To beat Kentucky, Georgia will have to stop college football’s most unlikely pass defender
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Preview: No. 20 Kentucky at No. 1 Georgia
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday’s Kentucky-Georgia football game at 7 p.m. in Athens, Ga.
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It was a highlight that required a double take.
Still smarting from a promising opening drive that stalled in the red zone, Kentucky received the momentum it needed against Florida with an interception from linebacker Trevin Wallace.
Wallace caught the pass of a deflection caused when a Florida receiver was sandwiched between two Kentucky defenders. On one side was linebacker Keaten Wade. The player on the other side defied explanation.
Surely that couldn’t be correct.
Could 6-foot-6, 348-pound defensive tackle Deone Walker actually have dropped in coverage?
“He’s been itching for it and asking for it,” defensive coordinator Brad White said. “He was like, ‘Coach, I’m going to make a play. I’m going to get a pick.’ As soon as it happened, he came running to the sideline. He was like, ‘I told you, I told you.’
“I said, ‘Listen, I’m not dropping you much, man. I like my job.’”
Walker, only a sophomore, might already be Kentucky’s best NFL draft prospect, but he is supposed to make his plays at the line of scrimmage and in the backfield. Walker affects most plays, even those he has no part in making the tackle, because he frequently commands double-teams and occupies blockers long enough for Kentucky’s linebackers to swarm to the ball.
But on this third-and-5 play from the Florida 30-yard line, it was Wallace who rushed the passer and Walker who immediately backpedaled into coverage from the line of scrimmage.
“I was just thinking drop 5 yards and play big,” Walker said. “Any crosser, don’t chase. Just go chase the ball.”
Florida quarterback Graham Mertz’s pass over the middle was a little high, forcing tight end Arlis Boardingham to leave his feet. As he bobbled the ball in the air, Wade converged from his right and Walker to his left. Walker’s blow was delivered to Boardingham’s upper body, knocking the tight end to a ground like a player much smaller than his 6-foot-3, 240-pound frame.
The ball ricocheted into the air again and into Wallace’s arms. Wallace returned it 21 yards to the Florida 15-yard line. Two plays later, Ray Davis scored his first of four touchdowns on the way to a 33-14 UK win.
“That’s a big boy hit,” Wallace said. “… Him dropping back and then hitting somebody like that, oh my goodness.”
When No. 1 Georgia prepares for Kentucky this week, they will have to account for Walker wherever he is on the field.
Even though he is unlikely to drop in coverage often, Walker’s latest feat of athleticism will surely turn a few heads in the Bulldogs’ film review. Walker honed his unusual combination of size and agility while playing basketball in high school.
Movement is such an important part of his skill set that he wears wide receiver cleats during games.
“I can’t really get more of a bend or more of my quicker movements down in big defensive lineman shoes,” Walker said.
Walker had campaigned for White to let him drop in coverage since White first unveiled the play in practice. The fact that it produced such a game-changing result in its first use should keep the play in the game plan moving forward.
But Stoops and White are clear on where Walker will be needed 99% of the time.
“He’s a big dude, and I think wherever he’s at, you can feel his presence,” Stoops said. “He does a lot of things that go unnoticed, but we notice it when we watch the film and our players see him. He’s a very disruptive guy no matter what he does.”
Next game
No. 20 Kentucky at No. 1 Georgia
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 5-0 (2-0 SEC), Georgia 4-0 (1-0)
Series: Georgia leads 62-12-2
Last meeting: Georgia won 16-6 on Nov. 19, 2022, in Lexington
This story was originally published October 3, 2023 at 7:23 AM.
