{"id":17622,"date":"2023-09-24T17:33:21","date_gmt":"2023-09-24T22:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=17622"},"modified":"2023-09-24T17:33:21","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T22:33:21","slug":"kirby-smart-addresses-absence-of-mykel-williams-vs-uab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/kirby-smart-addresses-absence-of-mykel-williams-vs-uab\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirby Smart addresses absence of Mykel Williams vs. UAB"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mykel Williams<\/a><\/strong> was nowhere to be found in Georgia\u2019s<\/a> comfortable 49-21 win over UAB<\/a> on Saturday. After the game, UGA head coach Kirby Smart<\/a><\/strong> updated fans on the defensive lineman\u2019s absence.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s sick and I hope to get him back next week,\u201d Smart said.<\/a> \u201cI hate it because he\u2019s a really good player but he wasn\u2019t able to play. We expect him to be back next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Bulldogs managed without Williams, his absence was evident. Georgia gave up 336 yards in the win, only creating one UAB turnover. For reference, the most yards any other opponent recorded against Georgia was South Carolina<\/a>\u2018s 309 yards in Week 3.<\/p>\n

Williams has been a staple on Georgia\u2019s line this season, boasting three tackles and two sacks. The 6-foot-5 sophomore\u2019s success is no surprise. Williams was named to the Preseason Media Days All-SEC First Team and was place on watchlists for the Bronko\u00a0Nagurski\u00a0Trophy and the Lombardi Award.<\/p>\n

Despite the high expectations placed on Williams ahead of the 2023 campaign, the EDGE only started in two games last season for Georgia. He made the most of his time, recording 28 tackles, including three QB sacks, along with a team-high 31 QB hurries.<\/p>\n

Mykel Williams grows in the offseason<\/h2>\n

Smart had nothing but good things to say about the Georgia native earlier this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaturity. He carries himself well,\u201d\u00a0Smart said<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s a leader, he\u2019s very mature. Practices hard, plays hard, he\u2019s what you want a football player to be. He\u2019s tough, physical, does what you ask and he really handles coaching well. For a guy as talented as he is, he doesn\u2019t think he has all the answers. I\u2019m very pleased with where he is and we have to find a way to keep him healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thankfully, Williams\u2019 health seemingly will be back before next weekend. The Bulldogs will need him as they head into Auburn<\/a> for their Week 5 matchup. Smart isn\u2019t the only one who\u2019s watched Williams grow this offseason.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really feel like I\u2019ve grown the most in, like, my anticipation of plays. The way Coach\u00a0[Tray] Scott<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0teaches us and develops us, you kind of know what\u2019s going on before the ball is snapped,\u201d\u00a0Williams said<\/a> before the season began.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow with me being out [in the spring] and I\u2019ve just been sitting and watching and viewing different people, I can hear a call the o-line makes and I know which way they\u2019re moving. It\u2019s like my anticipation of the game has gotten better.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Kirby Smart addresses absence of Mykel Williams vs. UAB<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mykel Williams was nowhere to be found in Georgia\u2019s comfortable 49-21 win over UAB on…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17622\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}