Georgia defensive lineman Toby Johnson rushes against South Carolina.Georgia defensive players experienced more frustration than jubilation in Saturday’s 38-35 loss at South Carolina, but junior defensive end Toby Johnson isn’t coming away unhappy.
Making his first career start for the Bulldogs, Johnson tallied three tackles, including a stop of tailback Mike Davis for a 5-yard loss. That tackle occurred on South Carolina’s third offensive possession, which was also when the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder made his biggest mistake with a roughing-the-passer penalty on Dylan Thompson.
“Toby played hard,” Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said in Tuesday’s news conference. “Of course, he did have a roughing-the-passer one time, but he played with a lot of energy. He was in the backfield a good bit, and he probably produced the most pass rush getting matched up on a guard.
“He gave them a hard time, and we thought he practiced with the type of energy that it takes to play like that.”
A hard time is what Johnson had experienced since November 2012, when he required knee surgery after a Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College playoff game. He had entered that season ranked No. 1 among junior-college prospects and had racked up 87 tackles and 17 tackles for loss before the injury.