Morning, y’all. And as always, happy Feature Friday!
For this week’s feature, I went big-picture. We’re about to enter Georgia’s SEC slate, and I started brainstorming things I associate with SEC football.
One of them is stout, iconic defenses.
So I asked the DawgNation team: What’s your favorite iconic defensive play for Georgia? The Bulldogs have had several in recent memory, but much of the DN team also rallied behind one certain play from one certain three-time All-American who still leads Georgia in career sacks and tackles for loss.
As always, we’ll get to a little football news at the bottom of the newsletter, too. The DawgNation team is sending a huge contingent to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for Georgia’s SEC opener this Saturday, so we’ll keep you in the loop on everything you need to know.
Let’s begin with the three-way tie for one of the most iconic defensive plays in Bulldogs history:
Connor Riley: “David Pollack’s 2002 interception of South Carolina quarterback Corey Jenkins. Georgia held just a 3-0 lead in the fourth quarter when the legendary defensive end stole the ball from Jenkins for the game’s first touchdown. Pollack is the best defender in program history and used all of his talents to come up with this iconic play.”
Cody Chaffins: “I will take an easy one. David Pollack’s magic strip-sack touchdown against South Carolina in 2002. The only touchdown UGA scored against South Carolina that day as they won 13-7 to help kick-start what was a historic season. Iconic play by a DGD. I was not there; I was a high school senior looking up to Pollack and his endless motor.”
Georgia's David Pollack (right) strips the ball from South Carolina quarterback Corey Jenkins in the end zone to score a touchdown. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC 2002)
Jeff Sentell: “Just bring up the phrase ‘The Pollack Play’ or ‘Strip-Sack-Six,’ and DawgNation will know. They’ll all know. An all-time great made an all-time play. That’s why it is Exhibit A in any case for the most iconic defensive play in UGA history.
“The Dawgs led 3-0. It was early in the fourth quarter during the second game of the 2002 season. How many potential UGA conference champions have fallen apart in Columbia? Not this one. Pollack’s play is a candidate for best defensive play this century in the SEC. Not just for Georgia. He batted down a pass and caught it on the way down for a 0-yard interception touchdown. Go look at the box score. It looked like a robbery, but that’s how it was officially recorded. That little footnote only adds to the legend here.”
Kaylee Mansell went in a more recent direction, mentioning a pivotal moment against an SEC foe: “Maybe it’s recency bias, maybe it’s the drama that followed … but I’m going to take CJ Allen and Raylen Wilson’s goal line punch out vs. Auburn. I’m not sure how much more iconic it can get than that.”
The play prevented Georgia from going down two scores to Auburn and instead helped the Bulldogs get on the board and get things rolling. This game also included the clapping controversy.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said: “The kids never quit. That’s never been more evident than a punch-out on the goal line, which we practice all the time. Raylen and CJ, whoever did it, it was an amazing play.”
Mike Griffith: “Ohio State led Georgia 35-27 with 35 seconds left in the third quarter and was on the verge of driving a nail into the coffin of the Bulldogs’ back-to-back CFP championship hopes when Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud dropped back on third-and-goal at the Georgia 7-yard line.
“Smael Mondon and Jalon Walker came off the edges and immediately gave chase, forcing Stroud to retreat, dropping back to the 23-yard line where he heaved a ball into the end zone in Marvin Harrison Jr.’s direction.
“Harrison appeared to be on the verge of making a catch that would have given Ohio State a 42-27 lead in the CFP Peach Bowl semifinal before Georgia safety Javon Bullard came speeding across the back of the end zone and delivered a bone-crunching hit that jarred the would-be touchdown catch loose.
“A flag came out and Bullard was called for a targeting penalty, which would have given Ohio State a first down at the UGA 3-yard line. Instead, the officials reversed the call and there was no penalty, leading the Buckeyes to settle for a field goal and a 38-27 lead at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“The play ignited the Bulldogs, as they rallied behind quarterback Stetson Bennett to win the game 42-41 and advance to the championship where they defeated TCU 65-7 to become the only program to win back-to-back titles in the CFP era.”
Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (right) gets hit by Georgia defensive back Javon Bullard during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)
Advertisement
And here are my answers: I suppose I’m cheating by picking two favorite iconic plays, but hey, you get to do some cool stuff when in charge of the newsletter.
First, I’ve got Jalen Carter holding up LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels in the 2022 SEC championship game. The Bulldogs led 28-7 when Carter wrapped up, or should I say hoisted up, Daniels for a sack.
The play pretty much encapsulates the game, and really, the season, with Carter holding up a “No. 1″ with his free hand. Mike’s submission above tells you what happened next, with the wildly dominant Georgia winning it all that year.
Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter lifts up LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels during their SEC championship game on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Second, I’ve got Kelee Ringo’s famous pick-six to seal the national championship win vs. Alabama the year before.
Georgia was leading 26-18 with a little over a minute to play in the fourth quarter when Ringo intercepted a pass by Bryce Young and ran it back 79 yards for a touchdown.
The play put the game out of reach for Bama and ensured Georgia’s first national championship since 1980. I can’t think of many more iconic moments. We’ve got several photos of that play, if you want to relive it:
Georgia defensive back Kelee Ringo intercepts Alabama and returns it for a touchdown during their College Football Playoff championship game on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, in Indianapolis. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Georgia defensive back Kelee Ringo (right) intercepts a Bryce Young pass and returns it for a touchdown. (Curtis Compton/AJC 2022)
Georgia coach Kirby Smart celebrates with defensive back Kelee Ringo after he intercepted a pass by Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and returned it for a touchdown on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022, in Indianapolis. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Kelee Ringo celebrates his return of an interception for a touchdown late in the national championship game. (Curtis Compton/AJC 2022)
Trivia time
Pollack, who played at Georgia from 2001-04, still sits atop the Georgia record book in career sacks. How many?
Advertisement
Georgia rules out another player ahead of SEC opener against Arkansas
Georgia has ruled out another player ahead of Saturday’s game against Arkansas.
Per the SEC’s availability report, offensive lineman Marcus Harrison has been ruled out for Saturday’s game.
Harrison, a third-year offensive lineman, has played in both games for Georgia so far. He had been working at left guard on the second team and was expected to make the team’s travel roster for Saturday.
With Harrison out, expect Georgia to lean on Daniel Calhoun and Cortez Smith as possible depth options. Dontrell Glover and Zykie Helton have started each of the first two games at left guard and right guard, respectively.
Georgia previously ruled out defensive backs Tyriq Green and Justice Fitzpatrick and outside linebacker Chase Linton. The Bulldogs are also expected to be without outside linebacker Amaris Williams, running back Dante Dowdell and wide receiver Thomas Blackshear.
Smart is doing more with less, according to a recent story in The Athletic that’s reporting Georgia is 10th in the SEC and 18th in the nation in football roster budget.
The Athletic reports UGA spends between $31 million and $34 million on its football roster — some $14 million to $21 million less than SEC leader and current No. 1-ranked Texas spends ($45 million to $55 million).
A source told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the roster spending in the report does not factor in the front-loading player acquisition that occurred before the current revenue-sharing cap was put into place.
The Bulldogs are ranked No. 2 in the most recent AP Top 25 poll and are coming off back-to-back SEC championship game wins over Texas and Alabama.
Only Ohio State ($49 million to $54 million) and Oregon ($48 million to $54 million) are believed to be on par with Texas, while LSU is reportedly spending $47 million to $50 million.
Smart, in his 11th year as head coach at UGA, says he has all the money and resources he needs to compete for national championships — even while appearing to be at a significant disadvantage.
“We have no issue with resources, facilities, availability,” Smart said at SEC media days. “There’s never been something that I asked our administration to do — from a number to go to, to get a player out of the portal or get a player in high school — that they weren’t willing to do.”
