Kevin Butler, one of the greatest players in Georgia and Chicago Bears history, gives us his players of the game every week. A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the University’s Circle of Honor, and a Super Bowl Champion, Butler serves as co-host of Dawg Talk and the Bulldog Brunch from the Hilltop Grille.— Compiled by Jeff Dantzler
OFFENSE- JT Daniels
The redshirt sophomore transfer from Southern Cal had a coming out party like none other. In a crazy season controlled by a virus, JT Daniels solidified the one position the University of Georgia could not figure out, the quarterback! He was cool, collective and confident, throwing for 401 yards on 28 completions in a game where the victory could only come through the air. His connections for four touchdowns to Burton, Pickens and Jackson created a new force on the Georgia offense. JT Daniels has the opportunity to become the Georgia starter with another strong performance against South Carolina this Saturday night.
DEFENSE – Nakobe Dean
When your linebacker is considered a veteran player and is just a sophomore, it says a lot. We have a young aggressive defensive player in Nakobe Dean from Horn Lake, Mississippi. The sophomore is an experienced leader and that showed against Mississippi State. Mississippi State’s offense is very dangerous through the air and if they complement that aerial attack with a ground game, it is a powerful offense. Dean damaged those opportunities with an aggressive attack on Mississippi State’s rushing game. With six solo tackles and six assists, Dean’s 12 total tackles eliminated any opportunity for Mississippi State to establish a ground attack. Dean is the leader on a young defense that needs improvement each week they take the field.
Special Teams – Coach Cochran
One of the big questions coming into 2020 was a new special teams coordinator in coach Scott Cochran. Through seven games our special teams have been performing at a very high level. Net punting average, punting average, field-goal percentage, kickoff return yards, punt return yards and the most important factor – no STD’s (special teams disasters)! Coach Cochran has done an excellent job in demanding focus and execution at every level involved in special teams play. This is a one year transition for an up and coming coach that is performing like his team, and that’s at a very high level. Great job coach!