Kicker Blair Walsh talks about his motivations for 2010, the competition he still gets from Brandon Bogotay and how his special teams brethren have been left without a home, now that two of the practice fields have been overtaken by the Butts-Mehre expansion.
*Video courtesy of Brandon Spoon
Showing posts with label Brandon Bogotay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Bogotay. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Friday, November 13, 2009
Home Is Where Your Helmet Is
A lot was made this week of freshman defensive end Montez Robinson earning SEC defensive lineman of the week honors, just a few weeks removed from some serious thoughts about transferring. That got me to thinking... Robinson certainly isn't alone in feeling a bit out of place at Georgia in his early career.
A handful of players who traveled the farthest to come to Georgia are getting minimal playing time, so I decided to look into how those players -- Brandon Bogotay, Arthur Lynch and Robinson -- have been coping. As a transplant to Athens, I know it can be a bit of a culture shock.
Anyway, my original version of the story came out pretty long, and with newspapers getting smaller, there just isn't room for 50-inch features anymore. So I had to make some cuts, and in the process, I think the story lost a lot of its color and detail.
You're free to read that version of the story online now, if you'd like. But, if like the Big Lebowski, you're not into the whole brevity thing, I figured I'd post the full version of the story here, without any cuts made to it.
Here goes...
It was the Fourth of July before Aron White’s freshman year at Georgia when he took a trip home to Columbia, Mo. for the holiday. He had been in Athens for a while, working out with teammates and getting ready for his rookie season, and the trip home was a welcome reward after a difficult start to his career with the Bulldogs.
Throughout the visit home, White couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he wasn’t supposed to leave. Many of his friends were in school at nearby Missouri, and being home was like old times. He missed family, he missed friends, he missed normalcy. Being home felt right.
Nearly four months passed before White made another trip back to Columbia, this time during Georgia’s off week in 2007. He hadn’t played a down that season, instead redshirting while fellow freshman Bruce Figgins earned praise from coaches and fans for his early contributions. Life in Athens was still unconfortable.
But that second trip to Missouri was different. White was happy to see his brothers, but many of his friends were occupied with school. Most had made new friends he didn’t know. The bedroom he had grown up in suddenly felt foreign. The bed wasn’t as comfortable. The décor wasn’t his own.
He missed Georgia.
“It was home, but it was just like, I knew by the end of that weekend I wanted to go back, I missed people,” White said. “I went home and slept in my old room, and it wasn’t the same. You don’t have all those things you surround yourself with. It wasn’t my bed, it wasn’t my TV, I didn’t have my movies or my posters hanging on the wall. That was definitely the point I realized that if I were to leave Georgia, I’d definitely miss it.”
White’s story is hardly unique. It’s an annual right of passage for Georgia’s freshmen, but it’s never a simple process.
While some players are eased into life in Athens with routine trips to nearby homes and meals prepared by mom or nights out with old friends, players like White can only make the occasional trip home, planned far in advance and paid for with scarce funds.
While some players transition is overshadowed by success on the field and immediate praise from fans and coaches, players like White often have far more time alone on the sidelines to question the decisions they made that led them to Georgia.
It’s never simple, but for some players, the transition is arduous.
“You definitely second guess yourself sometimes,” freshman tight end Arthur Lynch said, his words tinged with a heavy New England accent. “It’s not the easiest thing, and it’s something you can’t really adjust to because it’s so different than where I’m from. But you get used to it after a while.”
Athens may be one of the most beloved college towns in the country, but for players like Lynch, it’s a world apart from where he grew up.
The 6-foot-5 Dartmouth, Mass. native came to Georgia this summer expecting to stand out, but it’s the accent that always throws people. He can’t hide it. He might as well be speaking a foreign language compared to the slow, Southern dialect prevalent throughout Georgia.
There are other differences, too. There are things Lynch finds utterly perplexing about the South. He’s learned to keep most of those opinions to himself. He's not yet comfortable enough with his surroundings to ruffle any feathers. Life is simply different here.
Kicker Brandon Bogotay knows the feeling. He arrived in July from San Diego, and while the weather was a few degrees warmer and the beach was no longer within walking distance, things seemed relatively normal.
And then the rain came.
“It’s been raining, and I never really saw much rain out there,” Bogotay said. “The scooter rides in the morning have been pretty cold.”
Bogotay joked that he owned just two long-sleeved shirts when he came to Athens, but he’s in the market for a new wardrobe now.
For other players, however, the culture shock isn’t so much about the weather or the slang. It’s about family and security. It's about knowing who to trust and where to find comfort.
Defensive end Montez Robinson grew up in Indiana, then moved to Alabama when he was in grade school. His family life was difficult, but he was always close with his brothers. His father died when he was young and he and his brothers spent much of their lives as wards of the state. After his sophomore year in high school, he moved back to Indiana and later committed to Auburn.
When Tigers’ coach Tommy Tuberville resigned at the end of last season, however, Robinson’s life was shaken up yet again, and he re-opened his recruitment, eventually settling on Georgia, where assistant coach Rodney Garner assured Robinson he would find a home.
Through his first few months in Athens, however, Robinson simply wanted to see his family again.
“At first it was hard being away from home,” Robinson said. “There’s a couple other guys that are far from home, and we were always talking about how much we missed our families.”
It happens every season. The initial thrill of college grows old, the lure of home grows stronger, and eventually they all ask the same question: Did I do the right thing?
“I don’t care if you’re from 15 minutes away or 15 hours away, you’re not at home anymore when you go to college,” tight ends coach John Lilly said. “I think it’s natural to go through an adjustment period, and probably a little bit of a homesick period.”
As many times as they’ve seen it happen, Lilly said there’s no universal solution to getting a player past that point. They’re all different, but there is support.
Lilly said the coaching staff tries to talk to players' families and friends, asking them to offer encouragement rather than reminders of what was left behind.
Head coach Mark Richt has worked hard to create a family environment around the team, too. Coaches wives and children are frequent visitors, with the team holding a weekly family night after practice when they all share a meal together.
But while encouragement is offered, the job of most coaches is to impart discipline and demand excellence. They rely on the other players to handle the role of friend.
“It’s a difficult thing when you’re riding someone and you’re pushing them, you can’t be their buddy,” said Jon Fabris, Robinson’s position coach. “Yet you understand that there are players that have been there and you can tell them, ‘Hey, keep an eye on this guy.’ I think you can get better support through their peers because, who hasn’t gone through that?”
The feeling of being an outsider in a strange place is only exacerbated for those freshmen who rarely see the field. That has been the case for Bogotay, Lynch and Robinson this season.
Game days provide some solace, but offer little playing time.
White sees plenty of parallels between his career and Lynch’s. Both came from another part of the country. Both joined the team at the same time as another, more highly recruited player at their position. Both knew their role early on would be mostly as an understudy.
“It’s hard to deal with not coming in and being the guy and feeling like somebody else is getting all the spotlight or that he’s the guy people want to see take over,” White said. “It’s tough to deal with sometimes, but we remember that we’re all working toward the same goal, and so you just have to work hard as a player so you can be a part of that.”
That’s the approach Robinson has tried to take this season.
He admits he considered a transfer. There were too many days when going home seemed a far better option than going to practice. But things change. They always do.
Robinson got his first serious playing time last week against Tennessee Tech. He finished the game with the first five tackles of his career, including two sacks. He won the SEC’s defensive lineman of the week award two days later, and his foster father cried when he heard the news.
“You know when you can do something like that and the gratitude that people give you and the feeling you get afterwards, it eases things down a little bit, and it makes you want to work harder for things like that,” Robinson said.
It helped that Robinson’s two younger brothers, Armonze and Elijah, his foster parents and one of his cousins were all in Athens for his big game last week. They added a bit of home to a place that suddenly didn’t feel so foreign anymore anyway.
“Having success makes him love this place a little bit more,” Garner said. “Hopefully a lot of positives that come out of him having success, and that’s my hope for him, too.”
It’s probably too soon to call the game a turning point for Robinson, but sometimes it happens that quickly. That was true for White when he visited Missouri back in 2007 and realized it wasn’t home anymore. It has been true for dozens of others, too.
