Huck’s 10 Most Important Players – #3

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Huck’s 10 Most Important Players – #3

Dominick Sanders grabs an interception vs. Kentucky 2015
Dominick Sanders grabs an interception vs. Kentucky 2015
Photo: Greg Poole/Bulldawg Illustrated

At No. 3 on the list we move back over to the defensive side of the ball with a member of the secondary with a lot of talent and even more added responsibility this season.

During Jeremy Pruitt’s tenure as defensive coordinator in Athens, GA he consistently provided the cornerbacks with a security blanket.  He played a lot of Cover 2 and Cover 3 zone coverage.  When in man coverage he preferred to have two safeties drop deep, each responsible for half of the field.  Essentially, the number one goal of his defense was to prevent the big play.  Things are changing under Coach Smart.

Coach Smart is a much bigger proponent of aggressive play in the secondary, with a lot more man coverage and a safety playing Cover 1 (aka Centerfield).  More often than not, the safety playing centerfield will be Dominick Sanders and that puts him near the top of this list.  Coach Smart’s philosophy on defense is typically to error on the side of aggressiveness and to impose his defenses will on the opposing offense.  This is a dream come true for a ball-hawking safety like Sanders who will benefit from QB’s under pressure having to make quick decisions.

With 9 career interceptions under his belt and a knack for being in the right place at the right time, an argument can be made that Sanders is the most important player for the Bulldogs. He got close, but the next two on this list will help you understand why he is at #3.

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Matthew “Huck” Pasek was born into a family of Georgia Bulldogs. Huck’s father, Gary, graduated from UGA in 1976 and became a high school chemistry teacher at Peachtree HS in Dunwoody, GA where he coached alongside Georgia High School football legend T. McFerrrin. Gary’s love of football, especially Georgia football, was passed along to his son. Huck lives in Belmont, NC with his wife, Whitney, and works in Financial Services Litigation. In his spare time he is an avid golfer, movie fanatic and habitual traveler to St. Simons Island with his wife “just to get away”. The moniker ImYourHuckleberry arose from his favorite movie, Tombstone, and character Doc Holiday’s famous line, “I’m Your Huckleberry”. Matthew was never one to shy away from a confrontation or debate, thus the nickname instantly stuck.

3 responses on “Huck’s 10 Most Important Players – #3

  1. Reddawg13

    D Nick is a player and shows up on game day! Great Choice Huck! I love an all out Defense that attacks and is aggressive!

  2. MMCSDAWG

    Maybe he can double his interceptions this season, I like hearing the fact that kirby will error on the side of aggressiveness!  We might need the Defense to change the game a time or two this season!