Georgia S Christopher Smith earns weekly SEC award

UGA’s Chris Smith earns SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Georgia safety Christopher Smith has been named SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Bulldogs to a 49-3 win over No. 11 Oregon on Saturday.

Smith recorded six tackles, a tackle for a loss and an interception against the Ducks.

The senior is one of the returning leaders from Georgia’s record-breaking 2021 defense, racking up 35 tackles, four pass breakups, three interceptions and two quarterback pressures in 12 games.

Smith shares the award with Arkansas linebacker Bumper Pool.

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2 Georgia Bulldogs earn SEC honors for South Carolina performance

Nolan Smith and Adonai Mitchell have earned weekly SEC awards for their performance versus South Carolina on Saturday night. Details here…

Georgia football’s dominant 40-13 performance versus South Carolina did not go unnoticed as two Bulldogs have earned weekly SEC honors.

Junior outside linebacker Nolan Smith has been named SEC Defensive Player of the Week and receiver Adonai Mitchell has been named SEC Freshman of the Week.

Smith racked up eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and this strip-sack, which resulted in a South Carolina turnover.

Mitchell caught a career-high four passes for 77 yards and his first career touchdown.

Seeing Mitchell step up in the absence of star receivers George Pickens and Dominick Blaylock is huge for Georgia as they enter the meat of the SEC schedule.

On the other side, Smith has waited his turn behind eventual NFL draft picks and is showing why the former five-star recruit is going to be an absolute problem for opposing defenses this year. Smith already has 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks through three games.

No. 2 Georgia takes on Vanderbilt (0-3) Saturday in Nashville at noon.

Maddie Prohaska named SEC Defensive Player of the Week second week in a row

The last time an SEC player received back-to-back Defensive Player of the Week honors was September 2017.

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The last time an SEC player received back-to-back Defensive Player of the Week honors was September 2017. This week, Auburn freshman goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska changes that.

This spring Prohaska has started at goalkeeper in each match for the Tigers and allowed only one goal. Her efforts on Saturday led the team to their fourth shutout in five games this spring with a 1-0 double overtime victory over Louisville. Saturday’s shutout was Prohaska’s seventh this season as well as her sixth solo shutout.

The back-to-back accolades aren’t the first this season for the talented freshman as Prohaska was also named SEC Freshman of the Week on September 21 after an impressive debut performance against Mississippi State.

Her impressive save percentage (0.842) currently leads the league. Karen Hoppa was elated to see the freshman star get back-to-back recognition Monday and said,

“We are so excited for Maddie to win back-to-back SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors. Getting a shutout on the road against a quality ACC team is a great accomplishment, and we are glad to see that accomplishment recognized by the league.”

Ventrell Miller named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after big game against Tennessee

Florida Gators added another award to their impressive 2020 season when LB Ventrell Miller was named defensive player of the week by the SEC

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Florida linebacker Ventrell Miller made his mark in Florida’s win over Tennessee. Now, the redshirt junior is seeing some recognition for his work.

He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Volunteers on Saturday, in which he led the Gators defense with 12 total tackles.

Miller also notched a sack in the game, putting his season total at 2.5. This is his second time winning the award this season, as he also received it following UF’s season-opening win over Ole Miss.

He has been one of the bright spots on a struggling unit this season. He leads the Gators in tackles with 66 on the season, and he’s third in tackles for loss with 5.5.

Behind the effort of Miller and the Florida defense, the Vols talented rushing attack was held to just 94 yards on Saturday. The Gators will need more performances like that from their defensive unit if it will hope to contain Alabama in the SEC Championship on Dec. 19.

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Linebacker Ventrell Miller named SEC Defensive Player of the Week

Ventrell Miller was all over the field during the win over Ole Miss on Saturday, totaling 15 tackles.

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It may not have been a great defensive performance on the whole for the Gators on Saturday. They gave up over 600 yards of offense and 35 points to Ole Miss on the road.

But in spite of that, the performance from UF linebacker Ventrell Miller earned him recognition as the SEC Defensive Player of the Week.

Miller was all over the field during the win over Ole Miss on Saturday, totaling 15 tackles.

DEFENSE
Ventrell Miller, LB, Florida

  • Miller posted 15 tackles, 13 solo and two assisted, on Saturday in Florida’s 51-35 victory at ole Miss. Miller also collected two tackles-for-loss (17 yards) and one sack (11 yards).
  • With his 15 tackles, Miller had the most tackles in the Southeastern Conference over the weekend and was one of only two players in the SEC to post double-digit solo tackles.
  • Miller is also tied for No. 5 in tackles-for-loss and tied for No. 8 in sacks in the conference.

As a unit, the Gators defense has much to improve on, especially in the secondary. It allowed quarterback Matt Corral to throw for nearly 400 yards, and it needs to tighten up significantly against South Carolina on Saturday.

But Miller, one of the better returning starters on Florida’s defense, is off to a fast start in 2020.

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