Kirby Smart says what he expects from Mykel Williams' backup ahead of Georgia-Kentucky game

The Georgia Bulldogs could be without defensive end Mykel Williams again this week when they head to Lexington for their first SEC matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats .

Head coach Kirby Smart was unclear as to whether or not Williams, who injured his ankle in Week 1, would be available for Kentucky.

“He’s got to be able to practice,” Smart said this week. “He’s got to be able to go out and compete and run, put pressure on it.”

Williams suffered a Grade 2 left ankle sprain in the Bulldogs' first season win over the Clemson Tigers, leaving backup Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins next in line for the starting job.

Ingram-Dawkins redshirt junior had no problem stepping up in Georgia's second win against Tennessee Tech but will face a more difficult task on the road this week.

While Ingram-Dawkins has performed well as a backup up to this point, head coach Kirby Smart wants to see more out of him, as far as leadership and consistency are concerned.

"I want to see him lead," Smart said. "I want to see him continue to practice with great effort so that he can play in the games with great effort and sustain more snaps. You know, he's practicing a few more reps now. With Mykel being out he's played more reps. He's got to be able to keep the high level of conditioning, playing more snaps. And I thought he did that the last game."

Ingram-Dawkins has five tackles on the season heading into Week 3 versus Kentucky.

The Bulldogs' schedule only gets tougher from here with another SEC road match against Alabama in Week 4.

Hopefully, Williams will be back to full health for that game. But until then, the pressure is on for Ingram-Dawkins.

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