ATHENS – Don’t count out Jamon Dumas-Johnson just yet.
The Georgia Bulldogs’ defensive leader known as “Pop” suffered what was initially described as a fractured forearm on the last play of the third quarter against Missouri this past Saturday. Losing your starting “Mike” linebacker on the eve of facing the most challenging offensive opponent of the season would seem to be a devastating blow to a defense.
But it sounds like the Bulldogs have not resigned themselves just yet to playing without their third-leading tackler. Georgia coach Kirby Smart on Monday said Dumas-Johnson “is going to try to find some innovative ways to get back and be able to play.”
“We won’t know the extent of that (for) a couple more days,” Smart said.
Hey, it’s been done before. In fact, a former Georgia Bulldog did it.
Thomas Davis, who starred as a safety at Georgia and an inside linebacker in the NFL, famously played a Super Bowl 50 with a broken forearm. And not only did he play, Davis was the Carolina Panthers’ second-leading tackler that day in 2016 with seven stops.
However, that game was actually two weeks after Davis suffered his injury in the NFC Championship. Dumas-Johnson would be doing it in just seven days.
For that reason, the status of the junior linebacker from Hyattsville, Maryland, would have to be decidedly doubtful for Saturday’s 7 p.m. tilt against No. 10 Ole Miss (8-1, 5-1 SEC). At the moment, though, nobody in Georgia’s camp is willing to count him out.
More than likely, though, the Bulldogs will have to rely on a deep troop of young linebackers to pick up the slack. That starts with freshman CJ Allen and sophomore linebacker Jalon Walker, but extends to several others as well. Freshman Raylen Wilson has played in seven games.
It also helps that third-year sophomore Xavian Sorey and redshirt freshman E.J. Lightsey have returned to the practice field this week. Sorey did not play last week “for personal reasons,” according to Smart, while Lightsey has battled injuries.
“All those guys will be competing for those spots,” Smart said Monday. “As far as Pop, still not sure how long it’ll be. … But really excited to see those other guys get opportunities. We got other guys that have played, and thank goodness, at linebacker, we use that as a normal rotating position. We have guys that roll in and play.”
On average, Georgia has played four linebackers in every game this season. Most often that has been Allen, who has played in every game this season specifically as Dumas-Johnson’s backup. Sorey entered the season with the most buzz as a reserve and started the opener at the other linebacker spot while Smael Mondon continued to recover from a sprained foot. The sophomore Walker also has played in every game, but generally filling in for Mondon in the weakside role.
Then there’s Mondon himself. Based on what we’ve seen from the Bulldogs all season, and throughout Smart’s tenure as head coach, there’s no guarantee Georgia will line up in a tradition 5-2, 4-3 or 3-4. Especially facing heavy run-pass option/quarterback run teams such as Ole Miss will be bringing to Sanford Stadium, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bulldogs line up in dime packages with defensive backs assuming linebacker roles or a single middle linebacker such as Mondon spying the quarterback from the middle and making quick pass-run declarations to his fellow defenders.
Regardless of who else might be on the field with Mondon, the 6-foot3, 220-pound junior from Paulding County will be the linebacker making the defensive calls for the Bulldogs.
“He does a great job,” Smart said of Mondon, who leads the team with 43 tackles and also has a team-high 15 quarterback pressures. “He calls the defenses when Pop’s not in there anyway, and when Pop is in there, they share. That’s not a big concern.”
Which is not to say linebackers coach Glenn Schumann would have reservations about throwing the freshmen into the fire. Undoubtedly, there will be moments they’ll have to be on the field together without the benefit of veteran support. Never mind the physical nature of the position and the risk of injury on any given down.
“To be honest with you, the two freshmen, they don’t practice and play like freshmen,” Smart said, referring to Smith and Wilson. “They know the calls and do a great job. (But) I think Smael will do an awesome job of calling stuff.”
All of that is assuming Pop is not available. Count him out at your own peril.
Dumas-Johnson certainly has had some difficult times on the field, whether it was not quite having the speed to get to the perimeter or missing an occasional tackle. But the toughness factor in Dumas-Johnson is unquestionable.
An inside linebacker doesn’t establish a starting streak of 24 consecutive games without knowing how to and being willing to play through injuries. A 6-1, 245-pound “run thumper,” Dumas-Johnson has remained on the field through shoulder and knee injuries. The Bulldogs are 38-1 with Pop patrolling the defense’s second level, 23-0 as the starting middle linebacker
It’s all that game experience that the Bulldogs would be missing in his absence. But whether he actually plays on the field, one can be certain that he will be involved in practice all week and actively engaged during the game on Saturday.
“Pop’s doing a good job holding up,” senior defensive back Tykee Smith said Monday. “I definitely think Pop is going to do like Brock (Bowers) has been doing and that’s what we need. Right now, we need him to coach up the next guy, to show them and tell them what he sees out there. I think he’s still going to be able to help this team from the sideline.”
