(*Note: Be sure to check out my story in today's Telegraph on how Georgia's offensive players see the defense improving.)
With the dearth of healthy wide receivers Georgia has been able to work with this spring, it might be a surprise that rising sophomore Branden Smith hasn’t run a snap on the offensive side of the ball.
But after splitting time with the offense and defense as a freshman, Smith is spending this spring concentrating on his primary job – winning the starting job at cornerback.
“For the most part, he’s been working at corner,” said new defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos. “He’s got some things he does with special teams, but as far as how they’re going to utilize him of offense, that’s to be determined.”
Lakatos said he’s not averse to sharing Smith with the offense, but for now the speedy corner is working on fine-tuning his coverage skills as part of Todd Grantham’s new defensive scheme.
Last year, Smith rushed 17 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns, caught two passes for seven yards and finished with 14 tackles and two pass breakups while playing in all 13 games.
This spring he’s been splitting time between the first- and second-team units with fellow corner Vance Cuff and working occasionally at the nickel position.
“We’re trying to get him exposed to as much stuff as we can,” Lakatos said.
MURRAY BACK AT WORK
Aaron Murray has collected plenty of headlines this spring as he battles for the starting quarterback job, but it’s his brother who received some good news last week.
Josh Murray, a walk-on defensive back who arrived at Georgia with his brother last year, resumed practicing after missing most of the past nine months with a knee injury.
“He’s rehabbing,” Aaron Murray said of his brother. “He’s getting better. He’s slowly getting back. He started doing drills with the DBs finally.”
Josh Murray was a second-round selection by the Milwaukee Brewers in the Major League Baseball draft in 2007 but after two seasons in the minors decided to give football a try.
A knee injury flared up during fall camp last season, however, and Murray only practiced sporadically before undergoing surgery to clean up the injury. Although Murray is working at practice again, he is still limited but expected to be fully healthy by the fall and will compete for special teams and reserve defensive back duty.
“They pretty much had to get in there and clean it all up,” Aaron Murray said. “Hopefully it’ll be better in the next month or so.”
MORE INJURY UPDATES
Tailback Caleb King and wide receiver Marlon Brown, both in green non-contact jerseys last week, are expected to be back to full practices as early as today, giving Georgia a relatively complete roster to work with during the final week of spring drills.
The handful of players who remain sidelined, including linemen Trinton Sturdivant and A.J. Harmon and fullback Fred Munzenmaier, all are expected to be ready when fall camp opens in August, giving head coach Mark Richt reason to smile.
“It is by far the least amount of green shirts we’ve had in a long time,” he said.
The good news spread even further as freshman offensive lineman Austin Long was cleared to resume lifting weights more than a year after undergoing back surgery. Long has yet to practice fully in a Bulldogs uniform.
As of now, Richt said the only player still questionable for the start of fall camp is incoming freshman lineman Brent Benedict, who injured his knee in a game last October.
“That’s still up in the air, but we’re still very hopeful that he’ll be able to practice,” Richt said. “We’re not sure, but we’re hopeful.”
Showing posts with label Austin Long. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Austin Long. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Updating the Spring Injuries
Figured you all might be interested in an updated list of the injuries Georgia will be dealing with this spring...
Justin Anderson (RSJr/OL) -- Shoulder injury, will be limited throughout the spring. Anderson will be in the mix for some playing time in the fall, but certainly won't be a favorite, and his absence this spring won't help his cause.
Austin Long (RSFr/OL) -- Back injury, will not participate this spring. Long underwent back surgery last year and is still only doing light workouts. He expects to be ready for full participation in the fall, but he'll essentially be starting his college career from scratch then.
Longo, Jeremy (RSSo/DE) -- Knee injury, will miss all of spring. Longo is an unfortunate case, and he's quickly approaching "bust" status. He's been injured virtually his entire career, and while he was already behind on the learning curve, things will get worse by missing a crucial month of practice in Todd Grantham's new 3-4.
Fred Munzenmaier (Jr/FB) -- Shoulder injury, will be limited during the spring. Munzenmaier's injury shouldn't affect his 2010 season much, as Shaun Chapas clearly has the starting job nailed down, and Munzenmaier has enough experience in the offense to pick up right where he left off in August.
Josh Murray (Sr/S) -- Shoulder injury, will be limited during the spring. Murray had name recognition coming in last season because he is the older brother of Georgia QB Aaron Murray. Josh could have a shot at some special teams work, but injuries have nagged at him since he arrived at Georgia, and he only had minimal work on the scout team in 2009.
Tanner Strickland (Jr/OL) -- Shoulder injury, will be limited during spring practice. Strickland suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery during offseason workouts last summer and is still not fully healed. He's been a weight-room wonder for much of his time at Georgia, but he has yet to see that translate into on-field performance, but a strong fall could put him in position for some playing time in a reserve role in 2010.
Trinton Sturdivant (Jr/OL) -- Knee injury, will miss spring practice. At this point, Georgia fans might best consider Sturdivant a luxury for next season rather than a key component of the offensive line. Sturdivant has missed virtually all of the past two seasons with two separate knee injuries. His most recent ACL tear wasn't nearly as serious as the one he suffered prior to the 2008 season, but he's nevertheless going to be a real wild card in 2010. If he's healthy and can perform anywhere near the level he did as a freshman in '07, it would be a huge boost for Georgia. But that's a big assumption at this point, and the Dawgs are probably better off hoping for a pleasant surprise than setting themselves up for another disappointment.
