UGA Football: Davis, Seniors Have Their Day

By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Saturday began and ended with Jordan Davis, the larger-than-life Georgia football star whose size and talent are only exceeded by his heart, humanity and personality.

During the pregame Senior Day festivities on Dooley Field, when all 30 of Georgia’s seniors were recognized before the top-ranked Bulldogs’ 56-7 trouncing of Charleston Southern, the loudest roar came at the end, when big No. 99 was introduced.

For those of us who know just how much his time as a Bulldog has meant to Davis, it was a goosebump moment.

Later, when the 6-foot-6 and 340-pound nose tackle lined up in the backfield and scored on a 1-yard run for the game’s first touchdown, the goosebumps returned. Davis and fellow nose tackle Jalen Carter have been blockers in Georgia’s goal line “jumbo” package several times this season, but this time it was Davis’ chance to get in the end zone.

His first try, from the 2-yard line, came up a yard short. On the next down, he got the ball in for the score. Coach Kirby Smart said the opportunity was there to get Davis a touchdown, “and those offensive coaches wanted to do it and I thought it was a great idea. I thought he handled it well.”

Said senior linebacker Robert Beal Jr., who had a sack Saturday in his first career start: “J.D. for Heisman — I want to see him win.”

Redshirt senior quarterback Stetson Bennett said his main job on the play was “just to make sure he gets the ball, make sure he had the right hand up and just let him get in the end zone.” Bennett, who played little more than a quarter and threw two touchdown passes, added that he hoped nobody took a photo of the moment of the handoff because of how small the 5-11, 190-pound QB would look next to Davis.

For senior wide receiver Kearis Jackson, who had a 41-yard punt return Saturday, one of his special memories from this season came when Jackson, listed at 6-foot, was standing next to Davis in a photograph.

“I think it was the South Carolina game,” Jackson said during a Quick Chat in October, “when we were all captains, and there’s a picture of us standing there at the 50-yard line. I was like, look at me on the left, look at J.D. and look at Channing (Tindall), and J.D.’s like a big mannequin standing there in the middle. I was like, I’m going to frame this in my house one day.”

Davis’ athletic prowess was established early on in his Georgia career and has moved toward legendary status this season.

“J.D. is probably the biggest human I have ever seen move that fast, play that fast and run that fast,” Jackson said.

And finally, after the Bulldogs improved to 11-0 with the easy win, Davis and the rest of the team went over to say thanks to the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band and the student section. That was when an unexpected honor came Davis’ way. He was made an honorary member of the band and given a band coat.

Davis then stepped forward and led the band through a rendition of “Glory, Glory” and more.

“You could feel the love in the air,” he said in his postgame interview.

And when it was over, as the few thousand fans and Georgia students that remained gave him a full-throated cheer, the big man with the bigger heart took a bow.

During a Quick Chat back in September, Davis, who always seems like the life of the party, said he went through “a rough patch” in middle school back in Charlotte, N.C., but around the time he entered high school “something clicked” inside him.

“I was like, you know what, let me find the joy in the little things,” he said. “I always say ‘small victories.’ Every day is not going to be your best day, so you have to find those small victories, whether that’s talking to a friend or giving a compliment.

“I’m a believer in good karma, so I try to do good things, and hopefully good things return to me. That’s pretty much my mindset on life. I try to take things day by day and try to enjoy the little moments, because you never know when it’s going to be gone.”

For Davis, Saturday was certainly a day filled with victories big and small.

But the home finale game wasn’t all about the “big teddy bear off the field,” as senior defensive back Christopher Smith called Davis earlier this month. A lot of guys that might have been playing their final game on Dooley Field had some nice moments.

On the first play from scrimmage, redshirt junior running back Zamir White, who was recognized before the game, took off down the left side for a 38-yard gain. He later scored on a 40-yard run that put Georgia up 21-0 in the first quarter.

White’s backfield mate, senior James Cook, scored on a 3-yard run early in the second quarter, one play after taking a short pass from Bennett and eluding a couple of defenders for an 18-yard gain down to the 3-yard line.

On the defensive side, Beal got his sack in his first start, in the first game, he said, that his mother has been able to see him play at Georgia. Senior linebacker Channing Tindall, the top-rated defense’s leading tackler this season, was in on one of Georgia’s four sacks Saturday.

Davis’ closest friend on the team, senior defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, had one also. During a Quick Chat this week, Wyatt said the big guys on the defensive line “are having a lot of fun,” but they aren’t satisfied.

“We’re not done yet, I can tell you that much,” he said.

“Right now, we’re keeping our head down and staying humble. We’re not trying to get our head boosted up or anything like that. We’ve still got games ahead of us; we’ve got an opponent in front of us and we’ve got to handle our business. But it’s been a fun season as it’s been going along, though.”

The fun continued Saturday, for the seniors, the team, and every one of us fortunate enough to be along for the ride.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He’s also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.