Georgia Football: Dog Bones Awarded Vs Kentucky

Monty Rice – Inside Linebacker

Roquan Smith, last yearsDick Butkusaward winner for the best linebacker in college football, has been impossible to replace. However, freshman linebackerMonty Riceis doing his best to impersonate the irreplaceable Roquan.

Monty Ricelead the Dawgs defense in tackling against Kentucky, registering eight tackles. He had a tackle for a loss, and was almost always in the right run gap for the UGA defense. Rice added one sack of Kentucky quarterbackTerry Wilson. Rice also did a great job covering UK backs out of the backfield.

The performanceMonty Ricedelivered was not a surprise. He has been a great player for the Dawgs all season long. He’s second on the team in tackles for the year. Rice has shown the best instincts and awareness of all the Dawgs’ inside linebackers, despite being a true freshman.

Its tough on a kid to be compared to a legend, butMonty Riceis clearly a better player now thanRoquan Smithwas as a freshman. That’s not to say he will develop to be as good as or better than Roquan, but he’s certainly trending in the right direction.

Against Kentucky, PFF gaveMonty Ricea grade of 78.0, second on the Georgia Bulldogs defense. ATL All Day gives him a well earned Dog Bone.

Juwan Taylor – Inside Linebacker

Senior linebackerJuwan Tayloris not a starter for the Bulldogs, but has excelled as a coverage linebacker in the nickel defense all season long. In recent weeks Taylor has been given more snaps on early downs. He delivered great results against Kentucky.

Juwan Taylorwas fourth on the Dawgs in tackles vs Kentucky. He had four tackles in the game, all solo. He was solid in coverage as usual, but stepped up in the run game to take on blocks and make key stops. He also forced a key fumble on Wildcats tight endC.J. Conradlate in the first quarter.

It was a banner day for Juwon Taylor, and Pro Football Focus recognized that by giving him a grade of 74.6. That’s the third highest on the Dawgs defense. He certainly deserves and gets a Dog Bone, for stepping up in his new role.

Add us as a preferred source onGoogle

Follow