ATHENS – The No. 1-ranked Georgia Bulldogs have blocked four kicks in nine games this season. Their secret?
“Dirty Dan” Jackson.
The rest of us just know him as Dan Jackson, sophomore defensive back and walk-on extraordinaire. But to his teammates, he’s known as “Dirty Dan.”
This new information was revealed by senior cornerback Ameer Speed, who casually unveiled it in answer a question about Georgia’s propensity for blocking kicks.
“With ‘Dirty Dan,’ we honestly had been preparing for that situation all week,” Speed said of the second-quarter block by Nolan Smith, which led to a safety.
“Dirty Dan?” Speed was asked.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever seen SpongeBob,” he said. “There’s a guy that says, ‘I’m Dirty Dan, I’m Dirty Dan.’ So we’ve always called him Dirty Dan, just a little nickname we’ve called him.”
Heading into Saturday’s game against Tennessee, Dirty Dan has helped the Bulldogs record four blocked kicks this season. Not of all of them, but at least two blocked punts. The latest one was in this past weekend’s 43-6 win over Missouri. The other two were a blocked field-goal attempt and a blocked extra-point attempt.
But when it comes to Georgia has been able to do as a punt-return/punt-block unit, “Dirty Dan” is the man, apparently.
“We were ready for it,” Speed said. “(Jackson is) the head honcho of the group. When it all happened, it was just kind of like ‘boom, boom, boom.’ So, it was good to see it executed how we wanted to.”
Georgia fans might recall that Jackson also was involved in blocking a punt himself against Arkansas, which Zamir White recovered for a touchdown in a 37-0 win Oct. 2. Jackson actually had an opportunity to recover the latest blocked punt for a touchdown. However, he was unable to corral the ball before it squirted out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
One of the roles that Jackson has assumed this season is as a sort of quarterback for the punt-return unit. Position in the middle of the field like a linebacker, he reads of the opponents’ punt formations and determines whether the Bulldogs go for the block or set up a return.
Smart talked about it after the Missouri game.
“We called a block on the first punt of the game, I think it was, and I thought he got really close,” Smart said. “But the other one was just a really good job by our special-teams staff having a check for when they checked. Dan Jackson is our check guy. It was not a called block; it triggered a block by what they did. (Jackson) did an excellent job. He’s very conscientious. He takes pride in the units he’s on, and it was a big play.”
Jackson has made quite a name for himself with the Bulldogs this season. Not only has be become a special-teams stalwart for Georgia, but he also has developed into a regular on the defense. He backs up Cine at free safety and actually led the Bulldogs with six tackles against Missouri.
But on special teams, Jackson is an undisputed starter. And not just on punt return. He’s also a member of the kickoff and kickoff return units. Making calls from the middle of Georgia’s punt-return team, he said, is one of Jackson’s most coveted roles.
“I take great responsibility in that,” Jackson said. “Every time I step on the field, I want to give the best opportunity for Kearis (Jackson) to return the ball. I want to work a lot harder for that unit because, obviously, it’s important. Anybody on that unit has a great responsibility. It’s a big deal and I just want to keep working on it.”
As for how he came to have that role, Jackson wasn’t certain.
“I think I earned it; I’m not exactly sure,” he said. “But I want to be on as many special teams as I can. Being on that unit, I obviously need to give it my all. I don’t know if it was a reward, but I want to keep giving it my all, if I can.”
Georgia’s special teams are now under the direction of Will Muschamp. The former South Carolina and Florida head coach was elevated into the position of special-teams coordinator when Scott Cochran stepped away for health reasons earlier this season. Muschamp initially joined Smart’s staff as a defensive analyst. Cochran has since returned from an extended leave that began in July and now is serving the special-teams unit in an analyst capacity.
Taken as a whole, Georgia’s special-teams play has been good, but not necessarily exemplary. The Bulldogs have a potential All-American in senior punter Jake Camarda (45.8 ypp) and he’s been practically un-returnable as a kickoff specialist with 38 touchbacks. Place-kicker Jack Podlesny ended Georgia’s NCAA record streak of consecutive extra points (363 involving six kickers) when he missed one earlier this season, and he’s 14-of-18 on field-goal attempts.
The Bulldogs have been uncharacteristically pedestrian at returning punts and kickoffs. They rank 11th in the SEC on punt-return average (5.9 ypr) and seventh in kickoff-return average (21.9 ypr). Tennessee ranks fourth (9.9) and sixth (22.9), respectively.
But when it comes to blocking kicks, the Bulldogs clearly are experts. Jalen Carter has blocked an extra-point attempt, and Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt both got their hands on a blocked field-goal attempt against Kentucky. Then there’s the two blocked punts.
Asked why, Smart said, “Strain. It’s just strain.
“We don’t believe in leaving any stone unturned,” he said. “Field-goal block is an extension of red-zone defense and (defensive coordinator Dan) Lanning and (defensive line coach Tray) Scott do a great job of selling that to our defense.”
By the way, the Volunteers have not allowed a blocked punt or kick this season. But as long as the Bulldogs have “Dirty Dan” in the middle, they feel like it’s a possibility.
And how does Jackson feel about his nickname?
“That’s something that (Eric) Stokes and some of the other DBs gave me,” Jackson said with a laugh. “I’ve accepted it. I didn’t know I was that bad looking, but I’m going with it.”
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