ATHENS — Georgia has had to use a whiteboard to keep up with who’s available on the defensive line each week. But there is one name the Bulldogs could write down in permanent ink.
Nazir Stackhouse.
A 6-foot-3, 320-pound senior from Stone Mountain, Stackhouse has been like an immovable block of granite on the interior of Georgia’s defensive front. Known as “Naz” (pronounced NAHZ) to his coaches and teammates, Stackhouse will start his 35th consecutive game and play in his 45th overall when the Bulldogs take the field against No. 1 Texas on Saturday night in Austin.
That Stackhouse will do that while all around him players have been in and out of the lineup and the training room all season is notable.
“He’s been really durable,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart marveled this week. “I mean, of all the players we’ve ever had, I can’t remember the guy missing practice, and this is his fifth year. He has tremendous flexibility, which keeps you from getting injured. He has what we call ‘contact balance,’ which means he can strike and not get knocked off when another person hits him on a double team. He can anchor.
“So, Naz has been very durable, and we would be in trouble without him.”
Stackhouse said it’s more a matter of will power than the ability to avoid injury. While he has been fortunate not to incur any serious injuries during his UGA career, that doesn’t mean he’s never hurt.
Taking on double teams in the interior gaps every week, Stackhouse encounters contact on every snap. Many of those are painful.
“My availability has always been something important to me,” said Stackhouse, who prepped at DeKalb County’s Columbia High School. “So, even if it’s a couple of reps or more reps in practice, I always like to fight to stay in and play and practice with the guys.”
The Bulldogs are hoping Stackhouse’s continued presence plus the healthy return of several other down linemen will help them dig in defensively against Texas. In addition to being the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, the Longhorns sport the SEC’s top scoring offense at 43.2 ppg.
Texas is able to do that by utilizing a balanced attack of both rush and pass. The Longhorns have attempted 221 rushes and 192 passes. Those have resulted in 16 and 18 touchdowns, respectively.
Having a full complement of players to meet that challenge Saturday will be critical for the Bulldogs. For once, they might come close.
Early in the season, Georgia was missing defensive linemen Jamaal Jarrett and Xzavier McLeod. Sophomore Jordan Hall, a projected starter coming into the season, still has not played because of lower leg issues. The Bulldogs lost Mykel Williams (ankle/knee) and Warren Brinson (leg) in the season opener against Clemson. Christen Miller and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins have been banged up and playing through injuries.
For maybe the first time all season, most of the group is expected to be available Saturday. All will be needed.
“One thing about our defense is that every team that we play, they may have a big running game, but the No. 1 thing is to defeat the run,” said Stackhouse, who’s credited with nine tackles. “That’s the only thing we’ve been working on since game one to now, just to defeat the run as our primary (task). It’s always a big challenge, and we always welcome challenges. We’re going out there to handle business.”
Georgia’s rush defense – and overall defense, for that matter – has been disappointing this season. The Bulldogs head to Texas allowing 134 yards per game on the ground. That’s the most since 2016, Smart’s first season, when they gave up 143.7.
“Still coming, man,” Smart said of the development along the defensive line. “I mean, we’re not complete. We’re not injury-free. … Besides Naz, there’s not really a guy that hasn’t missed time in that position. We’ve been really fortunate to have the numbers we have, even though it’s not necessarily the experience we need. It is a lot of big frames and big body types who are doing better.”
Stackhouse senses that the Bulldogs are close to having everybody available and putting it all together.
“Everybody’s been working hard and developing, the younger guys and the older guys,” Stackhouse said. “We’re putting in the work and all buying into the standard. All we preach is the standard. That’s all we preach.”
About the Author
