Vols: Shockley brings a lot to the table

ATHENS - D.J. Shockley doesn’t have much to say about last year’s Tennessee game, in which he led Georgia to its only first-half score and played only three more plays the rest of the game.

Shockley led the Bulldogs on a seven-play, 63-yard drive, which he capped with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Fred Gibson with 10:44 left in the first half. It was Georgia’s first score of the game and cut Tennessee’s lead to 10-7. However, starter David Greene returned the next series.

D.J. Shockley dodged the subject this week, but a few Volunteers were happy to talk about it. Tennessee linebacker Kevin Simon said his first thought when he saw Greene coming back into the game was, “Good.”

Shockley’s possession “was their best drive,” Simon said. “It was kind of like, ‘Why didn’t you leave him in?’ I was excited. We ended up winning, and he didn’t come back in the game. They left Greene in. I guess they thought that was the best way to go about doing things. It all worked out in Tennessee’s favor.”

Shockley made one more appearance, on a three-play drive late in the third quarter that failed to produce a first down. The Bulldogs eventually lost 19-14. Vol defensive back Jason Allen, a close friend of Shockley’s, was happy not to see his buddy any more than that.

“I told him I was glad they kept him out and continued playing David Greene,” Allen said. “D.J. brings a lot to the table with him being so mobile and at the same time being able to throw the deep ball.”