ATHENS — Jalon Walker played only 11 snaps on Saturday. Damon Wilson was out there for only 4.
But the two pass rushers found a way to make an outsized impact in their limited chances. It helped power the Bulldogs to a 43-20 win over the rival Florida Gators.
“Our mission was to go out there and dominate, do what we had to do,” linebacker Jalon Walker said. “I had to realize it wasn’t just me out there, it was a team thing as well. Of course, it goes down to me as well. My individual assessment of my own play, I felt like I had a pretty successful game rushing the passer. Just getting after him, doing what I do best, just trying to keep that consistency.”
Walker picked up his first solo sack of the season on Saturday, stripping Florida quarterback Graham Mertz in the process. Freshman Damon Wilson got his first collegiate sack, as he teamed up with Mykel Williams to take down Mertz.
Add in continued reps for Marvin Jones Jr. and the return of Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins from a foot injury, and Georgia suddenly has a wealth of options in terms of players who can get after the passer. The Bulldogs can only play 11 players at once on defense and only in obvious pass-rushing situations are multiple outside linebackers on the field
Williams, Wilson and Jones were all 5-star prospects. Walker was a top 50 overall prospect as well. This group isn’t lacking talent, with Saturday being the best showcase for it.
The group just needed some seasoning. Eight games into the year, it’s getting harder to refer to guys like Walker, who also had a sack in last year’s national championship game, as a young player.
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