Jordan Davis Continued Dominance in Season Opener
Defensive tackle Jordan Davis is one of the best nose tackles in college football, but his performance against Clemson on Saturday may have been his best to date.
Davis' impact had a massive ripple effect that opened opportunities for everyone else on the defensive line. Defensive coordinator Dan Lanning runs a team-oriented pass rush, and on Saturday, Davis executed that to a tee.
It was hard to miss Davis: he stands 6-6 and weighs 340 lbs. He carries his weight well and has surprisingly agile feet for someone so large. This combination proved too much for the interior of Clemson's offensive line, as Davis seemingly willed himself into the backfield on every snap despite double and sometimes triple teams.
Davis likely would have been the No. 1 nose tackle in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he chose to return to school to refine a few things before heading to the pros. But most importantly, he loves Georgia football, and the opportunity to chase a national title was too much to pass up for Davis.
Last season he made a concerted effort to become a more effective pass rusher. Davis has been the anchor of Georgia's run defense for several years, and while he has been an adequate pass rusher, his ceiling always told us that there was room for growth.
In the practices leading up to the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl against Cincinnati, Davis focused on rushing the passer. That paid off, as he routinely got after the passer against the Bearcats and even got a sack.
Saturday night it was apparent that Davis continued to work on this in the offseason. He got an early sack and continued to pressure quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Davis was always in Uiagalelei's face, forcing him outside of the pocket and making him get rid of the football.
At the moment, Davis is regarded as one of the best interior defensive linemen in America. He was a preseason All-SEC first-team selection and could vie for All-American status this year.
The Bulldog defensive line did many good things Saturday night, and many of them were opened up by Davis. Clemson had to block him with multiple linemen, enabling edge rushers to get upfield and take advantage of their one-on-one situations.
Interior pressure is the most effective way to slow down an offense. Edge pressure is nice, but quarterbacks fight their way up in the pocket and still deliver the pass in rhythm while being chased by an edge rusher.
If the pressure comes right in their face, then there are very few solutions. Georgia has interior pressure in spades, and a big reason why is No. 99.
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