Georgia LB Amarlo Herrera proving to be much more than a fill-in
If you look close you can see the smile through Amarlo Herrera's facemask as he returns an interception 35 yards for a touchdown against Florida Atlantic this past Saturday night. (AJC photo by Brant Sanderlin)
ATHENS – Georgia’s Amarlo Herrera has a reputation that precedes him. He’s known as a hard-hitting, run-stuffing linebacker whose specialty is jacking up running backs between the tackles.
So when the 6-foot-2, 245-pound block of granite deftly back-pedaled into the deep middle zone , read the tight end on a crossing route, broke on the ball an d jumped to snatch it away, then bolted down the sideline 35 yards for a touchdown against Florida Atlantic, you can understand the ensuing mob that smothered him in celebration in the end zone.
“Actually he surprised me there,” said fellow linebacker Mike Gilliard. “I didn’t think he could run like that. Shoot, he surprised all of us when he scored. That’s why we were all riled up. We were happy for him.”
Herrera thinks his athleticism is being underestimated.
“I’ve been working with [speed specialist] Sherman [White] for a good little bit now; maybe that was it,” Herrera says with a laugh. “I’m probably a little faster than most people think. I’ve run a 4.5-flat before.”
Whatever he runs, it’s fast enough for the Bulldogs and they sure are glad to have him. In fact, Georgia would be in a real pinch if it wasn’t for Herrera.
Herrera has started all three games for the Bulldogs at the “Mo” inside linebacker position. That’s the one usually manned by Alec Ogletree. But Ogletree, who Georgia players argue may be their best overall athlete on defense, has missed the first three games due to disciplinary suspension and is expected to miss at least one more this week.
Of course, Georgia’s next game is an SEC East matchup against a Vanderbilt team that gashed the Bulldogs for 200 yards rushing and 349 overall this past season. So Georgia will be counting on Herrera to come through again.
“I’ve found myself in a strange situation,” Herrera said. “You’ve got a starter that’s not playing and he’s expected to come back and start. So you never know, but I can’t concern myself with all that. I’m just trying to produce and help us win.”
Herrera has definitely been productive. His play in Georgia’s 41-20 win at Missouri was overshadowed by national player of the week Jarvis Jones. Herrera recorded a team-high 10 tackles, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery. He had 7 tackles this past Saturday and is currently second on the team overall with 22 stops.
“Amarlo is doing great,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said Tuesday. “That was a great interception and return for a touchdown; he really looked like a ballplayer there. He’s always been very physical tackling. He hustles. I felt like he’s been a little bit better in the run game than in the passing game, but that was really a great play that he made.”
The Bulldogs shouldn’t be surprised by Herrera anymore. They’ve been counting on him since he first stepped on campus
Because of injuries to Ogletree and Christian Robinson in the first two games last season, Herrera was pressed into duty quickly. He ended up starting eight of Georgia’s 14 games as a freshman and finished with 37 tackles, which was 10th on the team.
It was a lot more work than Herrera expected when he signed with the Bulldogs out of Atlanta’s North Clayton High School last year.
“I feel like I’ve developed a lot since I’ve been here,” Herrera said. ”I really wasn’t into weight-lifting a lot until I got here. So I feel like I’ve gotten a lot stronger and a lot better. My high school coach [Rodney Hackney] said it before I got here I’d be a better college player than I was in high school because I wasn’t developed all the way. Everything I did was just off of what my Mom and Dad gave me.”
Georgia’s defense has had some struggles early on, especially in the first half of its first three games. So there is still much improvement to be made.
Some of that will come with the return of Ogletree and Bacarri Rambo next week. But what, then, becomes of Herrera?
The big man with the bigger-than-you’d-expect game says he’ll just handle whatever comes.
“Shoot, I didn’t even know I was going to play football in college,” Herrera said. “I’ve been playing since I was 5, but I never really looked at it as something that was going to get me somewhere. I just enjoyed going out there and making tackles on Saturday mornings.”