“You realize that home changes,” Lilly said. “You have all these great memories of high school and those kinds of things, and then when you do get back, it’s nice to go home and see people, but as the years go by you realize that home really is where you go to school. That’s where all your friends are and where your life really is at that point.”
Lynch tasted a bit of success last week, too, grabbing the first two receptions of his career during a fourth-quarter drive. There were no SEC awards that followed, but it was a good starting point, he said.
And seeing Robinson enjoy the spotlight after an impressive performance – that helped, too.
“You hope to catch a break and get on the field like Montez did Saturday,” Lynch said. “You keep moving, keep working hard in practice, and hopefully your time will come.”
Bogotay has taken the field just once this season, which is one more time than he has visited home. But even he isn’t sulking.
“I’m looking forward to the next trip home, but I love it out here,” he said. “It’s a big change, but overall I’m having a great time out here.”
Things change. Home is wherever you make it. It’s a conclusion everyone comes to eventually.
In fact, while Robinson was considering leaving Georgia just a few weeks ago, he’s now busy recruiting his brothers to join him in Athens.
“I have two brothers getting recruited from here, and they just want to go wherever I go,” he said. “I’m trying to convince them.”
It changes that fast, White said. Sometimes it happens after a big play. Sometimes it happens after a few friends are made. Sometimes, like White, a new perspective suddenly arises.
“Early on, I didn’t know if I fit in around here. It wasn’t so much football, it was just really hard for me to cope, being away from home,” White said. “But I realized it was about more than just feeling comfortable. I made a commitment to be here. The coaches gambled on me, they gave me this opportunity, and I didn’t feel like I was giving it a chance. By season’s end, I knew this was the right place for me and I had made the right decision.”
It’s a story he has passed along to Lynch, Robinson, Bogotay and others. It’s a story that dozens of other players on the team could tell, too, with just a few of the details changed.
Everyone gets homesick, White said. But eventually they all decide that Georgia is home.
“They’ll come around,” White said. "(Lynch), Montez, Bogotay, they’ll all come around. Because there are guys who live 45 minutes away that don’t want to go home on weekends. It’s too much fun being here.”
A handful of players who traveled the farthest to come to Georgia are getting minimal playing time, so I decided to look into how those players -- Brandon Bogotay, Arthur Lynch and Robinson -- have been coping. As a transplant to Athens, I know it can be a bit of a culture shock.
Anyway, my original version of the story came out pretty long, and with newspapers getting smaller, there just isn't room for 50-inch features anymore. So I had to make some cuts, and in the process, I think the story lost a lot of its color and detail.
You're free to read that version of the story online now, if you'd like. But, if like the Big Lebowski, you're not into the whole brevity thing, I figured I'd post the full version of the story here, without any cuts made to it.
Here goes...
----
It was the Fourth of July before Aron White’s freshman year at Georgia when he took a trip home to Columbia, Mo. for the holiday. He had been in Athens for a while, working out with teammates and getting ready for his rookie season, and the trip home was a welcome reward after a difficult start to his career with the Bulldogs.
Throughout the visit home, White couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he wasn’t supposed to leave. Many of his friends were in school at nearby Missouri, and being home was like old times. He missed family, he missed friends, he missed normalcy. Being home felt right.
Nearly four months passed before White made another trip back to Columbia, this time during Georgia’s off week in 2007. He hadn’t played a down that season, instead redshirting while fellow freshman Bruce Figgins earned praise from coaches and fans for his early contributions. Life in Athens was still unconfortable.
But that second trip to Missouri was different. White was happy to see his brothers, but many of his friends were occupied with school. Most had made new friends he didn’t know. The bedroom he had grown up in suddenly felt foreign. The bed wasn’t as comfortable. The décor wasn’t his own.
He missed Georgia.
“It was home, but it was just like, I knew by the end of that weekend I wanted to go back, I missed people,” White said. “I went home and slept in my old room, and it wasn’t the same. You don’t have all those things you surround yourself with. It wasn’t my bed, it wasn’t my TV, I didn’t have my movies or my posters hanging on the wall. That was definitely the point I realized that if I were to leave Georgia, I’d definitely miss it.”
White’s story is hardly unique. It’s an annual right of passage for Georgia’s freshmen, but it’s never a simple process.
While some players are eased into life in Athens with routine trips to nearby homes and meals prepared by mom or nights out with old friends, players like White can only make the occasional trip home, planned far in advance and paid for with scarce funds.
While some players transition is overshadowed by success on the field and immediate praise from fans and coaches, players like White often have far more time alone on the sidelines to question the decisions they made that led them to Georgia.
It’s never simple, but for some players, the transition is arduous.
“You definitely second guess yourself sometimes,” freshman tight end Arthur Lynch said, his words tinged with a heavy New England accent. “It’s not the easiest thing, and it’s something you can’t really adjust to because it’s so different than where I’m from. But you get used to it after a while.”
Athens may be one of the most beloved college towns in the country, but for players like Lynch, it’s a world apart from where he grew up.
The 6-foot-5 Dartmouth, Mass. native came to Georgia this summer expecting to stand out, but it’s the accent that always throws people. He can’t hide it. He might as well be speaking a foreign language compared to the slow, Southern dialect prevalent throughout Georgia.
There are other differences, too. There are things Lynch finds utterly perplexing about the South. He’s learned to keep most of those opinions to himself. He's not yet comfortable enough with his surroundings to ruffle any feathers. Life is simply different here.
Kicker Brandon Bogotay knows the feeling. He arrived in July from San Diego, and while the weather was a few degrees warmer and the beach was no longer within walking distance, things seemed relatively normal.
And then the rain came.
“It’s been raining, and I never really saw much rain out there,” Bogotay said. “The scooter rides in the morning have been pretty cold.”
Bogotay joked that he owned just two long-sleeved shirts when he came to Athens, but he’s in the market for a new wardrobe now.
For other players, however, the culture shock isn’t so much about the weather or the slang. It’s about family and security. It's about knowing who to trust and where to find comfort.
Defensive end Montez Robinson grew up in Indiana, then moved to Alabama when he was in grade school. His family life was difficult, but he was always close with his brothers. His father died when he was young and he and his brothers spent much of their lives as wards of the state. After his sophomore year in high school, he moved back to Indiana and later committed to Auburn.
When Tigers’ coach Tommy Tuberville resigned at the end of last season, however, Robinson’s life was shaken up yet again, and he re-opened his recruitment, eventually settling on Georgia, where assistant coach Rodney Garner assured Robinson he would find a home.
Through his first few months in Athens, however, Robinson simply wanted to see his family again.
“At first it was hard being away from home,” Robinson said. “There’s a couple other guys that are far from home, and we were always talking about how much we missed our families.”
It happens every season. The initial thrill of college grows old, the lure of home grows stronger, and eventually they all ask the same question: Did I do the right thing?
“I don’t care if you’re from 15 minutes away or 15 hours away, you’re not at home anymore when you go to college,” tight ends coach John Lilly said. “I think it’s natural to go through an adjustment period, and probably a little bit of a homesick period.”
As many times as they’ve seen it happen, Lilly said there’s no universal solution to getting a player past that point. They’re all different, but there is support.
Lilly said the coaching staff tries to talk to players' families and friends, asking them to offer encouragement rather than reminders of what was left behind.
Head coach Mark Richt has worked hard to create a family environment around the team, too. Coaches wives and children are frequent visitors, with the team holding a weekly family night after practice when they all share a meal together.
But while encouragement is offered, the job of most coaches is to impart discipline and demand excellence. They rely on the other players to handle the role of friend.
“It’s a difficult thing when you’re riding someone and you’re pushing them, you can’t be their buddy,” said Jon Fabris, Robinson’s position coach. “Yet you understand that there are players that have been there and you can tell them, ‘Hey, keep an eye on this guy.’ I think you can get better support through their peers because, who hasn’t gone through that?”
The feeling of being an outsider in a strange place is only exacerbated for those freshmen who rarely see the field. That has been the case for Bogotay, Lynch and Robinson this season.
Game days provide some solace, but offer little playing time.
White sees plenty of parallels between his career and Lynch’s. Both came from another part of the country. Both joined the team at the same time as another, more highly recruited player at their position. Both knew their role early on would be mostly as an understudy.