Those are the current crop of injuries. Here's another quick list of a few guys to keep an eye on:
Aaron Murray (RFr/QB) -- Murray is clearly the front-runner for the starting QB job, and a strong performance this spring would be helpful in easing some concerns of fans who know he's the biggest wild card on an offense that returns 10 starters. But he suffered through a broken leg his senior season in high school and was limited last spring because of it, then suffered arm fatigue and shoulder soreness last fall that may have been the determining factor in redshirting him. So is he injury prone? Not likely -- the leg injury was a freak thing, and the arm problems aren't uncommon for a guy getting a lot more work throwing than he probably ever had before. But the fact remains that, with a thin depth chart at the position and so much riding on his success, he can't afford another injury.
A.J. Green (Jr/WR) -- We all love A.J. How can you not? But despite all his greatness, he's been hurt for about 75 percent of his Georgia career, and that has limited how great he could be. He nearly hit the 1,000-yard mark as a freshman, but he did so with a nagging groin injury that stuck with him all season and had slowed him significantly by year's end. Last year, he dominated when healthy, despite few other offensive threats, but his season was cut short when he was injured against Florida, missed the Tennesssee Tech game with a lung bruise, then got hurt again in the first half against Auburn and missed the remainder of the regular season. So the idea here is this: Green at 75 percent is probably the best WR in the SEC. Green at 100 percent could be one of the two or three the best players at any position in the country.
Josh Davis (Sr/OL) -- Speaking of injury-prone players, Davis might fit the bill better than most. First off, he's undersized for a typical SEC tackle, so he puts a lot of strain on his body. The result was a serious shoulder injury that coast him last spring after two surgeries and forced him to miss the start of the 2009 season. Once he returned to the lineup, Georgia's running game flourished, but the injury bug cropped up once again as a sprained ankle kept him out of the Bulldogs' bowl game against Texas A&M. Davis should be 100 percent for spring, but he's being counted on unlike any previous season in his career, and he needs to stay healthy all year.
Caleb King (RSJr/RB) -- A healthy King means a dangerous running game for Georgia in 2010. The problem last year, however, was King wasn't consistently healthy. A nagging hamstring injury cost him his chance at a starting job during fall camp and held him out of the team's first two games. A concussion and broken jaw cost him the Tennessee game as well -- a game in which Georgia was completely frustrated on the ground. When healthy, however, King averaged more than 5 yards per carry, so keeping him on the field for 12 (or, ideally, 14) games this season would be a huge boost for Georgia's offense.
Jordan Love (RFr/CB) -- It's still a bit too soon to tell how much of an impact Love could have this season, but with Prince Miller's departure, there's playing time to be had, and at 6-foot, 190 pounds, Love has the size to fit into new DBs coach Scott Lakatos' defense well -- particularly as in nickel situations. But again, we just don't know what to expect from Love, since he missed almost all of last season with a toe injury -- originally suffered in high school -- that ended up requiring surgery. Love should be a full go this spring, and it will be interesting to see what he contributes.
Bruce Figgins (RSJr/TE) -- Figgins played hurt as a sophomore out of desperations, but missed all of last spring after having shoulder surgery. He served a six-game suspension to start the 2009 season and then elected to take a medical redshirt for the remainder of the year, in part due to lingering problems with his shoulder. While Georgia's tight ends -- Arthur Lynch, Orson Charles and Aron White -- turned in a solid campaign last year, their work as blockers, particularly in the running game, was short of where it needed to be. That's a role Figgins could fill nicely if he's back to full health in 2010.
Justin Anderson (RSJr/OL) -- Shoulder injury, will be limited throughout the spring. Anderson will be in the mix for some playing time in the fall, but certainly won't be a favorite, and his absence this spring won't help his cause.
Austin Long (RSFr/OL) -- Back injury, will not participate this spring. Long underwent back surgery last year and is still only doing light workouts. He expects to be ready for full participation in the fall, but he'll essentially be starting his college career from scratch then.
Longo, Jeremy (RSSo/DE) -- Knee injury, will miss all of spring. Longo is an unfortunate case, and he's quickly approaching "bust" status. He's been injured virtually his entire career, and while he was already behind on the learning curve, things will get worse by missing a crucial month of practice in Todd Grantham's new 3-4.
Fred Munzenmaier (Jr/FB) -- Shoulder injury, will be limited during the spring. Munzenmaier's injury shouldn't affect his 2010 season much, as Shaun Chapas clearly has the starting job nailed down, and Munzenmaier has enough experience in the offense to pick up right where he left off in August.
Josh Murray (Sr/S) -- Shoulder injury, will be limited during the spring. Murray had name recognition coming in last season because he is the older brother of Georgia QB Aaron Murray. Josh could have a shot at some special teams work, but injuries have nagged at him since he arrived at Georgia, and he only had minimal work on the scout team in 2009.
Tanner Strickland (Jr/OL) -- Shoulder injury, will be limited during spring practice. Strickland suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery during offseason workouts last summer and is still not fully healed. He's been a weight-room wonder for much of his time at Georgia, but he has yet to see that translate into on-field performance, but a strong fall could put him in position for some playing time in a reserve role in 2010.
