Georgia’s Jarvis Jones eager to wreak havoc again against Gators
Georgia's Jarvis Jones gave quarterback John Brantley and the Florida offense fits a year ago with four sacks and a forced fumble. (Photo by Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Lost in all the talk about Georgia’s “soft defense” this week is one rather glaring fact: The Bulldogs have been playing with — and sometimes without — a banged-up Jarvis Jones.
The junior All-American has not been healthy since the second play of the Missouri game in Week 2, when he said he aggravated a groin injury he had suffered earlier that week. He’s also playing with a sore left knee, which he protects with a bulky brace, and an ankle injury suffered in the fourth quarter of the Oct. 6 South Carolina game.
As a result, Jones has missed a ton of practice time, two full games and a significant portion of others.
“I’ve just been getting a lot of treatment,” said Jones, who returned to practice this week in preparation for the Gators. “I’ve just been working really hard, coming over here (to the training room) in the morning, in the afternoon and at night. “I’m just trying to take care of my body and push myself to be in the best position possible so, when Saturday comes, I’ll be able to give my team all I have.”
Jones was definitely giving his all the last time he came down to Jacksonville to play Florida. In the Bulldogs’ 24-20 win last year, the 6-foot-3, 241-pound outside linebacker recorded four sacks, five tackles and forced a fumble. The nationally-televised performance essentially locked up All-America honors for Jones, who went on to lead the SEC in sacks (13.5 and tackles for loss (19.5).
“I made a couple of good plays in that game,” Jones said modestly. “I definitely learned a lot and got better that game. As the season went on, I kept learning and kept getting after it. . . . But it’s all the same for Every game is a big game for me. I go into every game trying to give every thing I’ve got. That’s what I’m going to do when I step on the field Saturday. I’m going to try to help my team any way I can. I try to be relentless every play. That was the way I was able to make plays that game and that’s the way I’ve made plays my whole career. So that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
Despite his injuries, Jones has remained productive for the Bulldogs. He enters the Florida game as Georgia’s third-leading tackler with 36 stops and leads the team in quarterback sacks (5.5), tackles for loss (9.5) and quarterback hurries (15).
The Bulldogs will be encountering a different offense than they encountered a year ago when Jones was terrorizing gimpy quarterback John Brantley. Under first-year coordinator Brent Pease, formerly of Boise State, the Gators are running the football out of multiple formations and often with the quarterback. Sophomore Jeff Driskel is Florida’s second-leading rusher with 321 yards, a total that rises to nearly more than 400 yards when sacks are not factored.
Having a healthy Jones setting the edge on one side of the defense can only help when it comes to containing the Gators. And he will be going up against the same left tackle he did last year in Xavier Nixon (6-6, 314, sr.),
“I know he’s going to be excited about getting in there and trying to help us win,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said of Jones. “He had a big game a year ago; I’m sure he’d love to have another one. But it’s a little bit different style of offense and a different quarterback. Brantley really wasn’t moving around that good. It wasn’t like it was tough to chase him down once you got there. Driskel is much more mobile and much more physical I think especially since he’s healthy compared to what Brantley was a year ago.”
As for all the “soft” talk regarding Georgia’s defense, Jones just laughs it off. He understood the point Shawn Williams was trying to make and is glad the senior safety spoke up.
“Everybody knows Shawn is a very passionate guy. He’s loves this game of football,” Jones said. “Looking back at last year and this year, it seems like we’re playing down a level and not executing like we’re supposed to. But I feel like that woke a lot of guys up. I think guys understand where he’s coming from and we all definitely respect him. . . . We feel like it was just a challenge for us to go out there and re-focus ourselves and get back on the right track and play the defense we’re known for playing. That’s smash-mouth football.”
Having a healthy Jarvis Jones back in the fold, should help.
