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Georgia Football: Can the Dawgs lock down Benny Snell?

By Alistair Penny

LEXINGTON, KY - OCTOBER 20: Benny Snell Jr #26 of the Kentucky Wildcats runs with the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Commonwealth Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LEXINGTON, KY - OCTOBER 20: Benny Snell Jr #26 of the Kentucky Wildcats runs with the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Commonwealth Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

Georgia Football is playing for the SEC East title on Saturday, but to win it has to lock down the conferences best running back, Benny Snell.

Well, this is it Dawg fans. How many of you thought that the biggest Georgia Football game of the season would come at Kentucky? Well as of right now, that’s exactly what Georgia faces this weekend. Win and they secure a place in Atlanta and a shot at the College Football Playoff. Lose and the season will essentially be over. There is an awful lot on the line right now for the Dawgs.

To secure the win, Georgia is going to have to stop the best running back in the SEC. Benny Snell Jr has become somewhat of a media darling this season. His impressive statistics and big personality have made him a favorite of ESPN, Bleacher Report and other media outlets. But don’t let that fool you, Snell is more than just talk. This isn’t a guy like we saw last week against Florida. Snell has turned himself into one of the best running backs in the nation after nobody knew who he was. He’s a load to stop and on Saturday, he’ll be running right into what many expect to be a weakness for UGA’s defense.

So what do the Dawgs need to do to stop Snell from running away with the game? Well, they need to stop the run which has been a bit of a problem for the Dawgs the past few games. That being said, there are a few reasons why I believe that Georgia could change that narrative this weekend. That starts with a defensive line that is better than some think.

Winning in the trenches:

There is no doubt that this year’s UGA DL is not quite what we saw in 2017. The team misses John Atkins and Trenton Thompson more than a lot of people expected. They have also struggled the past few weeks with injuries. Devonte Wyatt has missed time. So has David Marshall and DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle has been on the sideline for quite a while. The latter’s absence has left Julian Rochester playing at nose tackle for most of the season. That’s not his natural position and it’s caused the Dawgs some issues.

However, over the past few weeks, Freshman Jordan Davis has started to see the field more. Davis is a natural nose, standing at 6ft6 and over 320lbs. His raw size makes him a nightmare for offensive guards but he’s also been getting better as the weeks go on. Davis started last week and played really well. His ascension has freed up Rochester to play more snaps at the DT position that’s more natural for him. That means that Tyler Clark is getting more rest and has fresher legs to disrupt the offensive line.

If Marshall returns this week, Georgia will also have him, Johnathan Ledbetter and Malik Herring to add to a good defensive line. That unit plays better than people think and that’s going to be key this week. The DL needs to fill in holes and force Snell to run into places that he doesn’t want to go. They won’t be able to do it all game, but I really do think that they are set up to have their best game of the season. If they do, they will give the linebackers the chance to bring Snell down for short gains and keep Kentucky behind the chains.

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