Trinton Sturdivant (Jr/OL) -- Knee injury, will miss spring practice. At this point, Georgia fans might best consider Sturdivant a luxury for next season rather than a key component of the offensive line. Sturdivant has missed virtually all of the past two seasons with two separate knee injuries. His most recent ACL tear wasn't nearly as serious as the one he suffered prior to the 2008 season, but he's nevertheless going to be a real wild card in 2010. If he's healthy and can perform anywhere near the level he did as a freshman in '07, it would be a huge boost for Georgia. But that's a big assumption at this point, and the Dawgs are probably better off hoping for a pleasant surprise than setting themselves up for another disappointment.
Those are the current crop of injuries. Here's another quick list of a few guys to keep an eye on:
Aaron Murray (RFr/QB) -- Murray is clearly the front-runner for the starting QB job, and a strong performance this spring would be helpful in easing some concerns of fans who know he's the biggest wild card on an offense that returns 10 starters. But he suffered through a broken leg his senior season in high school and was limited last spring because of it, then suffered arm fatigue and shoulder soreness last fall that may have been the determining factor in redshirting him. So is he injury prone? Not likely -- the leg injury was a freak thing, and the arm problems aren't uncommon for a guy getting a lot more work throwing than he probably ever had before. But the fact remains that, with a thin depth chart at the position and so much riding on his success, he can't afford another injury.
A.J. Green (Jr/WR) -- We all love A.J. How can you not? But despite all his greatness, he's been hurt for about 75 percent of his Georgia career, and that has limited how great he could be. He nearly hit the 1,000-yard mark as a freshman, but he did so with a nagging groin injury that stuck with him all season and had slowed him significantly by year's end. Last year, he dominated when healthy, despite few other offensive threats, but his season was cut short when he was injured against Florida, missed the Tennesssee Tech game with a lung bruise, then got hurt again in the first half against Auburn and missed the remainder of the regular season. So the idea here is this: Green at 75 percent is probably the best WR in the SEC. Green at 100 percent could be one of the two or three the best players at any position in the country.
Josh Davis (Sr/OL) -- Speaking of injury-prone players, Davis might fit the bill better than most. First off, he's undersized for a typical SEC tackle, so he puts a lot of strain on his body. The result was a serious shoulder injury that coast him last spring after two surgeries and forced him to miss the start of the 2009 season. Once he returned to the lineup, Georgia's running game flourished, but the injury bug cropped up once again as a sprained ankle kept him out of the Bulldogs' bowl game against Texas A&M. Davis should be 100 percent for spring, but he's being counted on unlike any previous season in his career, and he needs to stay healthy all year.
Caleb King (RSJr/RB) -- A healthy King means a dangerous running game for Georgia in 2010. The problem last year, however, was King wasn't consistently healthy. A nagging hamstring injury cost him his chance at a starting job during fall camp and held him out of the team's first two games. A concussion and broken jaw cost him the Tennessee game as well -- a game in which Georgia was completely frustrated on the ground. When healthy, however, King averaged more than 5 yards per carry, so keeping him on the field for 12 (or, ideally, 14) games this season would be a huge boost for Georgia's offense.
Jordan Love (RFr/CB) -- It's still a bit too soon to tell how much of an impact Love could have this season, but with Prince Miller's departure, there's playing time to be had, and at 6-foot, 190 pounds, Love has the size to fit into new DBs coach Scott Lakatos' defense well -- particularly as in nickel situations. But again, we just don't know what to expect from Love, since he missed almost all of last season with a toe injury -- originally suffered in high school -- that ended up requiring surgery. Love should be a full go this spring, and it will be interesting to see what he contributes.
Bruce Figgins (RSJr/TE) -- Figgins played hurt as a sophomore out of desperations, but missed all of last spring after having shoulder surgery. He served a six-game suspension to start the 2009 season and then elected to take a medical redshirt for the remainder of the year, in part due to lingering problems with his shoulder. While Georgia's tight ends -- Arthur Lynch, Orson Charles and Aron White -- turned in a solid campaign last year, their work as blockers, particularly in the running game, was short of where it needed to be. That's a role Figgins could fill nicely if he's back to full health in 2010.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Practice Notes: Recruiting Implications Will Be Big Saturday
In his first year on the job at Tennessee, Lane Kiffin made a point to put a target on Georgia. He called the Bulldogs his team’s biggest rival, and for good reason. The Volunteers need to recruit in Georgia, and Kiffin wanted to get his regime off on the right foot. The result was a dominant win over the Bulldogs in Knoxville last month.
This week, Georgia faces another first-year coach of another SEC program that relies on the Peach State to fill a sizable portion of its roster when Auburn comes to Athens. And once again, the victor will earn bragging rights – not just among fans, but in the living rooms of recruits throughout the state.
“Winning helps recruiting,” Georgia recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner said. “That’s the single most important factor is winning. Everybody loves a winner, and if you win, you’re hot, and you’re the most attractive person out there.”