“It’s hard to deal with not coming in and being the guy and feeling like somebody else is getting all the spotlight or that he’s the guy people want to see take over,” White said. “It’s tough to deal with sometimes, but we remember that we’re all working toward the same goal, and so you just have to work hard as a player so you can be a part of that.”
That’s the approach Robinson has tried to take this season.
He admits he considered a transfer. There were too many days when going home seemed a far better option than going to practice. But things change. They always do.
Robinson got his first serious playing time last week against Tennessee Tech. He finished the game with the first five tackles of his career, including two sacks. He won the SEC’s defensive lineman of the week award two days later, and his foster father cried when he heard the news.
“You know when you can do something like that and the gratitude that people give you and the feeling you get afterwards, it eases things down a little bit, and it makes you want to work harder for things like that,” Robinson said.
It helped that Robinson’s two younger brothers, Armonze and Elijah, his foster parents and one of his cousins were all in Athens for his big game last week. They added a bit of home to a place that suddenly didn’t feel so foreign anymore anyway.
“Having success makes him love this place a little bit more,” Garner said. “Hopefully a lot of positives that come out of him having success, and that’s my hope for him, too.”
It’s probably too soon to call the game a turning point for Robinson, but sometimes it happens that quickly. That was true for White when he visited Missouri back in 2007 and realized it wasn’t home anymore. It has been true for dozens of others, too.
“You realize that home changes,” Lilly said. “You have all these great memories of high school and those kinds of things, and then when you do get back, it’s nice to go home and see people, but as the years go by you realize that home really is where you go to school. That’s where all your friends are and where your life really is at that point.”
Lynch tasted a bit of success last week, too, grabbing the first two receptions of his career during a fourth-quarter drive. There were no SEC awards that followed, but it was a good starting point, he said.
And seeing Robinson enjoy the spotlight after an impressive performance – that helped, too.
“You hope to catch a break and get on the field like Montez did Saturday,” Lynch said. “You keep moving, keep working hard in practice, and hopefully your time will come.”
Bogotay has taken the field just once this season, which is one more time than he has visited home. But even he isn’t sulking.
“I’m looking forward to the next trip home, but I love it out here,” he said. “It’s a big change, but overall I’m having a great time out here.”
Things change. Home is wherever you make it. It’s a conclusion everyone comes to eventually.
In fact, while Robinson was considering leaving Georgia just a few weeks ago, he’s now busy recruiting his brothers to join him in Athens.
“I have two brothers getting recruited from here, and they just want to go wherever I go,” he said. “I’m trying to convince them.”
It changes that fast, White said. Sometimes it happens after a big play. Sometimes it happens after a few friends are made. Sometimes, like White, a new perspective suddenly arises.
“Early on, I didn’t know if I fit in around here. It wasn’t so much football, it was just really hard for me to cope, being away from home,” White said. “But I realized it was about more than just feeling comfortable. I made a commitment to be here. The coaches gambled on me, they gave me this opportunity, and I didn’t feel like I was giving it a chance. By season’s end, I knew this was the right place for me and I had made the right decision.”
It’s a story he has passed along to Lynch, Robinson, Bogotay and others. It’s a story that dozens of other players on the team could tell, too, with just a few of the details changed.
Everyone gets homesick, White said. But eventually they all decide that Georgia is home.
“They’ll come around,” White said. "(Lynch), Montez, Bogotay, they’ll all come around. Because there are guys who live 45 minutes away that don’t want to go home on weekends. It’s too much fun being here.”
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Notes: Curran Mulls NFL Future
With the season winding down and the hype surrounding next year’s top NFL draft picks heating up, Rennie Curran knew he would have some tough decisions to make.
The junior linebacker is second in the SEC in tackles and is on pace for his second straight 100-tackle season at Georgia, and many draft services see him as a potential early draft choice. So from family and friends to fans who see him on campus, he’s already being hounded about his future.
“That’s one thing people always want to know,” Curran said. “They see you in that position and you’re ranked high and having a good season, and they want to know.”
Curran said Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, teammates last season who were both selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft, set a nice template for how to handle things, and that’s a path Curran plans to follow.
“Knowshon and Stafford, I watched them go through the same thing, and they did a good job handling it,” Curran said. “Right now, I’m just focused on the season, honestly. It crosses my mind just like it would anybody else who was in the situation I’m in, but it’s a good situation to be in and have to think about. But for the most part, I’m just focused on what got me here, which is working hard and finishing strong, because that’s all I really feel like matters.”
BACK TO THE BENCH
He’s the reigning SEC defensive lineman of the week, but that doesn’t mean Montez Robinson will be seeing a ton of action this week, head coach Mark Richt said.
The freshman defensive end earned his first serious playing time of the season against Tennessee Tech, racking up five tackles and two sacks while filling in for injured starter Justin Houston. But Houston’s injured elbow appears healthy this week, and that means Robinson will be back to his role of backup.
While his big week didn’t bump him up the depth chart, however, it wasn’t without it’s benefits.
“It’d be difficult to get him the same amount of reps he got last week with Justin being back, but he’s progressing and gaining confidence in himself, and we’re gaining more confidence in him,” Richt said.
Beyond the confidence boost for Robinson, it was a nice reminder for Georgia’s coaches that a once glaring hole on defense now appears to be turning into a strength.
Georgia was so thin at defensive end in the spring that two walk-on tight ends were forced to switch positions so the team could scrimmage, and when starter Rod Battle went down with a season-ending injury early in the year, things look bleak.
But Robinson’s emergence, coupled with Houston’s strong play and improved seasons from Demarcus Dobbs and Cornelius Washington, depth is far less of an issue that Richt might have imagined.
“Considering what happened a year ago and Roderick going out relatively early, you might have thought, well, here we go again,” Richt said. “But it really hasn’t been that way.”
ALIVE AND KICKING
This week’s matchup against Auburn has earned some buzz due in part to the tremendous talent both teams sport at kicker. The Tigers’ Wes Bynum and Georgia’s Blair Walsh are both among the country’s most accurate field-goal kickers, and while Walsh struggled in kickoffs last season, he has turned that around and is now the SEC’s leader in touchbacks.
All that success has been good for Georgia, but it has left Brandon Bogotay, the junior college transfer from San Diego brought in to challenge Walsh for the job, without much playing time this season.
“Every game I want to get in, so I’m just waiting for my shot,” Bogotay said.
Despite the lack of playing time – which has involved just one kickoff this season – Bogotay isn’t complaining. In fact, he’s thrilled to see the kicking game doing so well.
“Everyone wants to get their PT, but we push each other, we get better from each other, and it’s really all about the team,” Bogotay said. “As long as one of us is performing, I’m going to be happy.”
WAITING IN THE WINGS
There weren’t many members of Georgia’s 2009 signing class that haven’t seen the field this season, and several of those being redshirted are due to injuries. But of the six healthy players still waiting their turn to see the field on game day, Richt said many have adopted a healthy attitude toward work on the scout team.
“The great majority of their life right now is being on the scout team, but they can get better by doing it,” Richt said.
Richt pointed to past scout-team stars like Odell Thurman and Thomas Davis as examples of how this year’s redshirts are handling the job.
“Every day they said, ‘We’re going to give these guys as much grief as possible,’ and they got better,” Richt said. “I think we’ve got a little bit of that going on right now.”
Quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger both earned praise from offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who said that both have gotten far more work with the first- and second-team offenses in practice this season than past freshmen quarterbacks, due in part to starter Joe Cox’s injury that keeps him from throwing on Wednesdays.
Linebacker Chase Vasser suffered a minor injury after a scooter accident on campus earlier this season, but Richt said he’s healthy again and performing well.
“Chase has done a good job on the scout team for us, and he’s back on track doing fine,” Richt said.
Georgia’s two freshmen offensive linemen – Chris Burnette and Dallas Lee -- have helped the scout team look far more impressive than years past, too.
“We’ve actually had one of our better offensive scout teams in a while. We’ve had some really good offensive linemen over there that have been able to give us a better picture.”