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112 comments Add your comment
DirtyDawg
October 26th, 2012
7:20 pm
Gotta tell ya Chip…nowhere in this piece did Jarvis say a thing about ‘wreaking havoc against the Gators’. Not that he wouldn’t like to, but he’s smart enough to know that in the ‘war of words’ smart guys let their actions do the talking. No, he said that he was glad, and hoping, to be healthy enough to contribute and to help his team. It’s bad enough when those that aren’t mature enough to know not to shoot their mouths off, but to have a newspaper ‘reporter’ instigate something…well lets say we can do without it. On the other hand, the fans should take a few hundred copies of The Red & Black…that took the Gator ad bragging about how bad they were gonna beat us…down to the game so that when we do the beatin down, we’ll have some words for them to eat…their own.
Voyager Dawg
October 26th, 2012
7:34 pm
Swamp Chomper. You guys didn’t even sell out the first games of the season. Saw the same when you won seven last year. You guys didn’t even know that football existed prior to 1990. Go back to the rock you crawled out from under.
dawgdoo
October 26th, 2012
7:36 pm
Not much has been said about the Gators’ pass coverage. Better be wreakin’ on that, or it could be a long pm……….
Francis in Hawaii
October 26th, 2012
7:40 pm
Everybody say it with me, you too, Jarvis, “We Got This…”
GatorTrav
October 26th, 2012
7:57 pm
All of you Leghumper fans are delusional! It might be a good game, but the Gators will put the beatdown on you in the 2nd half.
Woofy One
October 26th, 2012
7:58 pm
The Lizards are going to repeat last year as are the DAWGS.
fred
October 26th, 2012
8:23 pm
Are you people on drugs alcohol or just plain stupid? After all these years you still will not recognize our program is a looser ! When will all of you see the obvious This program is at best a second tier second rate program. How many more years will it take you to see this.
zbulldawg
October 26th, 2012
8:28 pm
The fact of the matter is: UGA will come after the run all out !! Jones will spy the QB & we will DARE them to throw the ball !!!! Nuff Said
Smarticus
October 26th, 2012
8:42 pm
The UGA football program is worse right now than it was in the Ray Goff years.
Get ready to receive another embarrassing beatdown in prime time on national TV tomorrow by our biggest rivals.
Hope you Dawgs are happy with Richt…
Raiderbeater
October 26th, 2012
8:45 pm
Go dawgs………
They lose though. We love them a lot…..and whenever we hear an inspirational word or dig into stats to skew them our way we build hope out of nothing.
We are a bad team. I will hate seeing UGA lose but they have proven nothing and have given no one any reason to doubt the status quo of losing to every team that has the slightest ability to play quality football…….let alone the #2 team in the country.
Fla 34 – UGA 14
atlgator
October 26th, 2012
8:50 pm
Dawgs delusional as always. UF last year was among the worst Florida squads in the modern era and were up 17-3. Brantley was on one leg. The O line was softer than your 2012 schedule. And you won as you converted two fourth downs into touchdowns.
UF is a different, vastly improved beast this year. And ya’ll are as mediocre as ever.
It won’t be close. Go Gators.
Smarticus
October 26th, 2012
8:55 pm
Talk is cheap; da Koolaid causes delusion.
The Dawgs are losers because their coach is a con artist and an imposter.
The UGA mascot should be changed from the Bulldog to a Chump
I challenge the UGA football team and coaching staff to prove me wrong.
Put up or shut up.
Highly Respected Southern Troll
October 26th, 2012
9:00 pm
Dawgs will lose to Florida tomorrow (probably bad), beat Ole Miss, pummel Auburn, then lose to either Southern or Tech at the end of the year. Georgia will finish the regular season at 9-3.
Snoop Dawg
October 26th, 2012
9:01 pm
Snoop doesn’t love a loser. Snoop hates a loser.
Snoop is a winner.
UGA football is a national joke AND a loser.
I have never heard veteran and expert commentators like Mussberger an Herbstreit criticize a football team and its coaches so harshly. And guess what? They are right.
The Bulldog Nation is in denial.
