DALLAS (FWAA) Georgia senior defensive tackle Jordan Davis bolstered a defensive wall against a usually-prolific Clemson offense, drawing consistent double- and sometimes triple-teams. That attention allowed other Bulldogs to become playmakers as Georgia registered seven sacks and a defensive touchdown while holding Clemson to two yards rushing and keeping the Tigers out of the end zone in a 10-3 win in a battle of top five teams. For anchoring the nation's top defensive effort in the season's first week, Davis earned the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Sept. 4, as selected by the Football Writers Association of America.
Playing in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C., the 6-6, 340-pound Davis pushed through for three tackles in the game and one sack, the sixth of his career, and was one of six Georgia players to record a sack. Georgia held Clemson to 90 yards in the first half (1 rushing, 89 passing), and held Clemson scoreless at halftime for the first time in its last 143 games. The blanking continued through three quarters and the Bulldogs also snapped Clemson's 400-yard total-offense streak at 12 games, yielding only 180 total yards.
"Two on me means somebody's free," Davis told ESPN's Holly Rowe in a postgame on-field interview. "I know that's going to free up a linebacker or another defensive lineman. It's amazing they have that type of respect for me. We came out here and played the game we were supposed to play."
Georgia is well represented in Bronko Nagurski Trophy history. The Bulldogs have had a finalist in two of the last four seasons (safety J.R. Reed in 2019 and linebacker Roquan Smith in 2017), six finalists overall and one former winner (Champ Bailey in 1998). Davis, however, is the first Bulldog to earn this weekly honor since 2012 when linebacker Jarvis Jones won his third weekly award (twice in 2012, once in 2011). Davis is on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy preseason watch list.
Each Tuesday during the regular season, the FWAA has selected a Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week since 2001. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce three finalists for the 2021 Bronko Nagurski Trophy on Nov. 17. The national defensive player of the year will be chosen from those finalists who are part of the 2021 FWAA All-America Team and presented with the trophy at the Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet presented by LendingTree on Dec. 6 at the Charlotte Convention Center
The FWAA has chosen a National Defensive Player of the Year since 1993. In 1995, the FWAA named the award in honor of the legendary two-way player from the University of Minnesota. Nagurski dominated college football then became a star for professional football's Chicago Bears in the 1930s. Bronislaw "Bronko" Nagurski is a charter member of both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its programs and initiatives, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at 214-870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
About the Charlotte Touchdown Club
The Charlotte Touchdown Club is a non-profit organization founded in 1990 for the purpose of promoting high school, collegiate, and professional football in the Charlotte, N.C., region. The club's activities and services focus community attention on the outstanding citizenship, scholarship, sportsmanship, and leadership of area athletes and coaches. Since 1990, the club has raised and donated nearly $3 million to benefit area high school and collegiate athletics. For more information, contact John Rocco (704-347-2918 or jrocco@touchdownclub.com). The official website of the Charlotte Touchdown Club is touchdownclub.com.
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LendingTree is the nation's leading online marketplace that connects consumers with the choices they need to be confident in their financial decisions. LendingTree empowers consumers to shop for financial services the same way they would shop for airline tickets or hotel stays, by comparing multiple offers from a nationwide network of over 500 partners in one simple search and choosing the option that best fits their financial needs. Services include mortgage loans, mortgage refinances, auto loans, personal loans, business loans, student refinances, credit cards, insurance and more. Through the My LendingTree platform, consumers receive free credit scores, credit monitoring and recommendations to improve credit health. My LendingTree proactively compares consumers' credit accounts against offers on their network and notifies consumers when there is an opportunity to save money. LendingTree's purpose is to help simplify financial decisions for life's meaningful moments through choice, education and support.
2021 Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Players of the Week
Weekend of Sept. 4: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
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Weekend of Sept. 11: Verone McKinley III, S, Oregon
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Weekend of Sept. 18: Jared Bartlett, DE, West Virginia
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Weekend of Sept. 25: Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
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Weekend of Oct. 2: Khoury Bethley, S, Hawaii
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Weekend of Oct. 9: Matt Hankins, CB, Iowa
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Weekend of Oct. 16: Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama
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Weekend of Oct. 23: Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE/LB, Oregon
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Weekend of Oct. 30: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State
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Weekend of Nov. 6: Steven Jones Jr., CB, App State
Related links:
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (All-Time Winners, Finalists and Players of the Week)
· Download the Bronko Nagurski Trophy presented by LendingTree logo:
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