Football in Georgia had one of his best defensive outings of the Kirby Smart era in his 30-15 victory at Texas, then No. 1, on Saturdaybut it came at a cost with two secondary starters ejected in the fourth quarter for targeting.
That comes as safety Dan Jackson and Star Nickel guard Joenel Aguero will sit out the first half of Georgia’s next game Nov. 2 against Florida in Jacksonville, but coach Kirby Smart said An appeals process could still be underway on this subject, which would change their availability. .
“I’ll be honest with you, I’d rather not talk about it,” Smart said after Tuesday’s practice. “It’s one of those things that I don’t really know the process of to be honest with you. So we’ll see how it goes.”
The SEC must appeal Jackson or Aguero missing the first half of the Florida game to the National Coordinator of Football Officials to review targeting and make a decision, according to an August 29 ESPN article on the rules of ejection and suspension.
Jackson and Aguero were part of a defense that held Texas to a season low in points and yards with 259.
Jackson is second on the team with 37 tackles while Aguero is eighth with 19.
Jackson also has an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal.
Jackson was called for targeting with 11:48 remaining for using the crown of his helmet during a tackle on Texas receiver Matthew Golden.
Aguero’s targeting call came with 6:47 left in the game for ducking his head and hitting running back Quintrevion Wisner.
“I can’t get into the commentary, but those two situations were very close and unfortunate,” Smart said. “One came from an offensive player lowering his head and Dan mirrored that. And then Joenel’s is really difficult. He’s trying to avoid helmet-to-helmet. He’s trying to avoid going high , which most NFL offensive players would rather you hit them high than hit them low because their legs are their career. These are tough decisions in both situations. Everyone is trying to work on safety. of the game.”
Freshman KJ Bolden replaced Jackson at safety while junior JaCorey Thomas replaced Aguero at Star.
Safety Malaki Starks also suited up for the Star this season.
Bolden has played 291 snaps this season, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s almost the same as Jackson’s 292.
“We view KJ as a starter,” Smart said.
Aguero played 228 snaps while Thomas only logged 65 in five games.
“JaCorey started and played against Clemson the whole game,” Smart said. “We have other guys that are capable of packages and things that we can play. … That doesn’t really worry us right now.”
This article was originally published on Athens Banner-Herald: What Kirby Smart Said About Targeting DB Sanctions Against Texas, Calls
