Georgia Bulldog defensive coordinator and secondary coach Mel Tucker has been included as one of 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s most outstanding assistant coach.

 

Tucker, who is in second year directing Georgia’s defense, is one of four coaches from the Southeastern Conference who was on the list. Bulldog head coach Kirby Smart was the 2009 winner while serving as Alabama’s defensive coordinator while Brian VanGorder garnered the honor as Georgia’s defensive coordinator in 2003.

From the list of 15, five finalists will be selected and invited to travel to Little Rock, Ark., where the 2017 Broyles Award winner will be announced on Tuesday, December 5th at the Marriott Hotel.

Tucker has led a defensive unit that is ranked as one of the country’s best in Scoring Defense (14.4 points/game, fourth nationally), Total Defense (276.1 yards/game, fifth nationally), Rushing Defense (105.6 yards/game, sixth nationally) and Pass Defense (170.5 yards/game, 10th nationally).

Georgia’s defense held six of its eight SEC opponents to 14 points or less as the team finished a perfect 6-0 in the SEC East for the first time since divisions were created in 1992. The Bulldogs posted a 41-0 shutout of Tennessee earlier in the regular season, which snapped the nation’s fourth-longest active scoring streak and sixth-longest streak in college football history.

The seventh-ranked Bulldogs (10-1, 7-1 SEC) travel to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech (5-5, 4-4 ACC) on Saturday in Bobby Dodd Stadium. ABC will televise the matchup at 12 p.m.