Georgia Football's Demello Jones Praised For "Bounce Back" Performance

ATHENS - It wasn't Georgia Football DB Demello Jones' best day on Saturday against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

In his first game on the road this season the third-year Georgia Bulldog cornerback lined up against talented pass-catcher Chris Marshall, the only bright spot for the Arkansas offense during Georgia's big 45-17 win over the weekend.

Jones, who brings above-average toughness and physicality to the position, gave up multiple catches including a one-handed reception from Marshall that will likely be remembers as one of the best across college football this season. Jones' had some hiccups in coverage early on, but bounced back in a big way in the second half according to head coach Kirby Smart.

Oh, we didn't make any adjustments. I mean, at the end of the day, when you play corner at Georgia, you're going to be asked to play one-on-one, and you're going to win some, you're going to lose some, and that's the way we play.

"I was proud of the way Demello bounced back", Smart told reporters after the game. "We have ways to help him. We have ways to leave him alone. Quarterback knows what we're playing. They're going to throw the ball over there one-on-one. We've got to win some. They've got a good wide out and I thought going into the week their quarterback really could throw the ball well. And that's what the difference in Utah was.

"Utah got more pressure and probably affected the quarterback more," Smart added "They (Arkansas) protected better today and they threw and caught the ball better today. But we play a lot of different defenses to try to change it up and help our corners as well."

We reported last week that Jones was going to be in a position to make a lot of plays in coverage, especially against the slant. He gave up a long 37-yard catch and run to Marshall mid-way through the second quarter, but the Bulldog defense forced a stop soon after. There's clearly some technique work he can clean up, but on a positive note, his ability to bounce back and put the first half behind him stood out to his head coach.

It's important to have a short memory at cornerback, and when you're left in man coverage, there's always an opportunity to regroup and make a big play. Jones' play improved as the game went on, and in the end, he was able to record six tackles while improving his coverage in the second half. He's far from a finished product and will be in a position to have a stronger game this Saturday against one of the worst offensive in the league.

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