Grading the Auditions of Players Starting in Place of Opt-Outs
With several players opting out, the Peach Bowl was a big game for multiple guys looking to claim premier roles on the 2021 Georgia football team.
Four players started in place of opt-outs Friday and here is how each of them performed:
Latavious Brini, A-plus
What can be said about Latavious Brini's performance that hasn't already been said this weekend? He played like a starting job was on the line, because one probably was.
Brini ended the game with two tackles for loss, both of which helped shut down Cincinnati's swing and screen-pass game. He had five tackles overall and also broke up a pass downfield. Brini covered receivers well, shed blockers and displayed some impressive closing speed.
Tyrique Stevenson, A-minus
Stevenson was regarded as one of the best cornerbacks in the nation coming out of high school in 2019. Friday, he finally got to play the position after playing at star or safety for two years.
Early on, the results were mixed. Stevenson was beat a couple of times in man coverage. One of the times a receiver beat him was on third down. Cincinnati scored a few plays later to take a 14-10 lead into halftime. The sophomore recovered in the second half. He locked down his targets and didn't give up a catch after the Bearcats took a 21-10 advantage.
Stevenson's biggest play came in the final two minutes. Cincinnati attempted a pass on third down to prolong its possession and run out the clock. A receiver got open behind Georgia's defense, but Stevenson found him, broke away from his man and broke up the pass.
Quay Walker, B
Walker had a Quay Walker performance against Cincinnati. He had moments where he looked like a star. Walker, along with fellow linebacker Nakobe Dean, led the team with seven tackles. Walker also added a tackle for loss.
Walker also had moments where he misread plays and was nowhere near the ball carrier. He vanished on Cincinnati's 79-yard touchdown run because he read the play wrong and wasn't in position to seal the gap.
That's Quay Walker in 2020. We didn't learn anything new about Walker in the Peach Bowl. In the spring, he needs to work on consistency. He has the talent and skill to be a three-down player. But until he becomes consistent, he'll continue to share his job with Channing Tindall.
Xavier Truss, C-minus
That was not a great showing at left tackle for Truss. Georgia gave him the nod, moving Jamaree Salyer to right guard. Truss was supposed to protect the quarterback's blind side, but he struggled to do that, leading to three sacks.
Truss isn't the only lineman to blame for Georgia's offensive issues Friday, but he didn't help matters either. He does get a slight passing grade because of his lead blocking on running back Zamir White's touchdown. On that play, Truss showed what kind of offensive lineman he can be.