For the past three years, Georgia’s had the edge over Auburn, but that hasn’t stopped the Tigers from competing for many of the same players the Bulldogs have recruited. Twenty players on Auburn’s current roster hail from Georgia, and a win for first-year coach Gene Chizik would help to boost that number in the future.
But the familiarity also breeds a bit of intensity, too, and head coach Mark Richt said his current players aren’t interested in letting Auburn become the latest to earn a win over the Bulldogs, on the field or on the recruiting trail.
“Auburn being so close to our border, just about every guy that we have on our team was more than likely recruited by Auburn and has been to Auburn and has seen what they are all about,” Richt said. “It’s a big deal for us as a staff, it’s a big deal for us as a team.”
CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
A year ago, Clint Boling was pressed into action at left tackle thanks to a slew of injuries at the position, and he never quite felt at home.
This season, Boling has made the move once again, but now he’s a bit more comfortable playing the most demanding position on the offensive line.
“I got a lot of experience playing left tackle last year and I’ve been working on it the last few weeks of practice, so I feel a lot more comfortable there now,” Boling said. “It’s not a big deal at all.”
Boling has started the past two games at left tackle after opening the season as Georgia’s starter on the right side of the line. When Trinton Sturdivant went down with a season-ending knee injury, many fans clamored for Boling to return to the left side where he eared rave reviews a year ago, but the change was slow to come.
With the return of junior Josh Davis from injury, however, Georgia had more leeway to fill any void Boling might leave on the right side of the line, and Boling said one the pieces were in place, everyone was happy to make the move.
“I think Coach (Stacy) Searels was just trying to find the best lineup he wanted with a group of guys that could play hard and do what he wanted to do,” Boling said. “And if that was me at left tackle and Josh at right tackle, then both Josh and I will do whatever Coach Searels wants to do.”
NO HUDDLE, NO PROBLEM
Georgia opened last week’s game against Tennessee Tech with a new look on offense – a no-huddle attack that kept the Golden Eagles guessing.
“We did the first couple of series. It wasn’t no-huddle, hurry-up offense, but it was just something we had gone into the game planning on doing,” quarterback Joe Cox said. “We wanted to get some plays run, get the line up and down fast, and try to put points on the board quick those first couple of drives. We scored on both those drives.”
The fast-paced offense was something offensive coordinator Mike Bobo had been toying with but saw a prime opportunity to run it against Tennessee Tech, and it gave Georgia a chance to show a more dynamic side of an offensive unit that has failed to show much life at times this season.
“It was just a change of pace, something that a lot of people haven’t seen us do, and it definitely caught them off guard because they were looking to the sideline trying to figure out what they needed to get in, and we went right down the field,” Cox said.
Despite the success the offense had against Tennessee Tech, Bobo isn’t sure if he’ll continue to use the approach going forward, but he said he liked the results enough to keep it as a possibility.
“It’s something we mess around with from time to time, and a lot is depending on our depth at receiver and how much we can do,” Bobo said. “But it was one of those games that we did want to spread them out and get our guys in space, and that’s something we could use in any game.”
TIGHT ENDS ARE TOP DAWGS
With A.J. Green out of the lineup last week, Cox found his tight ends made for appealing targets downfield against Tennessee Tech. The Bulldogs’ tight ends caught seven passes and one touchdown in the game, and that’s a trend Cox said he thinks can continue as Aron White and Orson Charles continue to develop within the offense.
“We’ve got two tight ends that are really making a lot of plays right now,” Cox said. “They’re dedicated to run blocking and work hard on it every day, and they’re great in the passing game. Orson and Aron, they run great routes and have great hands. You don’t have too many of those, and we’re lucky enough to have to of them on the same team.”
LINEMEN ON THE MEND
Two of Georgia's injured offensive linemen are making strides toward recovery, but Richt isn't sure either will be practicing before the spring.
Freshman Austin Long underwent back surgery before the season and has yet to practice with the team. There was hope he might be ready to practice by December leading up to an anticipated bowl game, but Richt said that's unlikely.
"He's got another appointment with the doctor, and it's sometime in December, to try to gauge how well it's healing," Richt said. "There's a possibility it's healed, but there may have to be some things that are taken out."
Richt said Long has been relegated to minor workouts -- elliptical machines and exercise bikes -- but he has not been able to run or do any significant weight lifting.
Trinton Sturdivant tore his ACL for the second time in as many years in Georgia's opener against Oklahoma State, but Richt said the left tackle is already well ahead of where he was two months after his first surgery.
"He's very excited about the repair," Richt said. "This is so much different than the last one because there was so much less damage that was done. The recovery is faster or at least he feels better faster. He feels like it's a great repair, he's confident in it, and he's excited about the future."
INJURY UPDATES
Richt on A.J.: "A.J. looks like A.J. Green, which is a very good thing. You'd never know he had any issues, and he might be a little more fresh than he would have been because we really didn't let him exert hardly at all."
Richt on Justin Houston: "He was wearing green but he was practicing and we expect him to play."
Richt on Quintin Banks: "He had a dislocated finger and they just kind of put it back together again and taped it to the next finger and go."
PRACTICE UPDATE
For the second straight day, Georgia's coaches and players braved the elements to get in a day's worth of practice, and while the energy was high, Richt said the passing game has been challenged by a day of rain and a day of high winds.
