Georgia football: 3 Dawgs who surprised us in the Orange Bowl

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 31: Derion Kendrick #11 of the Georgia Bulldogs lifts the Orange Bowl trophy to teammates after the Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Michigan Wolverines 3-11 in the Capital One Orange Bowl for the College Football Playoff semifinal game at Hard Rock Stadium on December 31, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

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Travon Walker attempts to tackle J.J. McCarthy. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Travon Walker, DL

Travon Walker has been a force to reckon with throughout the year came up big for the Dawgs on Friday night in the Orange Bowl. He had a huge second-half sack on Michigan’s quarterback McNamara, which contributed towards the Dawgs’ momentum to finish out that game strong.

He didn’t put up gaudy stats, but he made his presence felt time and time again against that Michigan offensive line. Walker finished the game with two solo tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack and four quarterback hurries.

The Wolverines were held to only 91 rushing yards all night, with Walker being a huge part in that, as he was a dominant force against that award-winning Wolverine offensive line.

Walker looks to continue to be a big part of helping the Dawgs defense succeed against an Alabama team that lit the Dawgs up more than a month ago. He needs to keep this momentum going on Jan. 10 because the Dawgs will need him to help put pressure on Bryce Young.

Georgia has a ton of playmakers on the defense, but seeing Walker dominate as he did against Michigan was a great sign for the upcoming final battle. He and the rest of the defense will need to keep bringing this gritty enthusiasm if they want to be the Tide.

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