ATHENS — Only one Georgia player has more tackles than Demarcus Dobbs, who also has the only touchdown of the season for the defense.

That's not bad for a guy wasn't even listed as a top backup in the first two games for No. 2 Georgia, which visits South Carolina on Saturday.

Dobbs, a defensive end from Savannah, had only one tackle in 13 games as a freshman last season. He was only third on the team's preseason depth chart this year.

Dobbs made his first career start on a three-man defensive front against Central Michigan last Saturday. He made sure fans learned the name on his No. 58 jersey, as he grabbed a deflection for an interception and rambled 78 yards for a touchdown in the Bulldogs' 56-17 victory.

"I guess I turned a lot of heads," Dobbs said Monday.

The 6-foot-2, 282-pound Dobbs was an unlikely choice to record Georgia's longest interception return for a touchdown in five years. That's a long way for a lineman to run.

"I was probably more excited than he was," said defensive end Jeremy Lomax. "I was jumping up and down.

"He took it to the house. Some people didn't think he would make it to the house, but he got there."
Dobbs, who said he has watched the replay "about 150 times," said he heard talk about his lack of speed.

"A lot of people were teasing about how slow it was, so I actually timed it myself and it actually took 12 seconds," Dobbs said, adding that Georgia's skill position players are given 15 seconds to run 100 yards during conditioning drills.

"So I don't think it was too far off," he said.

Lomax stuck up for his friend, saying "A lot of people don't realize he was waiting for his blockers."
Georgia tailback Knowshon Moreno's vault over safety Vince Agnew on a 29-yard run received more national attention, but coach Mark Richt also enjoyed Dobbs' long run.

"I have to admit I loved the interception for a touchdown," Richt said. "That was big. I was fired up for Demarcus."

Dobbs is tied for second on the team with eight tackles through two games.

Dobbs' only tackle last season came in the Bulldogs' Sugar Bowl romp over Hawaii, but his emergence this season has come at a good time for Richt.

Georgia lost its top defensive lineman, senior Jeff Owens, to a season-ending knee injury in its opener against Georgia Southern. Owens said Monday he has been scheduled for reconstructive knee surgery this morning.

Another defensive tackle, Kade Weston, has missed the first two games with a sprained knee. Backup defensive end Michael Lemon was dismissed from the team in July.

Georgia needed a player to step into the void, and Dobbs has seized the opening.

Dobbs played tight end and defensive end at Calvary Baptist High School in Savannah. He said the interception return was his first touchdown on defense at any level.

It was Georgia's longest touchdown on an interception return since 2003, when Odell Thurman scored on a 99-yard return.

Cornerback Prince Miller set up the big play when he deflected a pass. Dobbs came behind Miller to catch the deflection.

"I started out rushing the passer and he got rid of it so I dropped back," Dobbs said. "It was a great play by Prince Miller to tip the ball. We are taught to run to the ball. I ran to the ball, caught it and saw green. I was fortunate enough to score a touchdown."

Linebacker Rennie Curran leads Georgia with 14 tackles. Dobbs is one of four players with eight stops.
Dobbs may not start if Georgia returns to a four-man defensive front against South Carolina, but he is expected to at least be part of a rotation as a backup.

Georgia has averaged 50.5 points and 543.5 yards in nonconference wins over Georgia Southern and Central Michigan, but it could use scoring help with another big defensive play in its first Southeastern Conference game against South Carolina.

South Carolina did not allow a touchdown in a 16-12 victory at Georgia last season. The Gamecocks also held Georgia out of the end zone in a 14-9 win in Athens in 2001.

Georgia took five straight wins over South Carolina from 2002-06, but it scored more than 20 points only once in that span.

The Gamecocks are 1-1 following a loss at Vanderbilt.

"South Carolina has a great team and a great coach," Dobbs said. "They have some good playmakers. They are coming off a loss, so they have a monkey on their backs. We have to be ready to play."