Monday Practice Notes (10/13)

Apparently it's not just in the running game that Knowshon Moreno infuriates defenders.

On a Matthew Stafford pass to Demiko Goodman late in the third quarter against Saturday, Moreno laid a block on Tennessee's Gerald Williams that didn't sit too well with the Volunteers' linebacker.

After the play, Williams punched Moreno and drew a personal-foul flag.

"I think the guy was just a little ticked off, and tempers got flared a little bit," Georgia fullback Brannan Southerland said.

That was one of 10 penalties the Volunteers were flagged for in a game dubbed by many fans as dirty.

That, however, wasn't exactly how Southerland saw things.

"I thought it was a pretty clean, fair game except for that one play," he said.

Tennessee desperately needed the win to avoid a catastrophic 0-3 start in the SEC, but Georgia dominated throughout, controlling the tempo and time of possession.

The frustrations flared up as the game wore on, Georgia linebacker Akeem Dent said, but even he didn't think Tennessee's play was dirty.

"It's the game of football," Dent said. "Everybody goes out there with some fight and passion before you go out there. You go out with a lot of aggression. I don't feel like they were playing unfair, but it was just an aggressive game."

Southerland said Moreno complained about the punch after it happened, and the two watched it on film again Monday, but there was never a thought of getting retribution on the field.

"Knowshon's a smart player," Southerland said. "He's not going to take a cheap shot, and Knowshon got the best of him."

NO REGRETS

Tight end Bruce Figgins needs surgery, but Sunday he decided the procedure won't happen until after the season.

Figgins injured his shoulder last month against Arizona State, and although he is still eligible for a medical redshirt, he decided after Saturday's game that he felt good enough to finish out the year after discussing his options with trainers and tight ends coach John Lilly.

"I asked him how I looked on film, and he said I looked good," Figgins said. "I felt good after the game a little sore, but no worse what I came in as. So I decided to roll with it and fight the rest of the season."

Of course, there's still the possibility that despite the numerous pads and harnesses he's wearing the injury could worsen and Figgins' season could still end early. If that happens, however, he said he won't have any regrets about his decision.

"Sunday I made my decision," Figgins said. "I said I was going to go with it, and I'm not thinking back about it. I decided I wouldn't have any regrets on the decision. I'm not looking back. Coaches have faith in me. They're not holding back nothing, I'm not holding back practicing. I'm going about it as nothing's wrong with me."

Figgins hopes that means he'll see a bit more action in the passing game, too. He wasn't targeted during the Tennessee game, but said he hoped to play a bigger role against Vanderbilt this week.

"I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't but I'm all about what's the plan, what's the scheme and winning games," Figgins said. "If that's for me blocking, I'm blocking. If it's for me in the passing game, I'm gonna catch it."

FEELIN' GOOD:

After playing his first offensive snaps of the season Saturday, Southerland said he didn't feel any significant after effects of the foot injury that required two surgeries and cost him the first four games of the season.

"Doctors say we're gonna get some stiffness and soreness early on, so it was as expected Sunday when I woke up, nothing shocking," he said.

Southerland had just one carry against the Volunteers, but he made the most of it getting into the end zone on a 1-yard run. The return to the end zone and to the offense was a long awaited gift for the senior fullback.

"It was an incredible feeling being out there, just getting back out there and feeling like my old self," Southerland said.

EXTRA POINTS:

Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe did not wear pads and was clad in a green non-contact jersey at Monday's practice, but Dent said he expected the preseason All-SEC selection to be out on the field Saturday against Vanderbilt. "He's still in the green jersey and everything," Dent said, "but he looked pretty good. I think he'll be back." Vanderbilt announced Monday that quarterback Mackenzi Adams will start Saturday's game over Chris Nickson, who had started the team's first six games.