Herrera had hoped for more Butkus semifinalists

photo Linebacker Amarlo Herrera makes a tackle during Georgia's game with Vanderbilt.

ATHENS, Ga. - Georgia senior inside linebacker Ramik Wilson and junior outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins were named this week among the 15 semifinalists for the Butkus Award.

Did two other Bulldogs get shunned?

Senior inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera has a team-high 57 tackles this season to Wilson's 55, while sophomore outside linebacker Leonard Floyd has five sacks to 3.5 by Jenkins. Herrera was quick to express his support for Wilson and Jenkins but admitted Tuesday that being left off the prestigious list stung a bit.

"It did. I'm not going to lie," Herrera said. "It is what it is, and I'm not the person who decides who gets on that list. I was surprised Floyd wasn't on the list."

Of course, having four linebackers who could have been Butkus semifinalists is not a bad problem to have.

Georgia's experienced linebackers have spearheaded a defense that is allowing 320.6 yards and 20.0 points a year after it yielded 375.5 and 29.0. The Bulldogs also have collected 17 turnovers through seven contests after amassing 15 in 13 games last season.

"Our linebackers are doing a really good job," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. "I guess you just can't have too many guys from one team to be on that list, but those other two guys would be just as deserving in my opinion."

Said Herrera: "We're getting a lot of tackles and a lot of tackles for loss. We're causing a lot of problems for offenses."

No Gurley update

Tuesday came and went without Georgia knowing whether junior tailback Todd Gurley would be reinstated before this week's trip to Jacksonville. Gurley's eligibility is in the hands of the NCAA, and the governing body's president complimented the university's handling of the matter.

"From the facts that we know, Georgia's behavior has been commendable," Mark Emmert told The Associated Press. "They apparently saw something that concerned them, and they dealt with it directly. Their athletic department seems to have handled that very, very appropriately based on what we know today."

Richt said the 6-foot-1, 232-pounder who leads the SEC with 154.6 yards per game is continuing to get quality repetitions in practice.

"We know Todd knows what to do," Richt said. "I mean, all we can do is just keep practicing and focusing on the opponent, and then just kind of wait and see. We really don't know what to expect right now. We're just practicing and focusing on Florida."

Third in line

Florida is considered Georgia's biggest rival to a sizable chunk of the Bulldogs' fan base, but the Gators rank third in the eyes of senior center David Andrews.

"It's (Georgia) Tech, Auburn and Florida for me, personally," Andrews said. "Tech because they're Tech. Auburn because a lot of my family members went there -- my mom went to Auburn -- and Florida because they're Florida."

Odds and ends

Redshirt senior right tackle Kolton Houston, who was suspended by the NCAA for three years due to a positive test for a banned substance that was medically administered when he was in high school, will apply to the NCAA for a sixth season of eligibility. ... The Bulldogs lead this rivalry 50-40-2 according to Georgia records and 49-40-2 according to Florida records (a 1904 win by Georgia is disputed by the Gators, who did not play varsity football until 1906). ... Herrera on an improved trust factor with this season's defense: "Last year on third down we knew what was coming next -- first down." ... This is the third time that both teams will enter this game off open dates, all three having occurred since 2011.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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