"We really haven't had a chance to throw and catch extremely well with the horrible weather yesterday," Richt said. “I think the wind was blowing like 14 to 20 mile-an-hour gusts out there, so it wasn't ideal conditions. Hopefully tomorrow we can have a pretty day. But we got the work in we needed to get done these last two days, and I'm happy with that and think we've got a good, solid plan.”
FOX LANDS RECRUIT
In the first day of college basketball’s early national signing period, first-year Georgia coach Mark Fox landed another recruit from the state of Florida when Orlando-area prospect Cady Lalanne signed a national letter of intent to join the Bulldogs.
“Cady is a terrific young kid who has the ability to score inside and outside,” Fox said of the 6-foot-8, 215-pound Lalanne. “One of the things we were looking for was a good interior offensive player, and I think we were able to find him. But his versatility on offense is something I really like, too. He was also very well-coached in high school, so I expect that his transition to college will be a smooth one.”
Lalanne is Georgia’s first recruit for the 2010-11 season, but Fox also landed guard Vincent Williams from the state of Florida soon after being hired in April.
Lalanne is rated as the nation’s No. 37 forward prospect by ESPN and the No. 21 center prospect by Scout.com.
This week, Georgia faces another first-year coach of another SEC program that relies on the Peach State to fill a sizable portion of its roster when Auburn comes to Athens. And once again, the victor will earn bragging rights – not just among fans, but in the living rooms of recruits throughout the state.
“Winning helps recruiting,” Georgia recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner said. “That’s the single most important factor is winning. Everybody loves a winner, and if you win, you’re hot, and you’re the most attractive person out there.”
For the past three years, Georgia’s had the edge over Auburn, but that hasn’t stopped the Tigers from competing for many of the same players the Bulldogs have recruited. Twenty players on Auburn’s current roster hail from Georgia, and a win for first-year coach Gene Chizik would help to boost that number in the future.
But the familiarity also breeds a bit of intensity, too, and head coach Mark Richt said his current players aren’t interested in letting Auburn become the latest to earn a win over the Bulldogs, on the field or on the recruiting trail.
“Auburn being so close to our border, just about every guy that we have on our team was more than likely recruited by Auburn and has been to Auburn and has seen what they are all about,” Richt said. “It’s a big deal for us as a staff, it’s a big deal for us as a team.”
CHANGE FOR THE BETTER
A year ago, Clint Boling was pressed into action at left tackle thanks to a slew of injuries at the position, and he never quite felt at home.
This season, Boling has made the move once again, but now he’s a bit more comfortable playing the most demanding position on the offensive line.
“I got a lot of experience playing left tackle last year and I’ve been working on it the last few weeks of practice, so I feel a lot more comfortable there now,” Boling said. “It’s not a big deal at all.”
Boling has started the past two games at left tackle after opening the season as Georgia’s starter on the right side of the line. When Trinton Sturdivant went down with a season-ending knee injury, many fans clamored for Boling to return to the left side where he eared rave reviews a year ago, but the change was slow to come.
With the return of junior Josh Davis from injury, however, Georgia had more leeway to fill any void Boling might leave on the right side of the line, and Boling said one the pieces were in place, everyone was happy to make the move.
“I think Coach (Stacy) Searels was just trying to find the best lineup he wanted with a group of guys that could play hard and do what he wanted to do,” Boling said. “And if that was me at left tackle and Josh at right tackle, then both Josh and I will do whatever Coach Searels wants to do.”
NO HUDDLE, NO PROBLEM
Georgia opened last week’s game against Tennessee Tech with a new look on offense – a no-huddle attack that kept the Golden Eagles guessing.
“We did the first couple of series. It wasn’t no-huddle, hurry-up offense, but it was just something we had gone into the game planning on doing,” quarterback Joe Cox said. “We wanted to get some plays run, get the line up and down fast, and try to put points on the board quick those first couple of drives. We scored on both those drives.”
The fast-paced offense was something offensive coordinator Mike Bobo had been toying with but saw a prime opportunity to run it against Tennessee Tech, and it gave Georgia a chance to show a more dynamic side of an offensive unit that has failed to show much life at times this season.
“It was just a change of pace, something that a lot of people haven’t seen us do, and it definitely caught them off guard because they were looking to the sideline trying to figure out what they needed to get in, and we went right down the field,” Cox said.
Despite the success the offense had against Tennessee Tech, Bobo isn’t sure if he’ll continue to use the approach going forward, but he said he liked the results enough to keep it as a possibility.
“It’s something we mess around with from time to time, and a lot is depending on our depth at receiver and how much we can do,” Bobo said. “But it was one of those games that we did want to spread them out and get our guys in space, and that’s something we could use in any game.”
TIGHT ENDS ARE TOP DAWGS
With A.J. Green out of the lineup last week, Cox found his tight ends made for appealing targets downfield against Tennessee Tech. The Bulldogs’ tight ends caught seven passes and one touchdown in the game, and that’s a trend Cox said he thinks can continue as Aron White and Orson Charles continue to develop within the offense.
“We’ve got two tight ends that are really making a lot of plays right now,” Cox said. “They’re dedicated to run blocking and work hard on it every day, and they’re great in the passing game. Orson and Aron, they run great routes and have great hands. You don’t have too many of those, and we’re lucky enough to have to of them on the same team.”