But the star of the redshirts, Richt said, might be defensive tackle Kwame Geathers, who has come particularly far from his first days on campus, when he arrived three days after the start of fall camp, slow and overweight.
“I don’t know the number that he dropped, but it was probably in the 30-pound range if not more,” Richt said. “That guy really did a phenomenal job of really getting his body down to where he could run and have some stamina.”
REMEMBER WHEN
Throughout a tumultuous season that has seen Georgia drop four of its first nine games, Richt hasn’t had much of a roadmap for navigating the troubled waters in Athens. But his best comparison has been to look back at the Bulldogs’ 2006 season, when after a 6-4 start, Georgia won its final three games – all against ranked foes.
That run began with a shocking upset of Auburn on the road, a game in which Richt admitted afterward that he didn’t think his team could win. Now, as the Bulldogs try to rally to another strong finish, he’s doing his best to instill confidence in his players by reminding them of how much that 2006 team overcame.
“There’s definitely some parallels and some similarities,” Richt said. “We don’t know how it’s all going to finish, but as you’re looking for something to build on or put in front of your team to tell them that you can do it, you want to grab those positive comparisons.”
BIG WEEK FOR RECRUITING
The biggest group of recruits to visit Georgia on a game day since Richt has been in Athens came when the Bulldogs hosted Auburn in 2005, he said. Most years, the Georgia-Auburn game draws a hefty crowd.
This year’s game may not draw quite as many recruits as the ’05 game did, Richt said, but it will be close, and the players who will be in Athens rate pretty high on Georgia’s wish list.
“It’s big, it’s what you would expect for Georgia-Auburn,” Richt said. “I know that as we covered the names that are coming in, not only is it a long list, but it’s a list of outstanding players for 2010, 2011 and even a couple of 2012s in there.”
Of course, the problem then becomes handling such a big group of players, but Richt isn’t complaining.
“It’s going to be a difficult day to manage because you want to spend time with these people and let them know how much you care about them,” Richt said. “When there’s such a massive number, it’s very difficult to get everybody the amount of love they probably feel like they deserve. But that’s a good problem to have.”
FIRST CATCH FEELS GOOD
When he got to Georgia, tight end Arthur Lynch was already well aware of his role on the offense. Aron White and Orson Charles were both lean, athletic tight ends with immense receiving skills. Lynch was the brawn.
But with Georgia’s big lead in the fourth quarter last week, Lynch got his first chance to show that he’s capable of more than just pushing people around, picking up two receptions back to back – the first two catches of his career.
“That was a cool experience,” Lynch said. “We were up big and the other team was playing hard, but they called the same route twice and I caught it. It was cool to get in there and see what it was like. I’ve been playing at spots blocking, but in terms of route running and out catching passes, I hadn’t had the opportunity to do that until that game, so it was definitely cool to get a part of the offense.”
PARKING PROBLEMS
Tailgaters may want to be aware of some reduced parking around campus for Saturday’s game against Auburn. Due to the wet weather brought by Tropical Storm Ida, several grass-covered areas typically used for parking, including the lots near the intramural fields off East Campus Drive, will not be available. The school also urged fans to carpool, to avoid using pull-behind trailers and reconsider placing heavy objects on the wet grounds in other grass-covered parking areas.
The junior linebacker is second in the SEC in tackles and is on pace for his second straight 100-tackle season at Georgia, and many draft services see him as a potential early draft choice. So from family and friends to fans who see him on campus, he’s already being hounded about his future.
“That’s one thing people always want to know,” Curran said. “They see you in that position and you’re ranked high and having a good season, and they want to know.”
Curran said Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno, teammates last season who were both selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft, set a nice template for how to handle things, and that’s a path Curran plans to follow.
“Knowshon and Stafford, I watched them go through the same thing, and they did a good job handling it,” Curran said. “Right now, I’m just focused on the season, honestly. It crosses my mind just like it would anybody else who was in the situation I’m in, but it’s a good situation to be in and have to think about. But for the most part, I’m just focused on what got me here, which is working hard and finishing strong, because that’s all I really feel like matters.”
BACK TO THE BENCH
He’s the reigning SEC defensive lineman of the week, but that doesn’t mean Montez Robinson will be seeing a ton of action this week, head coach Mark Richt said.
The freshman defensive end earned his first serious playing time of the season against Tennessee Tech, racking up five tackles and two sacks while filling in for injured starter Justin Houston. But Houston’s injured elbow appears healthy this week, and that means Robinson will be back to his role of backup.
While his big week didn’t bump him up the depth chart, however, it wasn’t without it’s benefits.
“It’d be difficult to get him the same amount of reps he got last week with Justin being back, but he’s progressing and gaining confidence in himself, and we’re gaining more confidence in him,” Richt said.
Beyond the confidence boost for Robinson, it was a nice reminder for Georgia’s coaches that a once glaring hole on defense now appears to be turning into a strength.
Georgia was so thin at defensive end in the spring that two walk-on tight ends were forced to switch positions so the team could scrimmage, and when starter Rod Battle went down with a season-ending injury early in the year, things look bleak.
But Robinson’s emergence, coupled with Houston’s strong play and improved seasons from Demarcus Dobbs and Cornelius Washington, depth is far less of an issue that Richt might have imagined.
“Considering what happened a year ago and Roderick going out relatively early, you might have thought, well, here we go again,” Richt said. “But it really hasn’t been that way.”
ALIVE AND KICKING
This week’s matchup against Auburn has earned some buzz due in part to the tremendous talent both teams sport at kicker. The Tigers’ Wes Bynum and Georgia’s Blair Walsh are both among the country’s most accurate field-goal kickers, and while Walsh struggled in kickoffs last season, he has turned that around and is now the SEC’s leader in touchbacks.
All that success has been good for Georgia, but it has left Brandon Bogotay, the junior college transfer from San Diego brought in to challenge Walsh for the job, without much playing time this season.
“Every game I want to get in, so I’m just waiting for my shot,” Bogotay said.
Despite the lack of playing time – which has involved just one kickoff this season – Bogotay isn’t complaining. In fact, he’s thrilled to see the kicking game doing so well.
“Everyone wants to get their PT, but we push each other, we get better from each other, and it’s really all about the team,” Bogotay said. “As long as one of us is performing, I’m going to be happy.”
WAITING IN THE WINGS
There weren’t many members of Georgia’s 2009 signing class that haven’t seen the field this season, and several of those being redshirted are due to injuries. But of the six healthy players still waiting their turn to see the field on game day, Richt said many have adopted a healthy attitude toward work on the scout team.
“The great majority of their life right now is being on the scout team, but they can get better by doing it,” Richt said.
Richt pointed to past scout-team stars like Odell Thurman and Thomas Davis as examples of how this year’s redshirts are handling the job.
“Every day they said, ‘We’re going to give these guys as much grief as possible,’ and they got better,” Richt said. “I think we’ve got a little bit of that going on right now.”
Quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger both earned praise from offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who said that both have gotten far more work with the first- and second-team offenses in practice this season than past freshmen quarterbacks, due in part to starter Joe Cox’s injury that keeps him from throwing on Wednesdays.
Linebacker Chase Vasser suffered a minor injury after a scooter accident on campus earlier this season, but Richt said he’s healthy again and performing well.
“Chase has done a good job on the scout team for us, and he’s back on track doing fine,” Richt said.
Georgia’s two freshmen offensive linemen – Chris Burnette and Dallas Lee -- have helped the scout team look far more impressive than years past, too.
“We’ve actually had one of our better offensive scout teams in a while. We’ve had some really good offensive linemen over there that have been able to give us a better picture.”
But the star of the redshirts, Richt said, might be defensive tackle Kwame Geathers, who has come particularly far from his first days on campus, when he arrived three days after the start of fall camp, slow and overweight.
“I don’t know the number that he dropped, but it was probably in the 30-pound range if not more,” Richt said. “That guy really did a phenomenal job of really getting his body down to where he could run and have some stamina.”
REMEMBER WHEN
Throughout a tumultuous season that has seen Georgia drop four of its first nine games, Richt hasn’t had much of a roadmap for navigating the troubled waters in Athens. But his best comparison has been to look back at the Bulldogs’ 2006 season, when after a 6-4 start, Georgia won its final three games – all against ranked foes.
