ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia cornerback Demello Jones enters Saturday’s trip to Arkansas with a little extra confidence after recording the first interception of his college career.
Jones jumped a route against Western Kentucky last weekend and returned the interception 43 yards, nearly taking it all the way for a touchdown.
“I was very close,” Jones said Tuesday. “Look back at the replay, I was short, which I thought I was in. And it was just a good play call from coach Glenn Schumann. The rest of it was God.”
SEC play brings a different challenge
The junior from Swainsboro is now in his third season at Georgia and has experienced SEC football before. With conference play beginning Saturday, Jones knows the Bulldogs will have to clean up some of the mistakes they overcame in two lopsided victories to open the season.
“We still got a long way to go. We gotta get even better with the SEC play coming up,” Jones said. “We get a little sloppy sometimes, our technique and stuff.”
Georgia (2-0) travels to Fayetteville to face Arkansas (1-1) at noon Saturday on ABC. The Bulldogs have outscored their first two opponents 133-23, but their first road game presents a different challenge.
That includes preparing for Arkansas left-handed quarterback KJ Jackson, whose size and throwing motion have given Georgia’s secondary something different to study this week.
“Yeah, he’s a good quarterback. We know what we’re looking for, a lefty, so it’s gonna be a little different for us,” Jones said. “We just gotta be prepared for whatever they throw at us.”
Jones expects physical test in Fayetteville
More than anything, Jones expects the physicality to increase as Georgia moves into its SEC schedule.
“In the SEC, you gotta be physical. This is a physical place. Everybody knows that. That’s what coach (Kirby Smart) talks about all the time,” Jones said.
Georgia has faced little resistance through two games. Quarterback Gunner Stockton has thrown for 436 yards and 10 touchdowns, while the defense has begun creating the takeaways it emphasized throughout the offseason.
Jones contributed with an interception against Western Kentucky. Now, he and the Bulldogs will try to carry that momentum into a much different setting Saturday in Fayetteville.
