![Georgia OLB (40) Nolan Smith intercpts a Florida pass after it was tipped by Georgia DL (44) Travon Walker during second quarter action. The Florida Gators went into the half trailing the Georgia Bulldogs 24 to 0. The Florida Gators were the home team for this years annual Florida vs Georgia college football rivalry game at TIAA Bank field in Jacksonville, Florida Saturday, October 30, 2021. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]Jki 103021 Bsfloridageorgi 3](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9423926855f5bb0e73e1828fa92145b6d5aa7c8f1a9df9746fa95146ce7e8e20.jpg "Georgia OLB (40) Nolan Smith intercpts a Florida pass after it was tipped by Georgia DL (44) Travon Walker during second quarter action. The Florida Gators went into the half trailing the Georgia Bulldogs 24 to 0. The Florida Gators were the home team for this years annual Florida vs Georgia college football rivalry game at TIAA Bank field in Jacksonville, Florida Saturday, October 30, 2021. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]Jki 103021 Bsfloridageorgi 3")
1. Nolan Smith
The biggest bully of them all on Georgia football’s defense is Nolan Smith. He took Anthony Richardson’s lunch money not once but twice Saturday afternoon as he is the other part of the three turnover sequence.
Smith started the sequence by ripping the ball out of Richardson’s hands for his second forced fumble on the year and first fumble recovery.
Then a few plays later, Smith caught his first career interception off a Travon Walker tipped pass, and that is when the momentum completely flipped. Nakobe Dean, of course, followed it up with a 50-yard pick-six, but that first intercept was flipping over that domino which set off the rest.
"It is personal." Nolan Smith on playing the Gators. pic.twitter.com/ikb6iDGNoS
— DawgPost (@Dawg_Post) October 30, 2021
Smith has shined this year, with 3.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries. He is proving why he came out of high school ranked No.1 overall.
Against the Gators, he finished with four total tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Smith is another one of the defense’s leaders and isn’t afraid to be vocal.
He is also another brilliant young man who happens to play football. The way Smith thinks about things and executes on the football field makes him a really special player.
He loves being a Georgia Bulldog, and he is another crucial piece to this elite defense. Smith led the team in tackles against South Carolina, but it isn’t about him leading the way. He wants to help beat opponents.
None of these guys want to be the star because they all want to play as a unit and smother teams.
Georgia has four remaining regular-season games on the year, and they have gotten over the first hump thanks to these four players stepping up and shining against Florida.