Jarvis Jones watched from the sideline as his former teammates handily beat Vanderbilt on Saturday, as the Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker is on injured reserve after dislocating his wrist. After the game, the 17th-overall pick in the 2012 draft had a few words of advice for junior outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins.
“Some of the stuff when I come inside more, to use your hands a little more versus going in with your forearms,” Jenkins said. “Stuff like that. And really just focusing on keeping your hands active in your rush.”
Jones also praised Jenkins for his accomplishments thus far this season, which include two sacks and 28 total tackles in five games.
With the Bulldogs’ SEC East matchup against Missouri coming up, such advice is appreciated by Jenkins. After all, he’s hoping he and his fellow pass rushers can replicate the defensive performance Jones gave in Columbia, Mo., two years ago in the Tigers’ first league game as an SEC program. In the Bulldogs’ 41-20 win in 2012, Jones recorded eight total tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception for a 21-yard return.
“I definitely want to get something like that going against them this year,” Jenkins said. “We’re going to need something good from us up front.”
That game is still fresh in both Jenkins’ mind and senior inside linebacker Ramik Wilson’s as well. For Wilson, what resonates most from that game was a comment that made Jones’ and the defense’s accomplishments even sweeter.
Then-Missouri defensive end Sheldon Richardson used three words to describe the Bulldogs’ defense that Wilson has not let himself forget, even after Richardson left for the next level.
“We still haven’t forgotten about that ‘Old Man Football’ stuff they said about us so we’re going to go over there and handle business,” Wilson said.
