ATHENS — When you’re in a secondary that features Malaki Starks and Kamari Lassiter, two of the best players at their respective positions in the sport, opposing teams are going to target you in coverage.
Daylen Everette saw that first hand on Saturday. The Tigers didn’t throw it often — Auburn attempted 20 passes for 88 yards — but when they did take their shots they went at Everette.
On Auburn’s second drive of the game, the Tigers threw at Everette and saw him draw a pass interference penalty. The 15-yards helped move Auburn into the red zone, where they would ultimately score and take a 10-0 lead.
Georgia did play Julian Humphrey more in this game in recent weeks, but that was more a product of how Humphrey looked in practice rather than trying to replace the sophomore cornerback.
Everette still outsnapped Humphrey 46 to 19 on Saturday. When Auburn was driving late to tie the game, Everette was out on the field.
“He’s getting better. He’s getting more confidence,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He and Julio are having a great bad. Julio practiced really well this week, so he played some more. They continue to get better.”
Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne tried to target Everette once again in coverage. This time though, Everette matched the receiver step-for-step in coverage and Thorne had no way of connecting with his receiver.
Not letting the same mistake happen twice is exactly what Georgia wants to see out of its young players. As was the case for Carson Beck on Saturday, it was Everette’s first road SEC start of his career.
Over the course of the four-quarter game, Everette got better.
“Me personally, I think he played very well. He showed a lot of maturity,” Lassiter said of Everette. “He showed a lot of grit and a lot of fight in the game. He was very composed the whole game, and he came up with some really big-time plays. I think he played very well.”
Saturday will be another test for Everette and the Georgia pass defense. It’s been a real strength of the team this season but Kentucky has the weapons to take aim at the Georgia.
Against Florida, Kentucky made it a point to run right at Florida’s cornerbacks. They didn’t hold so well, as Ray Davis ran for 280 yards on the afternoon. Wide receivers Barion Brown and Dane Key have also shown playmaking ability as well.
Georgia knows it’ll have to be ready for a physical run game while being aware of Ketucky’s explosive abilities on the outside.
“Keep your antennas up. A lot of time whenever it’s run, run, run, they always pop up with a pass or a shot,” Lassiter said. “Keep your antennas on you. Just stay focused throughout the game because you know it can get hard. Especially at the corner position, you don’t get to really control whether the ball comes to you or not. It’s not like the safety position. Just staying keyed and staying at the task at hand.”
