Pair of Georgia Bulldogs earn weekly SEC honors after Auburn
Georgia left Jordan-Hare Stadium with a win on Saturday, and on Monday, the efforts of a couple of Bulldogs earned further praise.
Junior linebacker Smael Mondon was named the SEC’s Defensive Player of the Week by the league office for his efforts on the Plains. Mondon’s stat line in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry featured eleven total tackles, two tackles for loss, and a sack against the Tigers. A former Industry Rated five-star linebacker from Dallas, Georgia’s Paulding County High School, it is Mondon’s first time being named for this honor.
For the season, Mondon has registered 25 tackles on the season, as well as a pass breakup to go along with the tackles for loss and sack, which were his first of the season.
He is the first Georgia player to win the award this season and the first Bulldog to be named SEC Defensive Player of the Week since Christopher Smith following Georgia’s win over Florida in 2022.
Freshman kicker Peyton Woodring was also recognized by the league offices on Monday, with the Georgia specialist being named co-Freshman of the Week for his work on Saturday. Woodring was perfect on the day for the Bulldogs, going 2-for-2 on field goals and 3-for-3 on extra-point attempts. Woodring’s field goals of 37 and 38 yards came at crucial moments for the Bulldogs, with the first knotting up the game at 10 before the half. The second, a new career long for Woodring, gave Georgia its first lead of the day in the fourth quarter. Woodring split the honor with Alabama safety Caleb Downs.
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Woodring, a product of Lafayette, Louisiana’s Ascension Episcopal School, is the first freshman of the week for the Dawgs this season. Running back Branson Robinson and safety Malaki Starks were both honored with the accolade last season.
Woodring is now 66 percent on the season, having converted 6-of-9 field goal attempts for the Bulldogs this season.
Mondon and Woodring are the second and third Georgia honorees of the 2023 season, as Sedrick Van Pran was earlier named offensive lineman of the week following Georgia’s win over South Carolina.
Georgia will be looking for more of the same performances this weekend as the play host to an undefeated No. 20 Kentucky team in Sanford Stadium on Saturday evening at 7 PM. The No. 1 Bulldogs opened as a 17-point favorite against the Wildcats per FanDuel, though the line has already shifted closer.
