Georgia Football: Defensive Dog Bones Earned Vs Georgia Tech
Juwan Taylor – Senior Linebacker
The Georgia Bulldogs play many young players on defense, yet we get our second senior recognized, in his final game against the Dawgs in state rival.
Juwan Taylor is typically used as a nickel linebacker in obvious passing situations, however with the injury to Freshman Monty Rice, Taylor saw increased snaps against the Georgia Tech option rushing attack. Taylor responded with a great game in his final game between the hedges.
Juwan Taylor’s great game didn’t show up big in the box score as he had just three tackles. However he did a great job at staying disciplined against the many misdirection runs that the Yellow Jackets rely on.
Juwan almost always made the correct choice on when to take the, the dive, the pitch, or the quarterback against the option. PFF recognized his disciplined play by giving him the highest grade of any Bulldogs defender. We recognize it by giving him an ATL All Day Dog Bone.
Pro Football Focus Grade: 80.7
Tae Crowder – Junior Linebacker
Junior linebacker Tae Crowder has been an intricate part of the Georgia Bulldogs four man inside linebacker rotation, all season long. Down a man, that meant the other three would need to step up with increased reps. Crowder is the second inside linebacker that certainly answered the call.
Tae Crowder was tied for third on the UGA defense with five tackles. He also combined with defensive end Malik Herring on a sack. A solid Dog Bone worthy performance for Tae Crowder.
Pro Football Focus Grade: 71.9
Walter Grant – Sophomore Outside Linebacker
Linebacker Walter Grant has been a solid yet unsung defender for UGA all season long. His strength is playing the run. That strength was on full display in the Dawgs win over the rival Yellow Jackets.
Walter Grant is another case of a player whose value extended far beyond the typical box score. He had just two tackles on the afternoon. One of those tackles was for a loss however.
Pro Football Focus grades every play of every game. They recognize things that don’t show up in the box score, such as maintaining gap integrity in the run game. They awarded Walter Grant with the fourth highest grade on the Bulldogs defense. We award him with an ATL All Day Dog Bone.