That run began with a shocking upset of Auburn on the road, a game in which Richt admitted afterward that he didn’t think his team could win. Now, as the Bulldogs try to rally to another strong finish, he’s doing his best to instill confidence in his players by reminding them of how much that 2006 team overcame.
“There’s definitely some parallels and some similarities,” Richt said. “We don’t know how it’s all going to finish, but as you’re looking for something to build on or put in front of your team to tell them that you can do it, you want to grab those positive comparisons.”
BIG WEEK FOR RECRUITING
The biggest group of recruits to visit Georgia on a game day since Richt has been in Athens came when the Bulldogs hosted Auburn in 2005, he said. Most years, the Georgia-Auburn game draws a hefty crowd.
This year’s game may not draw quite as many recruits as the ’05 game did, Richt said, but it will be close, and the players who will be in Athens rate pretty high on Georgia’s wish list.
“It’s big, it’s what you would expect for Georgia-Auburn,” Richt said. “I know that as we covered the names that are coming in, not only is it a long list, but it’s a list of outstanding players for 2010, 2011 and even a couple of 2012s in there.”
Of course, the problem then becomes handling such a big group of players, but Richt isn’t complaining.
“It’s going to be a difficult day to manage because you want to spend time with these people and let them know how much you care about them,” Richt said. “When there’s such a massive number, it’s very difficult to get everybody the amount of love they probably feel like they deserve. But that’s a good problem to have.”
FIRST CATCH FEELS GOOD
When he got to Georgia, tight end Arthur Lynch was already well aware of his role on the offense. Aron White and Orson Charles were both lean, athletic tight ends with immense receiving skills. Lynch was the brawn.
But with Georgia’s big lead in the fourth quarter last week, Lynch got his first chance to show that he’s capable of more than just pushing people around, picking up two receptions back to back – the first two catches of his career.
“That was a cool experience,” Lynch said. “We were up big and the other team was playing hard, but they called the same route twice and I caught it. It was cool to get in there and see what it was like. I’ve been playing at spots blocking, but in terms of route running and out catching passes, I hadn’t had the opportunity to do that until that game, so it was definitely cool to get a part of the offense.”
PARKING PROBLEMS
Tailgaters may want to be aware of some reduced parking around campus for Saturday’s game against Auburn. Due to the wet weather brought by Tropical Storm Ida, several grass-covered areas typically used for parking, including the lots near the intramural fields off East Campus Drive, will not be available. The school also urged fans to carpool, to avoid using pull-behind trailers and reconsider placing heavy objects on the wet grounds in other grass-covered parking areas.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Practice Notes: Two Kings With Concussions
Georgia’s already thin wide receiver corps took another big hit this week.
Head coach Mark Richt said freshman receiver Tavarres King was “very unlikely” to make the trip to Tennessee for Saturday’s game after suffering a concussion last week against LSU.
That leaves Georgia with just five healthy scholarship receivers, but only two – A.J. Green and Michael Moore – have any significant playing time this season.
“All hands will be on deck, I can say that,” Richt said.
Tight end Orson Charles and cornerback Branden Smith have both been used in wide receiver roles at various times this season, but the injury to King likely means more playing time for sophomore Israel Troupe and freshmen Rantavious Wooten and Marlon Brown.
One of the country’s most highly recruited receivers last year, Brown has seen just a handful of snaps so far this season and has not caught a pass, but Richt said he has continued to make progress during practice and could be part of the game plan this week.
“He’s one step closer than he was before Tavarres getting hurt,” Richt said. “He’s not a whole lot different than what was happening with Washaun Ealey. We kept getting him ready and getting him to the point where he could function in a game, and Marlon is rapidly moving in that direction.”
Playing time would be particularly rewarding for Brown this week, as the Memphis native would have a chance to play in front of his home-state fans against a program that was in hot pursuit of him during the recruiting process.
That extra bit of pressure doesn’t worry offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, however.
“He’s an even-keeled kid who works hard,” Bobo said. “I think he’s got the right attitude and he’ll be successful if he keeps that attitude.”
King has 10 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown in five games this season. Wooten has two catches, and Brown and Troupe have yet to record a reception in 2009.
PULLED IN ALL DIRECTIONS
After working a few snaps on offense in each of Georgia’s first four games, Smith might see less action on that side of the ball for the next few weeks.
Smith, who has one catch for 3 yards and six rushes for 80 yards this season, didn’t earn a touch on offense last week against LSU after his practice time with the group was cut short during the preceding week.
“With some injuries at corner, he’s been playing more corner here lately, so practice time with Branden has gone down a little bit,” Bobo said. “Yeah, it’s easy to draw up a play and say we’re going to do this play, but if you don’t have guys to practice it, it’s a little more difficult.”
The same situation holds true with backup quarterback Logan Gray, who Bobo said has been avoided in the game plan because of an injury to third-string quarterback Aaron Murray.
“You have Aaron Murray out and your backup in the game running some plays, if you get him hurt, that puts you in a situation where you really don’t have a back-up quarterback,” Bobo said. “So that changes your thought process a little bit of what you’re going to do offensively with Logan Gray.”
Despite the apparent limitations on two of Georgia’s change-of-pace weapons, Bobo said both Gray and Smith will continue to have a role in the playbook.
“There’ll always be a few plays with (Smith) in the game plan and with Logan,” Bobo said. “But it just depends on what we feel gives us the best chance.”
MORE INJURY NEWS
Tailback Caleb King also suffered a concussion and a broken jaw after a hit during last week’s game, and Richt said he was almost certain that sophomore Richard Samuel would get the start this week.
Linebackers Marcus Dowtin and Akeem Dent will miss this week’s game as well. Dent is still recovering from a lingering hamstring injury that has kept him out of the past two games, and Dowtin underwent surgery on a torn ligament in his left ring finger on Sunday.
Senior Marcus Washington and sophomore Nick Williams will likely handle the majority of the reps Dent and Dowtin would have played, but Richt said there was a chance some of the younger linebackers such as Christian Robinson, Akeem Hebron and Charles White could see action, too.
“We’ve been repping them all along and giving them as much work as we can, and more than likely they’ll get more opportunity in the game than they have,” Richt said.
DOUBLE DUTY
While Gray may not be seeing much action at quarterback so far this season, he’s getting plenty of work on special teams. Gray has worked on Georgia’s kickoff coverage unit and has been the team’s primary punt returner in situations where a fair catch is likely.
Those were roles Gray played last season, but he said he wasn’t expecting another year of action. But he’s not complaining.
“I think it comes with being the backup quarterback, I wasn’t going to do as many special teams,” Gray said. “Coming into the season, I didn’t even think I was going to catch punts. It was sort of a last-second thing with our punt safe team when we know a fair catch is coming, I guess Coach (Jon) Fabris wanted me to keep doing it.”
MY BAD, GUYS
Brandon Boykin is used to celebrating interceptions, but after making his second pick of the season to halt a potential touchdown drive against LSU, the sophomore cornerback immediately knew he had messed up.
With the Tigers driving deep into Georgia territory in the first quarter, Boykin picked off a Jordan Jefferson pass in the end zone. Rather than settle for a touchback, however, Boykin attempted to return the interception. He was tackled at the 2-yard line, and Georgia's offense was unable to sustain a drive. The result was bad field position for much of the fist half for the Bulldogs.
"That was my fault," Boykin said. "It wasn’t very smart of me to take that out. I was just trying to make a play, and initially I thought there was daylight, but there wasn’t. The smart thing to do would have been to take a knee and give my offense great field position. But I can’t look at that. If I get the opportunity to take it in the end zone, I definitely will take a knee, so it was a learning experience and I’ll get better from it.”
CHANGE BREWING?
For the second straight year, Georgia's kickoffs have been an adventure, but this season there is one big difference: Richt has an alternative to kicker Blair Walsh.
The Bulldogs signed junior college transfer Brandon Bogotay during the offseason to push Walsh for the kickoff job, and while a change hasn't come yet, Richt said the team has given some thought to handing the job to Bogotay if Walsh continues to struggle.