LINEMEN ON THE MEND
Two of Georgia's injured offensive linemen are making strides toward recovery, but Richt isn't sure either will be practicing before the spring.
Freshman Austin Long underwent back surgery before the season and has yet to practice with the team. There was hope he might be ready to practice by December leading up to an anticipated bowl game, but Richt said that's unlikely.
"He's got another appointment with the doctor, and it's sometime in December, to try to gauge how well it's healing," Richt said. "There's a possibility it's healed, but there may have to be some things that are taken out."
Richt said Long has been relegated to minor workouts -- elliptical machines and exercise bikes -- but he has not been able to run or do any significant weight lifting.
Trinton Sturdivant tore his ACL for the second time in as many years in Georgia's opener against Oklahoma State, but Richt said the left tackle is already well ahead of where he was two months after his first surgery.
"He's very excited about the repair," Richt said. "This is so much different than the last one because there was so much less damage that was done. The recovery is faster or at least he feels better faster. He feels like it's a great repair, he's confident in it, and he's excited about the future."
INJURY UPDATES
Richt on A.J.: "A.J. looks like A.J. Green, which is a very good thing. You'd never know he had any issues, and he might be a little more fresh than he would have been because we really didn't let him exert hardly at all."
Richt on Justin Houston: "He was wearing green but he was practicing and we expect him to play."
Richt on Quintin Banks: "He had a dislocated finger and they just kind of put it back together again and taped it to the next finger and go."
PRACTICE UPDATE
For the second straight day, Georgia's coaches and players braved the elements to get in a day's worth of practice, and while the energy was high, Richt said the passing game has been challenged by a day of rain and a day of high winds.
"We really haven't had a chance to throw and catch extremely well with the horrible weather yesterday," Richt said. “I think the wind was blowing like 14 to 20 mile-an-hour gusts out there, so it wasn't ideal conditions. Hopefully tomorrow we can have a pretty day. But we got the work in we needed to get done these last two days, and I'm happy with that and think we've got a good, solid plan.”
FOX LANDS RECRUIT
In the first day of college basketball’s early national signing period, first-year Georgia coach Mark Fox landed another recruit from the state of Florida when Orlando-area prospect Cady Lalanne signed a national letter of intent to join the Bulldogs.
“Cady is a terrific young kid who has the ability to score inside and outside,” Fox said of the 6-foot-8, 215-pound Lalanne. “One of the things we were looking for was a good interior offensive player, and I think we were able to find him. But his versatility on offense is something I really like, too. He was also very well-coached in high school, so I expect that his transition to college will be a smooth one.”
Lalanne is Georgia’s first recruit for the 2010-11 season, but Fox also landed guard Vincent Williams from the state of Florida soon after being hired in April.
Lalanne is rated as the nation’s No. 37 forward prospect by ESPN and the No. 21 center prospect by Scout.com.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Practice Notes: Defense Takes a Hit
Head coach Mark Richt said the biggest lesson his team learned from its first spring scrimmage was that the players needed to do a better job of recovering from adversity. You can read what Richt said, along with stats from the day's scrimmage, HERE.
Beyond that, the big news of the day was the struggles of the defense. The secondary had a couple of interceptions, but didn't exactly capitalize, as they fumbled them away after the catch.
A few big plays, including a 75-yard touchdown from Aaron Murray to Vernon Spellman, turned the tide after a strong start defensively, and cornerback Prince Miller said he was disappointed in how his team responded.
"I know on our end, we gave up some big plays," Miller said. "We could have been better about being more vocal, being a team. Guys had good efforts, just overall we need to learn to be a team and fight through it."
That was the message defensive coordinator Willie Martinez imparted – with a healthy dose of angered inflection – after practice, too. But safety Bryan Evans said it shouldn't be up to Martinez to correct these problems. The responsibility falls on himself and the rest of the Bulldogs' senior leadership.
"Right now, as players, we don't want Coach Martinez to tell us what to do," Evans said. "We want to be led as a team, not be coach-driven. We want to show Coach we can do it without him having to jump down our backs."
Of course, the blame shouldn't fall completely on the leaders. The truth is, injuries are once again hampering the defense. With the high number of hampered defenders, defensive tackle Geno Atkins said the latter half of the scrimmage saw a lot of guys struggling to catch their breath.
"We had a couple good plays here and there, but we kind of got fatigued toward the end," Atkins said. "(The offense) got the best of us."
In addition to Spellman's big grab, A.J. Green was a full participant in practice and put up some good numbers. The other offensive highlights belonged to the guy who has been stealing the show all spring.
"Carlton Thomas looked pretty good," Atkins said. "He had a couple of touchdowns and a nice run where he cut it back one way and ran it all the way back the other way and scored a touchdown."
Richt felt Thomas had not only been the best of the bunch Monday, but said that the diminutive freshman had been Georgia's most consistent runner all spring -- ahead of Caleb King. While Thomas has been the talk of the spring, Atkins has been Georgia's most dominant player, and with two sacks, he offered the biggest highlights of the day for the defense.
"I knocked Carlton a couple times, had one up against Dallas (Lee)," Atkins said. "I guess I gave Cordy (Glenn) a run for his money a couple of times, too."
