The Georgia defense probably deserves the most credit for helping knock off the No. 1 Texas Longhorns 30-15 Saturday night. The UGA defense was dominant all night long, and didn’t allow Texas to build any momentum throughout most of the game.
They were especially dominant in the first half, which was important because the Bulldogs’ offense struggled to get going early in the game once again.
There are a lot of players on Georgia’s defense who deserve some credit, but one Bulldog in particular deserves a shoutout for doing something no one in college football has done in over 20 years.
Jalon Walker is the first player in the last 20 years with 3 sacks and 7 tackles in a game against the AP No. 1 team.
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) October 20, 2024
He did it in the first half.
(via @ESPNStatsInfo)
According to ESPN’s Jordan Reid, Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker is the first player in college football in the last 20 years to have at least three sacks and seven tackles against the No. 1 team in the country. Impressive stuff right? But to make it even more impressive, Walker did that in the first half alone.
Like I mentioned already, the Georgia defense was lights out in the first half. They forced multiple turnovers and mistakes from Texas that set up the Georgia offense in perfect field position. And the heroics from Walker is one of the biggest reasons that was the case.
Walker finished the game with three sacks (team high) as well as eight tackles which was also a team high.
Hopefully this is a turning point for this Georgia team, because now they have everything to play for in front of them. They are now in the drivers seat when it comes to making it to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. UGA also has a high chance to make it into the College Football Playoffs, even if they don’t win the SEC.
All of that is the case because of this upset win against Texas, and Walker is one player who deserves some of the most praise for helping pull this win off.