Georgia sophomore cornerback Malkon Parrish caused the first turnover of his college career by forcing a fumble in last year's win over Auburn.
He got his second one at the expense of Auburn again this past weekend, leaping high to snag an overthrown pass by Jeremy Johnson early in the second quarter.
SEC players of the week
OFFENSE: Alabama tailback Derrick Henry, who rushed 22 times for 204 yards (9.3 per carry) and had touchdown runs of 74 and 65 yards at Mississippi State. DEFENSE: Vanderbilt safety Owen Burks, who had two interceptions in the 21-17 win over Kentucky, including a 30-yard return for a second-quarter touchdown. SPECIAL TEAMS: Georgia receiver and return specialist Isaiah McKenzie, whose 53-yard punt return for a score with 9:28 remaining broke a 10-10 tie at Auburn. FRESHMAN: Arkansas linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who had 12 tackles in the 31-14 win at LSU. A resident of Fayetteville, Greenlaw has had 65 tackles in his last six games. OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: Arkansas tackle Dan Skipper, who helped pave the way for an offense that rushed 40 times out of 56 plays and amassed 299 ground yards. DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: Alabama end Jonathan Allen, who had seven tackles at Mississippi State and three of the whopping nine sacks the Tide recorded.
"I just made a play that was presented to me," Parrish said. "It surprised me how high it was and that I actually came down with it."
Parrish has been a surprise to some by his solid play this season, which has been his first as a full-time starter. The 5-foot-10, 188-pounder from Quitman, Ga., was the new kid in the secondary at the beginning of the season, with opposite corner Aaron Davis and safeties Dominick Sanders and Quincy Mauger having each started at least most of the games a year ago.
Appearing in 11 of the 13 games last season, Parrish had 13 tackles, one sack and the forced fumble against Auburn.
"I think people may have been questioning me, but that never mattered to me," he said. "I know why I do this and why I go hard, because it's not only for me but for this team. It crossed my mind that people were saying that, but it didn't bother me."
A lack of belief was never the case for Bulldogs coach Mark Richt.
"I think we've always had faith in Malkom," Richt said. "He's a very tough football player and a guy who always does it the way he's asked to do it. We have a lot of faith in him, and we have from the beginning.
"When you make a play like he did when the ball is in the air, it's very impressive. I'm sure that was exciting for him. It was definitely exciting for me."
Georgia's youthful secondary, which consists of one junior (Mauger) and three sophomores, was thought to be a potential liability before the season but is now far from it. The Bulldogs have feasted in recent weeks, holding four straight foes well under 200 passing yards: Missouri (143), Florida (155), Kentucky (101) and Auburn (62).
Those may not be the four best passing teams in college football, but it's clear that Parrish and the rest of Georgia's secondary have exceeded expectations.
"We practice too hard not to be together as a group," Parrish said. "In the first few games, we had some ups and downs, and the chemistry wasn't what it is now. I'm not saying it wasn't there, but now it's stronger."
Odds and ends
Kickoff time for Georgia's game next week at Georgia Tech will be at noon or 3:30, and it will be televised by ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. The Bulldogs practiced for 90 minutes Monday, but the workout did not include junior guard Greg Pyke (knee), according to Richt. All of Georgia's seniors will serve as captains Saturday night, with offensive linemen John Theus and Kolton Houston, defensive end Sterling Bailey and outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins representing the Bulldogs for the coin toss.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.