Snoop Dawg
October 26th, 2012
9:03 pm
Richt, Bobo, and the other imposter coaches must be fired. They are not getting it done or earning their money. They are letting the players down. They are letting UGA down.
Neutral
October 26th, 2012
9:05 pm
I feel very good about this game. The most important stat regarding the Ga-FL game is that the Gators ONLY beat the Dawgs when they have 2 weeks to prepare. In the last 19 games the Gators have had a bye week 15 times…..and guess what their record is? Yes, it is 15-4. Guess what their record is when they don’t have 2 weeks to prepare for the Dawgs? You got it dude!!!! They started this “bye week” scheduling in the early 90’s when UGa had a 44-19 record…thus the Gator’s key to success over the last 2 decades. GO Dawgs and thanks SC for filling the Gator’s Bye week.
MariettaGator
October 26th, 2012
9:06 pm
Good luck with that you Trembling Chihuahuas, Jarvis Jones can’t even spell “wreak havoc”.
Snoop Dawg
October 26th, 2012
9:08 pm
Neutral, you need a urinalysis. Sound like you are inebriated from da Preacha Man’s Koolaid.
Or perhaps you are a Louis Farrakhan Numerologist…
Snoop Dawg
October 26th, 2012
9:10 pm
Aaron Murray is going to make Joe Cox look like a Heisman winner tomorrow… He will put new meaning into the word CHOKE.
MariettaGator
October 26th, 2012
9:12 pm
Hey Neutral, the Gators only win when they have 2 weeks to prepare? Hahahahaha! We DID have 2 weeks to prepare- we just used one of them to obliterate South Carolina.
NC Dawg
October 26th, 2012
9:25 pm
Let’s remember how horrible a loss is for the Gators. No shot at a Nat’l Championship, no shot at SEC title, and being the first Top 10 team Georgia has beaten in ??. All in the ol’ “gator bowl”.
Go Dawgs!! GATA!
Dawgboy
October 26th, 2012
10:34 pm
There has been a lot of talk from the players about getting fired up and not playing “soft” anymore as if that will change the outcome against a better coached team with similar talent. If you face better offensive schemes, better defensive schemes, and better special teams schemes, you can run as hard and tackle as hard as you want to and still be out foxed. It’s like the astronaut who says he knows that he is going to make it to the moon and back because he has trained hard and is fired up. Unless he is surrounded by a flawless system, his mental and physical preparation make little or no difference in the outcome.
dewnsav
October 26th, 2012
10:55 pm
here’s hoping Jarvis is healthy…D-Line MUST take a half step off rushes and be disciplined, play your gaps and contain on the outside!! MAKE Driskel beat us with his arm…he might do it, but if he breaks containment there is no doubt it will be a long afternoon for UGA…Shaw killed us with his legs in the SC game, mostly on critical third downs…O-Line, MUST step up !! go dogs
harold
October 26th, 2012
10:56 pm
Can Richt “finally prove his worth” by beating a team that has DOMINATED UGA by losing 18 out of the last 22 games? He is 9-31 against ranked teams.
The SEC is stunned how poorly this team is with all this talent. Something is wrong in Athens.
If Richt doesn’t deliver tomorrow…It may be time for Richt to go!
Larry
October 26th, 2012
11:02 pm
I have always felt Aaron Murray was highly overrated as evidenced by his disappearance in all big and meaningful games, like tomorrow’s.
I hope for once he forces me to retract my evaluation.
jojo
October 26th, 2012
11:02 pm
Time to Step up or Sit down. Which will it be, Dawgs
One of My Favorite All Time Dawgs
October 26th, 2012
11:49 pm
Jarvis…I hope your read this blog. You are the ultimate DAWG!
Georgia gets yet another shot at Top 10 opponent; that it’s Florida is just a bonus | UGA sports blog
October 26th, 2012
11:55 pm
[...] Georgia’s Jarvis Jones eager to wreak havoc again against Gators [...]