Now he just does it on Saturday nights.
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79 comments Add your comment
No Vandy regrets for Todd Grantham: ‘It was heated, but no big deal’ | UGA sports blog
September 18th, 2012
10:06 pm
[...] Georgia LB Amarlo Herrera proving to be more than a fill-in [...]
kingdaddy
September 18th, 2012
10:17 pm
Come on Bravos…
FRED
September 18th, 2012
10:21 pm
I like this kid!
kingdaddy
September 18th, 2012
10:23 pm
I think Pee had to go change his shorts after NYCDAWGFAN scared the bee-juice out of him… How about #36, Shawn Williams? He is “balling” and that’s no lie…
kingdaddy
September 18th, 2012
10:26 pm
Crap, good game Braves, can’t win them all. Looking good for the playoffs. What’s up Atlanta, Hawks, Braves, Falcons, Bulldogs looking right…
HardTruth Here
September 18th, 2012
10:52 pm
Wait till Johnny ONeal and the other LB outta Indy get here as freshmen next year. This is gonna become the “New” LB U of the South
mopardog
September 18th, 2012
10:52 pm
Dr. P sounds like a Vegas bookie to me. No normal football fan has so many seemingly meaningless stats hanging in the back of their head. 95% of the times we play Tech, we win everytime!!
Dog in Nam
September 19th, 2012
8:17 am
only flat tire on I 95 could turn this fabulous story into something negative…..anyway…..look at the playmakers we got on both sides of the ball….hard to count that high. Mr Herrera is an unbelievable player…has been so dog gone dependable….we called on him early last year, but obviously, the coaches knew they had someone special in this kid; because, he stepped up when called upon and has not let up since. Thanks for your outstanding and talented contributions. Hell of a player!
Jimmy Crack
September 19th, 2012
8:24 am
With guys like Herrera, Mitchell, Swann, Norman and Drew as backups who are participating this year, the future looks very bright!
BG
September 19th, 2012
8:36 am
DGD!
Joey
September 19th, 2012
8:43 am
Congrats to Herrera for making the most of his opportunity. No doubt he will be the starter next season. Just gotta pull for guys like that.
Hving said that, there was a huge difference in our D last season after Ogletree got back from the broken foot, vs UF. All the running up our middle going on vs nearly everbody, but especially Boise and SC, effectively ended. We’ve had a few of those runs against us this season, including that long TD run Sat night, that probably would have been 2 yd gains had Ogletree been in there.
Man, when you think about how many players on our D (5 or 6?) who will be playing on Sunday next season, it makes you think that Richt better get it done THIS year.
MA English 75
September 19th, 2012
8:52 am
Live from the Butt-Smear building, haven’t you posted this before? What exactly is your point?
These talented athletes arrive at UGA as boys, and leave as men, thanks to their coaches, teachers, and above all, their older teammates who mentor them.
Boys make mistakes. Haven’t you ever made a mistake? And then learned from it?
Preston Thompson
September 19th, 2012
8:56 am
Some of you that want to cut down the replacements for the idiots that got themselves in trouble are really out to lunch. When your starters are suspended somebody has to step up and in the scheme of things that’s exactly what they’ve done. I think rather than run them down why not look at the positives they’ve brought in to at least get the Dawg’s to 3 and 0. Get by Vandy and the starters that thought more of their own thing than the team, will be back and all is well, I hope.
And Dr P, why not just flush it?
Lance
September 19th, 2012
9:02 am
Is Dr P the ole Flag boy from GT??????
Joey
September 19th, 2012
9:26 am
More like, the ole Flag boy’s boyfriend, Lance.
They’re probably playing with each other’s stingers, giggling about these idiotic posts.
WDE
September 19th, 2012
9:41 am
I couldn’t help but think as Herrera was headed to the end zone last week, Thank the lord I didn’t have to try and tackle a man that big moving that fast..he was flat out hoofing it!