"It's been considered," Richt said. "We haven't done it to this point, but everybody's got to perform and certainly we want Blair to do that. I definitely don't want to throw him under the bus for all the issues on that team, but it's been part of the issue, not getting it where we need to get it. The ball placement hasn't been as sharp."
EXTRA POINTS
-- I noted this last week, but Bobo was a bit more emphatic in his pronouncement this week -- quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger will both redshirt, barring an injury to one of Georgia's top two quarterbacks.
-- Tight ends coach John Lilly said that there still has been no decision on whether tight end Bruce Figgins will accept a medical redshirt for this season. Figgins will be serving the sixth and final game of a suspension this week and would be eligible to return to action against Vanderbilt on Oct. 17. Lilly said the ultimate decision on whether to play would be up to Figgins.
-- Richt on today's practice session: "I thought today's practice was good. I thought the guys played with good tempo, good focus. Overall it's been a really good Tuesday and Wednesday. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. We're going to go over to the stadium and crank the noise and try to get it so loud we can't hear. Hopefully we don't blow a speaker."
Head coach Mark Richt said freshman receiver Tavarres King was “very unlikely” to make the trip to Tennessee for Saturday’s game after suffering a concussion last week against LSU.
That leaves Georgia with just five healthy scholarship receivers, but only two – A.J. Green and Michael Moore – have any significant playing time this season.
“All hands will be on deck, I can say that,” Richt said.
Tight end Orson Charles and cornerback Branden Smith have both been used in wide receiver roles at various times this season, but the injury to King likely means more playing time for sophomore Israel Troupe and freshmen Rantavious Wooten and Marlon Brown.
One of the country’s most highly recruited receivers last year, Brown has seen just a handful of snaps so far this season and has not caught a pass, but Richt said he has continued to make progress during practice and could be part of the game plan this week.
“He’s one step closer than he was before Tavarres getting hurt,” Richt said. “He’s not a whole lot different than what was happening with Washaun Ealey. We kept getting him ready and getting him to the point where he could function in a game, and Marlon is rapidly moving in that direction.”
Playing time would be particularly rewarding for Brown this week, as the Memphis native would have a chance to play in front of his home-state fans against a program that was in hot pursuit of him during the recruiting process.
That extra bit of pressure doesn’t worry offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, however.
“He’s an even-keeled kid who works hard,” Bobo said. “I think he’s got the right attitude and he’ll be successful if he keeps that attitude.”
King has 10 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown in five games this season. Wooten has two catches, and Brown and Troupe have yet to record a reception in 2009.
PULLED IN ALL DIRECTIONS
After working a few snaps on offense in each of Georgia’s first four games, Smith might see less action on that side of the ball for the next few weeks.
Smith, who has one catch for 3 yards and six rushes for 80 yards this season, didn’t earn a touch on offense last week against LSU after his practice time with the group was cut short during the preceding week.
“With some injuries at corner, he’s been playing more corner here lately, so practice time with Branden has gone down a little bit,” Bobo said. “Yeah, it’s easy to draw up a play and say we’re going to do this play, but if you don’t have guys to practice it, it’s a little more difficult.”
The same situation holds true with backup quarterback Logan Gray, who Bobo said has been avoided in the game plan because of an injury to third-string quarterback Aaron Murray.
“You have Aaron Murray out and your backup in the game running some plays, if you get him hurt, that puts you in a situation where you really don’t have a back-up quarterback,” Bobo said. “So that changes your thought process a little bit of what you’re going to do offensively with Logan Gray.”
Despite the apparent limitations on two of Georgia’s change-of-pace weapons, Bobo said both Gray and Smith will continue to have a role in the playbook.
“There’ll always be a few plays with (Smith) in the game plan and with Logan,” Bobo said. “But it just depends on what we feel gives us the best chance.”
MORE INJURY NEWS
Tailback Caleb King also suffered a concussion and a broken jaw after a hit during last week’s game, and Richt said he was almost certain that sophomore Richard Samuel would get the start this week.
Linebackers Marcus Dowtin and Akeem Dent will miss this week’s game as well. Dent is still recovering from a lingering hamstring injury that has kept him out of the past two games, and Dowtin underwent surgery on a torn ligament in his left ring finger on Sunday.
Senior Marcus Washington and sophomore Nick Williams will likely handle the majority of the reps Dent and Dowtin would have played, but Richt said there was a chance some of the younger linebackers such as Christian Robinson, Akeem Hebron and Charles White could see action, too.
“We’ve been repping them all along and giving them as much work as we can, and more than likely they’ll get more opportunity in the game than they have,” Richt said.
DOUBLE DUTY
While Gray may not be seeing much action at quarterback so far this season, he’s getting plenty of work on special teams. Gray has worked on Georgia’s kickoff coverage unit and has been the team’s primary punt returner in situations where a fair catch is likely.
Those were roles Gray played last season, but he said he wasn’t expecting another year of action. But he’s not complaining.
“I think it comes with being the backup quarterback, I wasn’t going to do as many special teams,” Gray said. “Coming into the season, I didn’t even think I was going to catch punts. It was sort of a last-second thing with our punt safe team when we know a fair catch is coming, I guess Coach (Jon) Fabris wanted me to keep doing it.”
MY BAD, GUYS
Brandon Boykin is used to celebrating interceptions, but after making his second pick of the season to halt a potential touchdown drive against LSU, the sophomore cornerback immediately knew he had messed up.
With the Tigers driving deep into Georgia territory in the first quarter, Boykin picked off a Jordan Jefferson pass in the end zone. Rather than settle for a touchback, however, Boykin attempted to return the interception. He was tackled at the 2-yard line, and Georgia's offense was unable to sustain a drive. The result was bad field position for much of the fist half for the Bulldogs.
"That was my fault," Boykin said. "It wasn’t very smart of me to take that out. I was just trying to make a play, and initially I thought there was daylight, but there wasn’t. The smart thing to do would have been to take a knee and give my offense great field position. But I can’t look at that. If I get the opportunity to take it in the end zone, I definitely will take a knee, so it was a learning experience and I’ll get better from it.”
CHANGE BREWING?
For the second straight year, Georgia's kickoffs have been an adventure, but this season there is one big difference: Richt has an alternative to kicker Blair Walsh.
The Bulldogs signed junior college transfer Brandon Bogotay during the offseason to push Walsh for the kickoff job, and while a change hasn't come yet, Richt said the team has given some thought to handing the job to Bogotay if Walsh continues to struggle.
"It's been considered," Richt said. "We haven't done it to this point, but everybody's got to perform and certainly we want Blair to do that. I definitely don't want to throw him under the bus for all the issues on that team, but it's been part of the issue, not getting it where we need to get it. The ball placement hasn't been as sharp."
EXTRA POINTS
-- I noted this last week, but Bobo was a bit more emphatic in his pronouncement this week -- quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger will both redshirt, barring an injury to one of Georgia's top two quarterbacks.
-- Tight ends coach John Lilly said that there still has been no decision on whether tight end Bruce Figgins will accept a medical redshirt for this season. Figgins will be serving the sixth and final game of a suspension this week and would be eligible to return to action against Vanderbilt on Oct. 17. Lilly said the ultimate decision on whether to play would be up to Figgins.
-- Richt on today's practice session: "I thought today's practice was good. I thought the guys played with good tempo, good focus. Overall it's been a really good Tuesday and Wednesday. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. We're going to go over to the stadium and crank the noise and try to get it so loud we can't hear. Hopefully we don't blow a speaker."
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Practice Notes: Questions Remain on King's Status
It’s been a roller-coaster ride for tailback Caleb King the past few days, and that’s probably been the most painful part of his month-long hiatus from football.
On Saturday, he watched Georgia play Oklahoma State, sitting alone in his room. Sunday, he returned to practice and for the first time in weeks, he felt pretty good. By Tuesday, however, his practice was cut short once again, and his prospects for playing against South Carolina this Saturday took a hit.
“We saw him Sunday and for what we asked him to do that day, he ran around well,” head coach Mark Richt said. “Then we got into a full pads day and added more periods, the hamstring fatigued faster than it normally would, and we pulled him out. I would say it’s not a slam dunk at this point.”
