Ate Em Up Winner vs Georgia

If the QB gets pressured, or even sacked, the Offensive line gets the blame every single time. Sometimes, that blame lies at the feet of receivers, tight ends, or even running backs that are supposed to stay in for an extra blocker or at least, throw a shoulder at the rusher to slow them down.

When one of those other guys miss their blocks it doesn't seem to get the attention it does with a linemen misses, but the end result is the same.

Running backs are usually going to be the smaller of the two about to collide. I still haven't seen a back bigger than any Dlinemen, but a few have been close to size to linebackers or Defensive Backs that come in off the edge. So asking them to stay in there and absorb that hit, is a tall task to ask.

While the game didn't go our way, one of the most promising things that I saw was the backs coming up and getting blocks on defenders shooting gaps coming after Rattler.

One of the most impressive was a Linebacker blitz up the gut in the first half. Lloyd saw it, stepped up, took the contact and stayed in front of the blitzer. After the initial hit he engaged again, and again, and the defender didn't gain another inch into the pocket. I don't remember what the outcome of the play was, but that would have been a for sure sack, if Lloyd wouldn't have stepped up and ... ATE EM UP!

And that's why the Ate Em Up award against Georgia goes to MarShawn Lloyd.