday's meeting between the two SEC powers should look familiar as well. In watching Georgia game video, Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer has noticed a striking resemblance.

"It's like looking in the mirror," he said.

The Bulldogs have put a preventive premium on athleticism and aggression. Their defense is ranked third in the SEC against scoring, right behind Tennessee, allowing 15.3 points per game. The unit has played a ball-hawking part in Georgia's plus-six turnover margin (13-7) Last week, it produced 17 negative-yardage plays against LSU.

Up front, tackles Richard Seymour and Marcus Stroud are all-star candidates. A deep group of linebackers features Butkus Award candidate Orantes Grant. Cornerback Cory Robinson is second in the conference in interceptions (four), two behind Tennessee free safety Deon Grant.

Georgia coach Jim Donnan said the Bulldogs don't have a player who compares to Grant. Who does? But, other than him, the comparisons seem valid.

"I think both defenses have a lot of athletes and essentially the same schemes," Donnan said.

The similarities are a compliment to the Vols, whose ruthless defenders marched through Georgia 22-3 last season on their way to a national championship. Bulldogs cornerback Jeff Harris compliments Ramsey by crediting the first-year coordinator with helping instill a strong attitude.

"He's brought some intensity, some fire," Harris said. "He wants us to go out and have fun, fly around and make plays."

Ramsey preferred discretion in his personal comments this week. He referred to his job switch as being common. "You see it at all levels of sports," he said.

Ramsey also downplayed his coaching impact by saying, "I'm just a small piece of the puzzle."

Try as he might, Ramsey cannot shrink into the shadows. Along with his new job came a role in a Georgia-Tennessee series subplot. Ramsey was the second Vols assistant in two years to join the Georgia staff. Defensive line coach Rodney Garner preceded him in 1998.

Both hires took place during recruiting season and were perceived by some UT observers as low blows to the Vols' efforts. Donnan disagreed with that perception. But he could not deny these coaches' privileged assistance in preparing for this game.

"They have a good working knowledge of their (Tennessee's) personnel," Donnan said. "They know their offensive and defensive systems."

Donnan quickly drew a distinction between the meeting room and the playing field by adding, "Once the game starts, it's the players involved."

Georgia's players are the biggest priority for Ramsey and Garner, particularly their mindset. Garner has told his linemen: "We're going to war.

"In war," Garner said, "you have to understand there'll be casualties."

Despite the circumstances, friendships and relationships should not be in harm's way. Garner said this is all about blocking and tackling -- blocking out personal feelings and tackling the task at hand.

"They are your next opponent," Garner said of UT. "We want to win this game. That's the bottom line. It's no place for the mild and meek."

(Dan Fleser writes for The Knoxville News-Sentinel in Tennessee.)