King did some light work during individual workouts Wednesday and practiced during scout-team work, but he said he’s still not sure whether he has any chance of playing in Georgia’s home opener Saturday.
“I honestly don’t know,” King said. “If they don’t think I’m 110 percent, I know they’re not going to play me at all. So if I don’t, I’m not going to play at all, and if I do, I’ll play a lot.”
King said his hamstring is feeling much better, but the muscle fatigues much faster than normal due to his extended absence from the playing field and said coaches could decide to rest him another week to allow him time to build up the strength again.
That’s OK with him, King said, but he would just like to know an answer one way or the other.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s more frustrating because I don’t know what they’re going to do with me,” he said. “But it’s all right. I’ll play if I have to play, but if I don’t, I’ll sit down and wait ‘til next week.”
Richt said it will likely be after today’s practice that coaches will make a final decision on King’s availability.
DON’T BLAME THE FRESHMAN
Freshman kick returner Branden Smith took some heat from fans for twice deciding to return kicks from deep in his own end zone, but Tony Ball said it wasn’t Smith’s decision.
“It’s on (Shaun) Chapas,” Ball said. “The returner can sometimes get disoriented trying to field that type of kick, especially a young player like Branden. And I told (Chapas) if you have to, you go in the end zone and grab him and don’t let him come out. Those are the trials and tribulations, but they’re not issues that can’t be fixed.”
Chapas, who works as the upback, was told to make the decision on whether to return the kick or take a knee in the end zone for a touchback, but the angle of the kick made the choice difficult.
“My initial thought was Chapas should have kept him in the end zone,” Ball said. “After asking Chapas about it, he felt like it being a line-drive kick, that threw things off. There was some dynamics there where he had to make some decisions, but Chapas has done it for a couple of years, so I trust him.
NEW LOOK ON O LINE
Georgia’s offensive line will have a different look to it in the Bulldogs’ second outing of the season, and it won’t be just because starting left tackle Trinton Sturdivant is out for the season following an ACL injury.
Justin Anderson will get the starting nod at right guard this week over incumbent Chris Davis, who Richt said lacks the size to create a favorable matchup against South Carolina’s hefty defensive front.
“The guys we’re playing are big men, and (Anderson) has just got more girth to him,” Richt said. “Chris, I’m sure, will end up playing, but you get two big guards in there when you play a team that’s mostly a four-man front, usually they cover your guards and you want to get some big men in there to hold up against them.”
Senior Vince Vance will step in at left tackle for Sturdivant, who tore his ACL for the second time in as many years during the second half of Georgia’s opener against Oklahoma State.
Vance filled in for about 25 snaps against the Cowboys, and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said he turned in a strong performance.
“He did good,” Bobo said. “He played with energy and didn’t have hardly any missed assignments which is what we expect from Vince.”
NO HARM DONE
Both Richt and Bobo offered some minor criticisms of the offensive line’s performance against Oklahoma State, but Richt said he didn’t think any problems were a result of ankle injuries suffered by Davis and center Ben Jones late in preseason practice.
“I can’t say they feel great, but they weren’t limping around as they prepared in practice,” Richt said. “They did miss some work, some of those opportunities to just kind of get in the groove, but I don’t think the pain from the injuries caused any change of their ability to do their job.”
EALEY STILL IN THE MIX
With King potentially missing another week of action, Richt said he hasn’t ruled out using freshman tailback Washaun Ealey – both at running back and on special teams.
The problem, Richt said, is that due to an early elbow injury during fall camp, Ealey is still behind in terms of how much progress the coaching staff had hoped to see.
“If you have some cumulative reps and you miss some time, that’s one thing,” Richt said. “But if you’re not there to learn it from scratch, it’s hard to throw them into the middle of a game plan and say, ‘Go do it,’ when he doesn’t even have the basics down.”
Despite being a bit behind on the learning curve, however, Richt said Ealey has remained in the mix during practice and could still see action – if not against South Carolina, potentially down the road.
“We are still trying to incorporate him in those areas, and we’re still getting him reps to try to keep him greased up and keep his mind in it,” Richt said.
DURHAM BACK AT WORK
Senior receiver Kris Durham, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery during the offseason, returned to receiving drills Wednesday for the first time.
Durham was kept out of any competitive situations, Richt said, but he got work in catching passes, which was an important benchmark.
“It’s encouraging and certainly he’s excited about it,” Ball said. “And it’s always good to have Kris around.”
CLOSER INSPECTION
After watching the film, Joe Cox said it was obvious he held the ball too long on too many snaps against Oklahoma State, a problem that led to a number of incompletions.
The problem, he said, was he started overthinking the situation, but when he takes the field against South Carolina, he’s promising a back-to-basics approach to making his reads.
“When you start looking around, you start getting your eyes in the wrong spot, you start worrying about too much,” Cox said. “It’s almost over-analyzing what’s going on. So that’s what I felt was happening with me, but it’s something where you just go back to your basic reads and fundamentals and work on timing.”
WHO’S TO BLAME?
When Richt addressed the media on Tuesday, his analysis of Georgia’s shortcomings against Oklahoma State was a fairly harsh critique of his offense. In short, he said the intensity was lacking.
“We didn’t play with speed and finish blocks like we should,” he said. “We just need that little extra effort on each play to block a little bit longer or create a little bit more space, and that can make all the difference in the world between a guy getting tripped up and a guy going to the house. I don’t want to cause any kind of panic, because it’s not that at all, but we want to see a little more fire coming out of them.”
Upon further review, however, Richt decided his comments might have been a bit too severe.
He said he watched the game film once more Tuesday evening and came to the conclusion that the shortcomings weren’t quite as problematic as they appeared at first blush.
“It really wasn’t so much up front, it was some perimeter blocking issues, some backs needing to continue running their feet or place their hat in a better spot,” Richt said. “We ran some outside plays and were getting hats on everybody and fit up on them pretty good, but just didn’t sustain long enough.”
TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY
Logan Gray figured to see some action against Oklahoma State, but as it turned out he was in on just one offensive play – a designed run for a short gain.
After the offense struggled to just 10 points, however, a vocal contingent of fans was hoping to see a bit more of the backup quarterback in Georgia’s next game.
That could be the case, Richt said, but nothing’s guaranteed.
“He can run our system, and we had planned to get him in the game mostly in the red-zone area,” Richt said. “We did get him in there one time, but unfortunately we didn’t get in the red zone very often. Right now, Joe’s definitely the No. 1 guy, and we’ll see if and when Logan will get in there.”
ONGOING BATTLE
Brandon Bogotay was brought in this offseason to provide competition on kickoffs for sophomore Blair Walsh, but it was the incumbent who earned the job again.
Richt said Walsh's consistency, hangtime and accuracy landed him the job, but he hasn't ruled out the possibility that Bogotay could still win the job down the road.
“It was very, very close," Richt said of the competition. "It wasn’t like Bogotay did poorly. In my opinion, they both kicked it good enough to win the job, and Bogotay’s not done by any stretch.”
IT’S NO BEAUTY PAGEANT
The history of the Georgia-South Carolina series suggests there won’t be many points scored Saturday. So despite his offense struggling badly in its first game of the season, Richt said a low-scoring affair wouldn’t be more cause for concern.
“All I’m worried about is winning the game,” Richt said. “I appreciate the victory and not the style points.”
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
From Georgia receiver A.J. Green on what this week’s game means: “Losing that last one last week, I just want a victory to get this feeling out of my stomach and get a victory under my belt.”
On Saturday, he watched Georgia play Oklahoma State, sitting alone in his room. Sunday, he returned to practice and for the first time in weeks, he felt pretty good. By Tuesday, however, his practice was cut short once again, and his prospects for playing against South Carolina this Saturday took a hit.
“We saw him Sunday and for what we asked him to do that day, he ran around well,” head coach Mark Richt said. “Then we got into a full pads day and added more periods, the hamstring fatigued faster than it normally would, and we pulled him out. I would say it’s not a slam dunk at this point.”
King did some light work during individual workouts Wednesday and practiced during scout-team work, but he said he’s still not sure whether he has any chance of playing in Georgia’s home opener Saturday.