RMikel58
October 27th, 2012
1:52 am
JJ dictates the game. If he can get 3-4 sacks then we’ll win. Florida will die by the run because they have no recievers,,,,,,,just like Ga. Tech does but gators are alittle quicker and more athletic.
If Georgia can contain them and the LB’s can read then we can force them into passing where their less successful.
I want a win and hope for a win but again……….Georgia seems to turn the ball over giving Florida easy touchdowns.
We have lost so many games to Florida because of turnovers. I bet you that this is discussed with players and fans………georgia beats themselves.
Sure theyll come out playing hard until Florida gets a 1st down, then a penalty giving gators new life and then when the gators score that will deflate the defense.
What makes this defense so bad is they give up big plays, bone head penalties and when they get behind they lose it and just give up.
Theres no fight, no urgency, no pride and then they unravel.
Lets be real here. Georgia Defense is worst then our Offense this year. Everyone is expecting a Gator blowout because they killed S, Carolina.
98% of most people arent even considering a loss to Georgia or even a close game. Murray has problems with good defenses.
Look at S Carolina……S Carolinas DE Clowney killed our offense single handedly and not one time did Bobo help the freshmen out.
How dumb is that? Bobo has a great view in the coaches booth and dont see that? makes no adjustments and Clowney rattled Murray during the rest of the game. You dont think Florida didnt see film on that game?
I hate losing to those gators but what do you think is gonna happen Saturday? Theyll blitz Murray and pressure him enough to mess up his timing just like gamecocks did.
Im not a pessimist or an optomist im a realist.
Dfense is too soft and they cant remember their assignments………….their pathetic! yes i think we’re more talented , but it takes 22 players to win a game.
CMR then McGarity trying to say this game isnt that important should tell you all why we cant win a championship.
Then have a BYE WEEK and then play Kentucky……R U Kidding me? Not a week off before Florida but KENTUCKY.
See why its about revenue and not the fans? The AD McGarity wants his check, so does CMR and Bobo. We have a passive Head Coach, A DC that it takes a player to learn in 3 years how to line up on coverage, A OC who is a one dimensional moron and should only be coaching at best in D-2A,besides not even having a Special Teams Coach and this adds up to Mediocrity.
Better than average team that cannot beat the Elite Teams.
So what if we beat Florida …..hip hip hooray because you still have Auburn, Ole Miss and if we’re lucky Alabama in the SEC.
We have the players but darn sure not the Coaching to be a Alabama Team. We have a Mayberry RFD Football Team and Sheriff Taylor Head Coach, Barney Fife the OC and Gomer Pyle is DC.
Here Florida hires a coach and in his 2nd season look where theyve gotten too.
No i dont think it will be a blowout but Georgia will fade in the 3rd Quarter and Florida will pull away 38-10.
Hope im wrong …..so hope i am but unlike many of you im not here to chastise florida but to say Georgia has more issues than you see out on the field.
Mark Richts last year here but it took his firing to get rid of Bobo…..sorry Grantham you got caught up in the middle.
Red and black on the Attack
October 27th, 2012
2:52 am
Do you see it? the kool aid is raining down, oh it is so beautiful……
We will never learn will we……Well prepare for a beating, same coach, same result……
West side Dawg
October 27th, 2012
2:56 am
In the movies, this is the part where the players read all the blogs and get motivated to win. In the real world though they will just come out and lay down on the field………
Can't Wait
October 27th, 2012
6:19 am
Maybe JJ can tackle a FL player as he hits the sideline and he just happens to run over Muschamp at the same time!
Just my two cents worth
October 27th, 2012
6:20 am
Ten more Jarvis Jones’s and Ga. would win by twenty even without an offense. He is the real deal. Shame his talent and heart don’t rub off on his team mates. Go DAWGS
go Gator....
October 27th, 2012
6:38 am
Personally think Jones should rest that ankle another week…. No use rushing it my man….
GatorBait 18-4
October 27th, 2012
6:48 am
Have ya’ll ever wondered why no team has ever come and tried to hire Bobo way as their OC or HC——————-didn’t think so.
