Walker playing his way into more time

Cornerback Deandre Baker may not be the only backup to see extended time on the Bulldog defense Saturday against Tennessee (3:30 p.m., CBS).

Outside linebacker D’Andre Walker could as well.

Unlike Baker, there’s been no indication that Walker is on the verge of displacing either Lorenzo Carter or Davin Bellamy at one of the spots at outside linebacker. But according to head coach Kirby Smart, the sophomore has shown he deserves to be on the field more.

“He's a guy we talked a lot about yesterday. Interesting you brought it up. He's playing good in. He's playing really hard,” Smart said. “He doesn't play as many snaps as those other guys so it's a situation of where he maxed out snap-wise. Right now he's getting 15 to 20 (snaps), whereas the first game he didn't get that many.”

However, if his production continues, don’t be surprised if those numbers go up. Against Ole Miss, Walker was one of just a few bright spots against Ole Miss, making four tackles, with 1.5 going for losses of six yards.

“(He has) gone up each week in snaps because he's played better. We will continue to develop him. He plays hard and runs fast,” Smart said. “He's not the biggest guy but he does play hard and play physical, and that's what we're looking for. That's the challenge for our team this week. We're going to put the best guys out there that will go out and compete and play physical.”

As for Carter and Bellamy, Smart said he’s challenged both players to be just as physical as they can, something that will be very important for each competing against the Volunteers.

“Tennessee has a big offensive front. They run the ball well. The role was for them to do their job. Their job might be to strike the tight end, might be to strike the tackle. Both those guys are 240, 245 pounds and they've got to play against bigger people,” Smart said. “They’ve got to be able to hold up when they play against bigger people, especially in the run game. They don't get any smaller in the SEC the rest of the way. The whole outside backer group has got to be able to match up and play against tight ends and tackles on a consistent basis in a big league.”