Smart: Tyler Clark could 'push to be a starter' if he keeps practicing well

After one quick swim move, Tyler Clark found himself in the backfield looking for a sack.

During the second quarter of Georgia’s 28-14 win over South Carolina, Clark split what appeared to be a double team from Zack Bailey and Alan Knott. Clark then ran as fast as he could toward Perry Orth and initiated contact to bring him down.

Clark ended up sharing the sack with outside linebacker Davin Bellamy, who beat his man around the edge to get in on the play.

The play was evidence as to why Clark, a freshman out of Americus-Sumter, has seen a rise in playing time as a true freshman.  

“He has worked really hard,” head coach Kirby Smart said. “He’s another one of those 300-pounders that can play multiple positions.”

Georgia’s had to rely on four true freshmen up front in its defensive line rotation. Clark, who has 10 tackles and a half-sack for the season, has rotated in along with Julian Rochester, David Marshall and Michail Carter.

Smart noted that the youth up front has been a challenge at times. But he’s been pleased with how the youngsters have handled themselves early in their careers.

“Look, those freshmen d-linemen have a long way to go,” Smart said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell you they don’t. They have a long way to go. At a lot of places they wouldn’t be playing right now. They would be learning to play, but they’re getting on the field training, which is invaluable. They’re having to learn out on the field, which I’m really proud of how they’re competing. What they do is they play really hard and they play physical, but we’ve got a long way to go at that position to have the dominant players in pass rush we need to have.”

In addition to his half-sack, Clark totaled four tackles against South Carolina.

His results, Smart said, are a direct reflection of how he’s practiced over the first half of the season.

“If he continues to do that then he’s going to push to be a starter and compete with one of the older guys,” Smart said. “The great thing about that position right now is that we’ve got great competition. Nobody can relax because the other guy will jump right in front of you with one day’s practice. We need more of that.”

This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Smart: Tyler Clark could 'push to be a starter' if he keeps practicing well."