Offensive Player
Chauncey Bowens – The freshman from Port St. Lucie Florida had a breakout debut as the featured RB on the biggest stage of his career vs. Alabama. Coming on the field at 5’11”, 225 pounds, Bowens was a load for defenders and has the speed to match his strength. That is one deadly combination. After a first half fumble put Nate Frazier on the sideline, Chauncey took over the running game against a very stingy Alabama defense. Bowens had 12 carries for 119 yards with an explosive run of 43 yards that kept Alabama on their heels. Not only is Chauncey a factor running the ball, but his four receptions for 22 yards helped the Bulldogs climb back into the game. To see your freshman running back produce like Chauncey did Saturday is certainly exciting to witness as a star just might have been born against one of the toughest defenses in all of college football.
Defensive Player
Chris Cole – The one way to keep up with the Alabama‘s of the world is to keep developing young talent that the Bulldogs sign out of high school. Saturday was proof that these young Bulldogs are developing into top-notch SEC level players. Chris Cole is one of those players developing at a very rapid pace. The Salem, Virginia native brings a lot of talent to the Bulldog defense. At 6’3”, 235 pounds, Chris is a force on the field. Saturday against Alabama, Chris recorded five tackles, three solos, two assists and one sack. He made a huge difference in the second half with the Bulldogs defense getting much more aggressive. Chris is an athletic monster that uses his speed and strength to out-maneuver talented offensive lineman and that makes a big difference for the Bulldog defense. Chris is a young gun, and it’s fun to watch him play. He’s only going to get better as the season gets longer.
Special team Player
In an SEC battle you always expect special teams to play a very important role in the outcome of the game. Saturday’s game against Alabama was no different, but special teams made little noise in a game filled with a lot of noise. Alabama was 1-for-2 on field goal tries and Georgia never attempted a field goal. Rather, I turned to Brett Thorson once again for a very consistent punting performance, pinning the crimson elephants inside their 20-yard line three times. Thorson‘s consistent performance is very comforting to have back in the fold. Brett might win this award this week solely on being the one specialist that was on the field the most, performing at a high level when his name was called. Flipping the field is a valuable weapon, and we will need it in every game from here on out.
Unsung Hero of the Game
Well, the one winner in this game was the Bulldog Nation. Coach Kirby Smart asked for and received a loud, crazy stadium that truly creates a home-field advantage. Though the Bulldogs did not pull this one out, the crowd brought them back from behind and gave the team the energy to play like the Bulldogs in the second half. The lights, the flashing bracelets, the fireworks and most of all 100,000 Bulldog fans created an atmosphere that every team in the nation wishes they could play in front of at each home game. I know the victory is what we shoot for, but when defeat happens, and it doesn’t happen much in Georgia, we know we can count on our fans to show up and win that battle each week.