No added motivation for Brock Vandagriff, Jamon Dumas-Johnson in Georgia reunion
There is no bigger storyline this week than the reunion scheduled between Brock Vandagriff Jamon "Pop" Dumas-Johnson and the Georgia Bulldogs, the leaders of the offense and defense set to face off against their former team at Kroger Field. They were teammates on back-to-back national championship rosters in red and black, and now, they'll look to pull off the monumental upset wearing blue and white.
There is a lot on the line, obviously. Kentucky is coming off a major letdown performance against South Carolina, the kind of loss that can really take the wind out of the sails early in a season. Vandagriff played poorly behind a disaster of an offensive line while Dumas-Johnson admitted afterward it was the first regular season loss he's taken since his sophomore year of high school .
"I guess I don't really got no words of how I feel about losing because I'm just not used to it," the latter said earlier in the week. "And I don't plan on getting used to it, either."
It'd be easy to let the emotions of this matchup get to you considering what's at stake, trying to prove something against your old teammates and coaches. When asked about those variables and the build-up ahead of kickoff, though, they went out of their way to brush off any drama or headline-driven narratives.
Instead, the focus is on getting back on the right track against a very good football team — no matter who is on the logo and the fact they've both worn it previously.
"Obviously, it's a good team coming up here to Lexington, but at the end of the day, it's the same rules as all football games. It's gonna be a great game against a good team, and we're looking forward to the matchup," Vandagriff said.
"I don't think it's a chance for me to prove myself," Dumas-Johnson added. "Not saying I already did or didn't prove myself. I don't think of it like that. This is just another game to get better, another game to try to win the ballgame, another game to go out there and play."
Sure, there may be familiarity and comfort for the former Bulldogs, participating in countless Kirby Smart practices over the years. They know the system and how that program operates with championship standards.
That doesn't mean they've got all of the answers to the test going into the matchup, though. The familiarity goes both ways, Georgia knowing how Vandagriff and Dumas-Johnson operate at their respective positions, as well. It's why they can't get caught up in what they learned from their time in Athens and focus on how to execute at a high level in Lexington against big-time competition.
"There's obviously a comfort level to seeing different defenses and stuff like that. Obviously, I'm accustomed to Kentucky's defense at this point, things of that sort," Vandagriff said. "But I feel like if you do a good job in your film study every week, you should feel pretty comfortable going against any defense. So that's not something that's really going too crazy in my head. There is some familiarity there, but at the same time, they'll be mixing up stuff and disguising stuff. It'll be a lot of fun."
The former Bulldogs are saying the right things, but how is that translating to their actions in practice and game prep? Mark Stoops is pleased with their approach, preparing for this matchup the exact same way they would for any.
As they both made clear, there is no added focus on proving themselves against some familiar faces. It's about fixing the mistakes made against South Carolina and getting better.
"I've said it before, but Brock has one demeanor all the time. He really does. He does not change," Stoops said of Vandagriff. "Brock wants to play well for himself and his team. I don't think there's any extra motivation, other than you're playing the number one team in the country. You're playing a great team that he has a lot of respect for, that we all do. For him, he's the same. He wants to play good every week."
Dumas-Johnson is the same this week as he was the day he arrived on campus. The senior linebacker just wants to play football, end of story.
"He's just a ballplayer. His demeanor since he's been here, he's a guy that just puts his head down and plays football," Stoops added. "I love his attitude and the way he plays. You never have to worry about him bringing it to the field and playing ball.
"I don't think he needs any extra motivation or anything, he just plays football."