Ya’ll forget that Grantam was hired only after 5 or 6 DC turned Richt down.
Has any assistant coach of Richt ever been hired away as a HC ( 0 I think),. Urban Myere had 6 of his assistant become head coaches and Muschamp has already had one. Of course I’m glad to get rid of ole Charlie—–this Brent Pease is the real deal.
I know you remember Coach Pease, he was the Boise State OC that made Grantham look like Jr college DC.
He knows all the Georgia players, only this year he has bigger, faster and stronger players to send against them.
It should be an interesating game–good luck.
Troup Co. Dawg
October 27th, 2012
7:15 am
If they load seven in the box…I hope Bobo will remember what we did against Mizzou so that we can keep their back four honest, it worked before! I just want to see a complete game! Win or Lose Go Dawgs !!! I want to see some fire!!!! 8.25 hrs till kickoff and I’m nervous as hell! GATA !
Big P
October 27th, 2012
7:48 am
Wreak havoc? Lol. You couldn’t wreak havoc on Kentucky!! A team UF beat 38-0. Talk is cheap boys. UF has a lot of bulletin board material for this one. UGA barely beat a terrible Gator team last year. It took 2 lucky 4th down throws. Good luck suckers!!
Big P
October 27th, 2012
7:51 am
@rmike158…….Sheriff Taylor would have better results than Richt
Big P
October 27th, 2012
7:53 am
@Voyager Dawg……the only year UGA knew college football existed was 1980.
wastedyears
October 27th, 2012
8:10 am
YEA …WHATEVER…ALL TALK…NO ACTION….
wastedyears
October 27th, 2012
8:12 am
I EXPECT OUR TOP 5 DEFENSE TO LOSE BY NO LESS THAN 40..IM DONE BELIEVING IN ANY MARK RICHT TEAM
mark
October 27th, 2012
8:22 am
Mark Richt and all of his fans will get another lesson today on what it takes to win a big SEC football game. Flordia will run it down our throats 3,5,8 yards a clip,shorten the game by running the clock and playing great defense.Remember this is the Boise offencse and our undisaplined Defense will get burned several times,Throw in Murrys big game turnovers and Bobo’s choking and getting outcoached not to mention special teams play, I say UGA will get beat by 33 to 45 points. Before the game I ask how many more of these big losses is it going to take to get rid of Richt? After this loss you punch drinkers better look out for Ole Miss,For me today,I signed my son up for a golf tournament ,I,ve wasted enough Saturdays expecting to see a good game only to see more piss poor coached football.I’m pulling up Lindsey on you tube and remember the good times!! Bring on Kirby Smart!!!
Neutral
October 27th, 2012
8:54 am
I love the way I jerked the Gators around last night regarding the fact that in the last 19 games they have had a ” bye” week 15 times before the UGa game and have a 15-4 record. Very “telling” stat and a stat that gives me great hope today. The only silly comebacks from the FL fans were that I was drinking the Koolaid……that is a Gator code word for ” I don’t have a response, but Neutral’s post has me very worried”!!! Go Dawgs!
Joey
October 27th, 2012
8:55 am
It’s hard to find a more grounded, humble star than Jarvis. Even if he is less than 100%, he will be better than most, and will certainly get paid lots of attention, maybe giving an opening to a teammate.
Go Dawgs!
GT
October 27th, 2012
9:22 am
This is exactly what Georgia doesn’t need put on someone else’s bulletin board. Jones had South Carolina’s defense so pumped up by the press calling Jones the number one defender in the country while the real thing was playing defensive end for the Gamecocks, they got their lunch handed to them. South Carolina didn’t play near as well against the next two teams. Georgia needs to play football and lay off the hype. Even the refs start calling stuff against them, their reputation not the foul causes that. Remember the game they got an excessive celebration penalty called. That all started with the crazy stuff they did in this Florida game after they scored their first touchdown.