The performance by the offense wasn't perfect, quarterback Joe Cox said, but hearing the defense admit defeat was music to his ears.
"So many times people say the defense is normally going to get the better of the offense during the spring," Cox said. "Any time that they'll actually admit we beat them in something, that means we did something pretty good."
YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS
Georgia's defensive ends took another hit Monday, when freshman Jeremy Longo suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of most of the day's scrimmage. Richt said he was unsure the severity of the injury immediately, but should Longo miss any significant time, Georgia will be down to just two healthy scholarship ends.
"By the time (the scrimmage) was over, (defensive tackle) Geno (Atkins) played a little D end and Kade (Weston) played a little D end," Richt said. "So I'm not sure how we'll proceed."
MORE HURTS
Incoming freshman offensive lineman Austin Long underwent back surgery Monday and likely won't be available to practice when he arrives at Georgia, possibly until December.
"I think we still plan on bringing him in at the normal time and being there to rehab him," Richt said. "By the end of the season, maybe by bowl practice, he might could get some work and be ready for spring. If he gets a medical redshirt his true freshman year, he'll still have four (seasons) to play."
AND YET MORE HURTS
Wide receiver Kris Durham suffered a minor shoulder injury that kept him out of Monday's scrimmage. Richt said he expected Durham to be back as early as Tuesday.
More concerning to Richt, however, was the status of receiver Tony Wilson, who is still recovering from ankle surgery – an injury he first suffered last spring and attempted to play through early last season.
"Tony's just not 100 percent," Richt said. "I don't think there's any question he can help us, but he's going at a certain percentage – my guess would be about 60 percent. He's healthy enough to go, but as far as his speed and agility, it's just not there right now."
MOVING ON UP
Nick Williams didn't figure on playing linebacker when he came to Georgia, but since making the move from safety late last season, he has quickly adapted to the new role.
Williams led all Georgia players with six tackles in Monday's first spring scrimmage, and linebacker Rennie Curran said the freshman from Bainbridge has looked right at home at his new position.
"He's looking good," Curran said. "He asks a lot of questions. He's real confident, but listens to what the coaches are saying. He's a great guy to have around."
While Williams adjusts to his new position, Curran said he has been adjusting to the role of mentor. He said he has taken Williams under his wing and tried to offer as much advice as possible.
One topic that has been a popular one for Williams is the issue of adding some bulk to his frame. Having arrived as a safety, adding some heft has been a top priority for Williams, and the weight room just so happens to be Curran's area of expertise.
"All of those guys when they come in as freshmen, they go through a transformation," Curran said. "I just try to let them know that it's more about making plays. Don't get stuck on gaining weight or anything like that. At the end of the day, it's about who gets to the ball and makes the tackle."
DECISION LOOMING
Former Clemson quarterback Jon Richt took in a scrimmage with his dad and his girlfriend at Valdosta State last weekend, and Mark Richt said the whole family was impressed by their visit.
Jon Richt announced earlier this month that he planned to transfer after spending a year at Clemson. His father said he had hoped to find a school close to home, which made Valdosta State an intriguing possibility.
"I'd never been to Valdosta State before, and it's a beautiful campus," Mark Richt said. "It's about the right size, and I think he'd really feel comfortable."
Mark Richt said the group took in the scrimmage, enjoyed a campus tour, sat in on the quarterback meetings and checked out the academics, too. The Richts have already visited Georgia State and Mark Richt said they plan to take trips to Chattanooga and Mars Hill (in North Carolina) before making a final decision, which could come in about two weeks.
"Everybody's been great," Mark Richt said. "They just lay it out – this is who we've got, this is why we think he has a chance to compete, this is what we've got. It's just been great."
FOND MEMORIES
Longtime NFL and college football coach Lou Saban died Monday at age 87. Saban was the head coach at Miami who recruited Mark Richt to play for the Hurricanes in college. Although Saban left after Richt's freshman season, the Georgia coach said he still had many fond memories of his first college coach.
"I've seen Coach Saban from time to time afterwards, and I loved him in that he's the one that sold Miami to me out of high school, gave me the opportunity to play," Richt said. "I was sad to hear it, but I know he lived a very full life and coached a lot of ball over the years at all levels."
Beyond that, the big news of the day was the struggles of the defense. The secondary had a couple of interceptions, but didn't exactly capitalize, as they fumbled them away after the catch.
A few big plays, including a 75-yard touchdown from Aaron Murray to Vernon Spellman, turned the tide after a strong start defensively, and cornerback Prince Miller said he was disappointed in how his team responded.
"I know on our end, we gave up some big plays," Miller said. "We could have been better about being more vocal, being a team. Guys had good efforts, just overall we need to learn to be a team and fight through it."
That was the message defensive coordinator Willie Martinez imparted – with a healthy dose of angered inflection – after practice, too. But safety Bryan Evans said it shouldn't be up to Martinez to correct these problems. The responsibility falls on himself and the rest of the Bulldogs' senior leadership.
"Right now, as players, we don't want Coach Martinez to tell us what to do," Evans said. "We want to be led as a team, not be coach-driven. We want to show Coach we can do it without him having to jump down our backs."
