Tackles in Sanford farewell

ATHENS, Ga. -- In the fall of 2005, Georgia defensive tackle Kade Weston continually endured the wrath of Bulldogs defensive line coach Rodney Garner.

"There was one play I kept messing up on, and it was pretty simple," Weston recalled this week. "I had been redshirted earlier in the year, and he was like, 'I wish I could redshirt you again.'"

A year later, it was Geno Atkins drawing Garner's ire.

"He said whoever he saw on my high-school film must have been an impostor," Atkins said. "He was always getting on me my freshman year."

Those growing pains are long gone as Weston, Atkins and Jeff Owens prepare for their final Sanford Stadium game Saturday night against Kentucky. The three senior defensive tackles were expected to be a team strength this season, and Garner and head coach Mark Richt believe they have delivered.

In fact, Garner almost went from sergeant to softy this week when discussing his 905 pounds of interior stalwarts.

"It's been a lot of fun, and it's scary because now you've got to rebuild," Garner said. "It's going to be a totally new room, sort of like when they came in. They've been a joy to coach, and it's been a great run."

Atkins has amassed 25 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss this season, while Weston is right behind with 24 and 6.5. Owens also has 24 tackles but only three for loss, yet he is the only defensive tackle to start all 10 games.

Owens played as a freshman in '05 and redshirted last season after tearing his ACL in the opener against Georgia Southern.

"I thought all along that they were pretty interchangeable," Garner said. "It was really difficult at times to determine who should be the starters. Really, all three are (number) ones. At times, one may be hot and one may not be hot, and I think it's been good competition."

Garner believes the threesome had its most effective game during last week's 31-24 win over Auburn. The Tigers came in averaging 230 rushing yards a game but were held to 115 on 38 carries, and Atkins recorded one of Georgia's three sacks of Chris Todd.

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks noticed.

"They certainly are very impressive," Brooks said. "They get such a big push up the middle with those tackles that they put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and it makes it very difficult to run the ball with those guys on the inside stuffing everything up. They are a force to be reckoned with, no question."

Weston was the most decorated of the bunch coming out of high school, and he struggled the most early on. The former Parade All-American from New Jersey entered this season with a decent 50 career tackles and 11 career starts, but those numbers paled to those of Atkins (84 and 20) and Owens (70 and 24).

His breakout game was Oct. 3, when he had five tackles and an 8-yard sack against LSU, and he's been rolling since.

"Kade went from a guy who was a pretty good football player to a guy who really started to dominate," Richt said. "It all started with his offseason. That guy trimmed his body. That guy got in the best shape of his life, and he changed his quickness and the ability to change direction and his ability to play hard every down without the fatigue factor."

Said Weston: "I wouldn't change it for anything. If I had to go back, I would still be a Bulldog. I made a lot of progress, and I've loved it here."

After playing a final time in Sanford, the three defensive tackles will turn their attention next week to Georgia Tech's triple-option offense. Then it's on to a bowl game and giving the NFL a run.

Garner talked with a Senior Bowl official this past week and was told all three are on the NFL radar, but the college farewells will take place first.

"We've been together so long that we're just like brothers," Weston said. "There are times we don't agree on stuff, so we're like brothers and will fight over it and then get over it. We've gotten really close."