They need to lay off the color of the uniforms, all the little tricks that don’t work and come out and just play football up to their capability. Injuries are a good excuse for Jones but I can promise he is slipping in the draft every week, and high expectations, big hat and no cattle ain’t helping. Georgia needs some of these kids to develop under them not back up, and this hype they spin makes these kids, and the public, think they are there when they have a long way to go.
must win
October 27th, 2012
9:24 am
I think the dawgs show up and play tough. this is a must win for the SEC East and for Richt.
Gonna be close. Hoping Jarvis is healthy and the Def is motivated by being called out. If so,
dawgs take this one. Florida is good but they are winning b/c of turnovers. Their off is not that great.
RMikel58
October 27th, 2012
9:37 am
Well i want to see Georgia win. CMR is burned out folks. Just like he admitted 4 years ago and told everyone that he would spread more responsibility around. Got to get rid of CMR inorder to get rid of Bobo.
If you look at the top OC in college football, youll not find Bobo’s name. He was a sorry QB at Georgia and he’s a sorry OC .
Look for nothing different in this game in play calling from OPIE because he has limited brain functions.
Our fans deserve better things from our University then this. All McGarity and the university care about is revenue…..nothing more and hey if they win a few and go to a bowl then theres a plus.
There are PLENTY of coaches out there that bring a complete package of coaching staff with them.
CMR can be great but he has to have other great coaches in other positions to make Georgia a great team.
Spend 6 Million on a coach and you;ll get results like Alabama. Be cheesey and try getting a coach for 3 million a year and you’ll end up like Tennessee.
When you have coaches that cant develop players or you may have a DC that has too much of a complex scheme on a NFL type defense then youre just screwing yourself.
Simplify your defense so that you can alternate freshmen with seniors to where they are familiar on where to line up.
On motivation………CMR doesnt know honestly how to motivate players. He said “they dont need motivating against florida”. Watch floridas Head Coach on the sidelines during the game and watch CMR and tell me who’s motivated.
Players feed of head coaches emotions and all Richt does is worry about his hair to make sure its pretty enough for interviews.
Those coaches should be meeting those players on the sidelines jumping up and down as the players are leaving the field.
If you dont get emotional after todays game and somehow we end up winning it then look out there is a good Mississippi team we have to play and then if by chance we go to the SEC Championship theres Alabama.
Those players have to be pumped up because hi energy and emotion will win most games and if you come in flat then that will dictate the whole game.
No its better we lose here then having to get our hopes up because we’d face Alabama and im tired of being embarrased when the coaching staff cares nothing about developement and motivation.
Im just tired of giving excuses for CMR when its apparent hes burned out.
Phil
October 27th, 2012
9:38 am
“Have ya’ll ever wondered why no team has ever come and tried to hire Bobo way as their OC or HC”
Exactly, I have said that myself several times. That’s the sign that nobody would have these clowns. Somebody will hire Kirby Smart very soon, just like Muschamp got snatched up. In the meantime we are going to flounder around with these 2 bozo’s.
Mr. Smith & Wesson: Sowhatyousayin'
October 27th, 2012
10:17 am
Bulldog born, Bulldog bred, & when I die I’ll be Bulldog dead.
Mr. S & W aka: TOP DOGG !!
Win or lose, I’m still a Bulldog !!
GO DOGS !! HUNKERDOWN, BEAT UF !
Mr. Smith & Wesson: Sowhatyousayin'
October 27th, 2012
10:39 am
Strictly business time ! It’s gameday ! I’m done analyzin’ and criticizin’. Time to get real serious. Supportin’ the Dogs all the way, y’all ! The eyes of the college football world are on us again!
Win or lose we still have issues, but going into Jacksonville, I’m looking for the Dogs to be a pumped up, well motivated, well coached football team. Here’s a tremendous opportunity to redeem ourselves and regain our lost national respect. Hold me down Dogs !
If you ain’t a Dog, then you must be Dogfood ! Beat UF !