Of course, the blame shouldn't fall completely on the leaders. The truth is, injuries are once again hampering the defense. With the high number of hampered defenders, defensive tackle Geno Atkins said the latter half of the scrimmage saw a lot of guys struggling to catch their breath.
"We had a couple good plays here and there, but we kind of got fatigued toward the end," Atkins said. "(The offense) got the best of us."
In addition to Spellman's big grab, A.J. Green was a full participant in practice and put up some good numbers. The other offensive highlights belonged to the guy who has been stealing the show all spring.
"Carlton Thomas looked pretty good," Atkins said. "He had a couple of touchdowns and a nice run where he cut it back one way and ran it all the way back the other way and scored a touchdown."
Richt felt Thomas had not only been the best of the bunch Monday, but said that the diminutive freshman had been Georgia's most consistent runner all spring -- ahead of Caleb King. While Thomas has been the talk of the spring, Atkins has been Georgia's most dominant player, and with two sacks, he offered the biggest highlights of the day for the defense.
"I knocked Carlton a couple times, had one up against Dallas (Lee)," Atkins said. "I guess I gave Cordy (Glenn) a run for his money a couple of times, too."
The performance by the offense wasn't perfect, quarterback Joe Cox said, but hearing the defense admit defeat was music to his ears.
"So many times people say the defense is normally going to get the better of the offense during the spring," Cox said. "Any time that they'll actually admit we beat them in something, that means we did something pretty good."
YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS
Georgia's defensive ends took another hit Monday, when freshman Jeremy Longo suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out of most of the day's scrimmage. Richt said he was unsure the severity of the injury immediately, but should Longo miss any significant time, Georgia will be down to just two healthy scholarship ends.
"By the time (the scrimmage) was over, (defensive tackle) Geno (Atkins) played a little D end and Kade (Weston) played a little D end," Richt said. "So I'm not sure how we'll proceed."
MORE HURTS
Incoming freshman offensive lineman Austin Long underwent back surgery Monday and likely won't be available to practice when he arrives at Georgia, possibly until December.
"I think we still plan on bringing him in at the normal time and being there to rehab him," Richt said. "By the end of the season, maybe by bowl practice, he might could get some work and be ready for spring. If he gets a medical redshirt his true freshman year, he'll still have four (seasons) to play."
AND YET MORE HURTS
Wide receiver Kris Durham suffered a minor shoulder injury that kept him out of Monday's scrimmage. Richt said he expected Durham to be back as early as Tuesday.
More concerning to Richt, however, was the status of receiver Tony Wilson, who is still recovering from ankle surgery – an injury he first suffered last spring and attempted to play through early last season.
"Tony's just not 100 percent," Richt said. "I don't think there's any question he can help us, but he's going at a certain percentage – my guess would be about 60 percent. He's healthy enough to go, but as far as his speed and agility, it's just not there right now."
MOVING ON UP
Nick Williams didn't figure on playing linebacker when he came to Georgia, but since making the move from safety late last season, he has quickly adapted to the new role.
Williams led all Georgia players with six tackles in Monday's first spring scrimmage, and linebacker Rennie Curran said the freshman from Bainbridge has looked right at home at his new position.
"He's looking good," Curran said. "He asks a lot of questions. He's real confident, but listens to what the coaches are saying. He's a great guy to have around."
While Williams adjusts to his new position, Curran said he has been adjusting to the role of mentor. He said he has taken Williams under his wing and tried to offer as much advice as possible.
One topic that has been a popular one for Williams is the issue of adding some bulk to his frame. Having arrived as a safety, adding some heft has been a top priority for Williams, and the weight room just so happens to be Curran's area of expertise.
"All of those guys when they come in as freshmen, they go through a transformation," Curran said. "I just try to let them know that it's more about making plays. Don't get stuck on gaining weight or anything like that. At the end of the day, it's about who gets to the ball and makes the tackle."
DECISION LOOMING
Former Clemson quarterback Jon Richt took in a scrimmage with his dad and his girlfriend at Valdosta State last weekend, and Mark Richt said the whole family was impressed by their visit.
Jon Richt announced earlier this month that he planned to transfer after spending a year at Clemson. His father said he had hoped to find a school close to home, which made Valdosta State an intriguing possibility.
"I'd never been to Valdosta State before, and it's a beautiful campus," Mark Richt said. "It's about the right size, and I think he'd really feel comfortable."
Mark Richt said the group took in the scrimmage, enjoyed a campus tour, sat in on the quarterback meetings and checked out the academics, too. The Richts have already visited Georgia State and Mark Richt said they plan to take trips to Chattanooga and Mars Hill (in North Carolina) before making a final decision, which could come in about two weeks.
"Everybody's been great," Mark Richt said. "They just lay it out – this is who we've got, this is why we think he has a chance to compete, this is what we've got. It's just been great."
FOND MEMORIES
Longtime NFL and college football coach Lou Saban died Monday at age 87. Saban was the head coach at Miami who recruited Mark Richt to play for the Hurricanes in college. Although Saban left after Richt's freshman season, the Georgia coach said he still had many fond memories of his first college coach.
"I've seen Coach Saban from time to time afterwards, and I loved him in that he's the one that sold Miami to me out of high school, gave me the opportunity to play," Richt said. "I was sad to hear it, but I know he lived a very full life and coached a lot of ball over the years at all levels."
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