Mett Makes Improvements

It's probably safe to say that freshman quarterback Zach Mettenberger won't fondly watch and re-watch the footage of his first scrimmage as a member of the Georgia Bulldogs.

The numbers for Mettenberger were downright ugly. He completed just 1-of-10 passes for just four yards and one interception. It was hardly a memorable performance.

It wasn't all bad news for Mettenberger, however. Mark Richt blamed drops for a number of the misses, and starting quarterback Joe Cox said the miscues could hardly be pinned on Mettenberger.

"He knew where to go with the ball, he just had a lot of passes dropped," Cox said. "With the group he was going with, there were a lot of guys running the wrong routes or weren't running their routes deep enough and the ball, he was throwing to the right spot and it just wasn't there."

While Mettenberger struggled, fellow freshman Aaron Murray looked sharp in Monday's scrimmage, including a 75-yard touchdown pass that proved to be the day's highlight. From the recruiting trail to the pre-Signing Day hype to spring, Murray's talents have overshadowed Mettenberger's, but Richt said neither quarterback has firmly separated himself from the other on the practice field, despite Murray's more impressive stat line during the team's first scrimmage.

In fact, quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo said he has been impressed with Mettenberger's work ethic, and said the freshman has improved in at least one area that was a major concern entering the spring.

"I've been very pleased with his knowledge of the game and his approach to studying," Bobo said. "I've been fairly pleased with how he moves, his footwork in the pocket. We knew we were going to have to work on his feet, but he's worked hard at that and actually moved pretty good avoiding the rush."

One aspect of Mettenberger's game that has never been in question is his powerful arm, and while Bobo said the freshman flamethrower isn't exactly ready to step into the big time just yet, it's easy to draw some comparisons between Georgia's newest quarterback and the player who manned the position a year ago -- Matthew Stafford.

"He's got a very strong arm," Bobo said. "I would think it compares favorably, but Matthew's release was a little quicker. But he does have a strong arm."