Georgia’s Jarvis Jones and Jordan Jenkins combine for a tackle against Florida on Saturday, October 27.
Photo by Wes BlankenshipATHENS, Ga. – Georgia freshman outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins thought he was living the life as a backup to Jarvis Jones and learning daily from the All-American.
Then came last Saturday, when Jenkins and Jones were the two outside starters and played nearly 40 snaps together in a 17-9 upset of No. 3 Florida. The new tandem helped hold the Gators to 266 yards while forcing six turnovers as the Bulldogs won a second straight game over Florida for the first time since the late 1980s.
“It is definitely something that I am not ever going to forget,” Jenkins said. “Being the starter came from hard work and dedication, and it’s definitely going to get me working even harder so I can keep getting starts with Jarvis. I’m glad to have Jarvis still helping me out, and it’s great that he can set tackles up for me, because they key on him.
“They sure don’t key on me.”
Florida couldn’t slow Jones, who tallied 13 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Jenkins had just two tackles, one quarterback pressure and shared a tackle for loss with Jones, but defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said after the game that Jenkins is allowing Jones to move around more.