Holy Guacamole
September 19th, 2012
9:55 am
DrP=Thomas Brown. Stop responding and he will go away.
Gman
September 19th, 2012
10:06 am
Bennett is the weak link in the receiver chain. He drops more balls than anyone on the team. Bench him NOW!
Show Me Your TDs
September 19th, 2012
10:09 am
Herrera is a solid player, and is only getting better!!
ARdawg
September 19th, 2012
10:15 am
Herrera is a footballer and a DGD. It would bother me not one wit if Tree didn’t make it back. Hopefully, he will and when he does appreciate his team.
Dr. P
September 19th, 2012
10:31 am
I am Sandusky’s love child.
I-DOG
September 19th, 2012
12:19 pm
It has been a while since we have had so many playmakers on offense.
WR’s Wooten, Scott Wesley, and Conley are having a hard time getting on the field as much as they normally would as Brown, Bennet, and King are certainly justifying their PT. Throw in MM playing some more on offense and that is a lot of weapons to go with 3 good RB’s.
Scotty
September 19th, 2012
12:24 pm
I and the Bulldawg nation have a lot of respect for this hard working young man! Hope you continue to score touchdowns in all you of your endeavors Amarlo…keep up the good work son!
NYCDAWGFAN
September 19th, 2012
1:49 pm
Sitting here counting down the hours til my flight…. Thanks to “Dawg Haus” and “kingdaddy” for the love. We are one Dawgnation united!!!.. I was reading the board while having my lunch and what do I find, another troll… “Live from the Butt-Smear building ” whoever you are, it’s obvious that you are a jealous gayterd wearing your girly orange and blue skirt.. Check it out punk, first, the list you provided was compiled by a newsstation in where?… That’s right, Orlando.. and who is in the broadcast range? That’s right, the punks in Gainesville.. Of course they are going to try and bash the dawgs. I’ll agree like most here the UGA baskeball debacle deserves to be on this list but, trying to drum up some old story about the legend that is Vince is just plain childish.. How bout we talk about the lack of discipline and “scandal” at Florida, where players are threatening their girlfriends (and still get to play), smoking INSANE amounts of herb (and still get to play), and shooting porno’s (and STILL getting to play).. There is a reason why the Urban Cryer ran away from your stank mud bog that you wanna call a swamp.. He knew that he left a fart in the elevator.. Here’s what is REALLY funny to me, as soon as a Dawg left your program (Mr. McGarrity) things fell apart… So, what do you do? You go and hire another Dawg to try and fix it… Good luck there kid, we own Muschump and last I checked the record, we still own you!! Get off the board punk, or come see me.. I already left my stats… Dawgnation, I am obviously amped for this weekend!! I chose to return home for this game specifically for two reasons.. First, to see my lil bro do his thing for the Burke County Middle School team (starting QB, OLB, Kicker, and Punter.. and he will be with me Saturday!!), second, I had to be there after the dirty play of Vandy last year… They will fear the Red and Black!! Go Dawgs Sic ‘em!!!
Red and Black til Death
Mad Dog One
September 19th, 2012
3:57 pm
Lance old friend I think you should have left one of the “L” out of that post. GO DOGS & GATA
BILLY JACK
September 19th, 2012
6:52 pm
What a great kid-and what a bright future for a player this young-it is truly graet to be a Georgia Bulldog in every way.
Dawg in Griffin
September 20th, 2012
2:02 am
What’s Richt’s record when Dr. P gets his mouth sewn shut, his fingers broken, and his keyboard smashed to bits? No available data? Let’s make some…
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September 20th, 2012
2:02 pm
[...] Georgia LB Amarlo Herrera proving to be more than a fill-in [...]
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September 22nd, 2012
1:32 am
[...] Georgia LB Amarlo Herrera proving to be more than a fill-in [...]