“I honestly don’t know,” King said. “If they don’t think I’m 110 percent, I know they’re not going to play me at all. So if I don’t, I’m not going to play at all, and if I do, I’ll play a lot.”
King said his hamstring is feeling much better, but the muscle fatigues much faster than normal due to his extended absence from the playing field and said coaches could decide to rest him another week to allow him time to build up the strength again.
That’s OK with him, King said, but he would just like to know an answer one way or the other.
“It’s frustrating, but it’s more frustrating because I don’t know what they’re going to do with me,” he said. “But it’s all right. I’ll play if I have to play, but if I don’t, I’ll sit down and wait ‘til next week.”
Richt said it will likely be after today’s practice that coaches will make a final decision on King’s availability.
DON’T BLAME THE FRESHMAN
Freshman kick returner Branden Smith took some heat from fans for twice deciding to return kicks from deep in his own end zone, but Tony Ball said it wasn’t Smith’s decision.
“It’s on (Shaun) Chapas,” Ball said. “The returner can sometimes get disoriented trying to field that type of kick, especially a young player like Branden. And I told (Chapas) if you have to, you go in the end zone and grab him and don’t let him come out. Those are the trials and tribulations, but they’re not issues that can’t be fixed.”
Chapas, who works as the upback, was told to make the decision on whether to return the kick or take a knee in the end zone for a touchback, but the angle of the kick made the choice difficult.
“My initial thought was Chapas should have kept him in the end zone,” Ball said. “After asking Chapas about it, he felt like it being a line-drive kick, that threw things off. There was some dynamics there where he had to make some decisions, but Chapas has done it for a couple of years, so I trust him.
NEW LOOK ON O LINE
Georgia’s offensive line will have a different look to it in the Bulldogs’ second outing of the season, and it won’t be just because starting left tackle Trinton Sturdivant is out for the season following an ACL injury.
Justin Anderson will get the starting nod at right guard this week over incumbent Chris Davis, who Richt said lacks the size to create a favorable matchup against South Carolina’s hefty defensive front.
“The guys we’re playing are big men, and (Anderson) has just got more girth to him,” Richt said. “Chris, I’m sure, will end up playing, but you get two big guards in there when you play a team that’s mostly a four-man front, usually they cover your guards and you want to get some big men in there to hold up against them.”
Senior Vince Vance will step in at left tackle for Sturdivant, who tore his ACL for the second time in as many years during the second half of Georgia’s opener against Oklahoma State.
Vance filled in for about 25 snaps against the Cowboys, and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said he turned in a strong performance.
“He did good,” Bobo said. “He played with energy and didn’t have hardly any missed assignments which is what we expect from Vince.”
NO HARM DONE
Both Richt and Bobo offered some minor criticisms of the offensive line’s performance against Oklahoma State, but Richt said he didn’t think any problems were a result of ankle injuries suffered by Davis and center Ben Jones late in preseason practice.
“I can’t say they feel great, but they weren’t limping around as they prepared in practice,” Richt said. “They did miss some work, some of those opportunities to just kind of get in the groove, but I don’t think the pain from the injuries caused any change of their ability to do their job.”
EALEY STILL IN THE MIX
With King potentially missing another week of action, Richt said he hasn’t ruled out using freshman tailback Washaun Ealey – both at running back and on special teams.
The problem, Richt said, is that due to an early elbow injury during fall camp, Ealey is still behind in terms of how much progress the coaching staff had hoped to see.
“If you have some cumulative reps and you miss some time, that’s one thing,” Richt said. “But if you’re not there to learn it from scratch, it’s hard to throw them into the middle of a game plan and say, ‘Go do it,’ when he doesn’t even have the basics down.”
Despite being a bit behind on the learning curve, however, Richt said Ealey has remained in the mix during practice and could still see action – if not against South Carolina, potentially down the road.
“We are still trying to incorporate him in those areas, and we’re still getting him reps to try to keep him greased up and keep his mind in it,” Richt said.
DURHAM BACK AT WORK
Senior receiver Kris Durham, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery during the offseason, returned to receiving drills Wednesday for the first time.
Durham was kept out of any competitive situations, Richt said, but he got work in catching passes, which was an important benchmark.
“It’s encouraging and certainly he’s excited about it,” Ball said. “And it’s always good to have Kris around.”
CLOSER INSPECTION
After watching the film, Joe Cox said it was obvious he held the ball too long on too many snaps against Oklahoma State, a problem that led to a number of incompletions.
The problem, he said, was he started overthinking the situation, but when he takes the field against South Carolina, he’s promising a back-to-basics approach to making his reads.
“When you start looking around, you start getting your eyes in the wrong spot, you start worrying about too much,” Cox said. “It’s almost over-analyzing what’s going on. So that’s what I felt was happening with me, but it’s something where you just go back to your basic reads and fundamentals and work on timing.”
WHO’S TO BLAME?
When Richt addressed the media on Tuesday, his analysis of Georgia’s shortcomings against Oklahoma State was a fairly harsh critique of his offense. In short, he said the intensity was lacking.
“We didn’t play with speed and finish blocks like we should,” he said. “We just need that little extra effort on each play to block a little bit longer or create a little bit more space, and that can make all the difference in the world between a guy getting tripped up and a guy going to the house. I don’t want to cause any kind of panic, because it’s not that at all, but we want to see a little more fire coming out of them.”
Upon further review, however, Richt decided his comments might have been a bit too severe.
He said he watched the game film once more Tuesday evening and came to the conclusion that the shortcomings weren’t quite as problematic as they appeared at first blush.
“It really wasn’t so much up front, it was some perimeter blocking issues, some backs needing to continue running their feet or place their hat in a better spot,” Richt said. “We ran some outside plays and were getting hats on everybody and fit up on them pretty good, but just didn’t sustain long enough.”
TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY
Logan Gray figured to see some action against Oklahoma State, but as it turned out he was in on just one offensive play – a designed run for a short gain.
After the offense struggled to just 10 points, however, a vocal contingent of fans was hoping to see a bit more of the backup quarterback in Georgia’s next game.
That could be the case, Richt said, but nothing’s guaranteed.
“He can run our system, and we had planned to get him in the game mostly in the red-zone area,” Richt said. “We did get him in there one time, but unfortunately we didn’t get in the red zone very often. Right now, Joe’s definitely the No. 1 guy, and we’ll see if and when Logan will get in there.”
ONGOING BATTLE
Brandon Bogotay was brought in this offseason to provide competition on kickoffs for sophomore Blair Walsh, but it was the incumbent who earned the job again.
Richt said Walsh's consistency, hangtime and accuracy landed him the job, but he hasn't ruled out the possibility that Bogotay could still win the job down the road.
“It was very, very close," Richt said of the competition. "It wasn’t like Bogotay did poorly. In my opinion, they both kicked it good enough to win the job, and Bogotay’s not done by any stretch.”
IT’S NO BEAUTY PAGEANT
The history of the Georgia-South Carolina series suggests there won’t be many points scored Saturday. So despite his offense struggling badly in its first game of the season, Richt said a low-scoring affair wouldn’t be more cause for concern.
“All I’m worried about is winning the game,” Richt said. “I appreciate the victory and not the style points.”
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
From Georgia receiver A.J. Green on what this week’s game means: “Losing that last one last week, I just want a victory to get this feeling out of my stomach and get a victory under my belt.”
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Notebook: Freshmen Ready For Action
The opening game of each season tends to bring a bit of first-time jitters for Georgia's freshmen, but for tight end Orson Charles, the scene at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday will seem a bit familiar.
It's not that Charles has ever visited Stillwater, Okla. before, but for the past six months, he's been dreaming about what the trip will be like.
"Ever since I found out I was going to Georgia, I looked at the schedule and I've just been dreaming about it – imagining scoring touchdowns, making that crucial block and just celebrating with my teammates after the victory," Charles said. "I'm getting enough sleep, but I'm always dreaming about the same thing."
Charles' fellow freshman tight end, Arhtur Lynch, said he hasn't been quite as consumed by visions of his first college downs, but he's definitely a bit anxious about what's in store.
"In high school, we had a lot of big games, but I can't really get a grasp on what it's going to be like," Lynch said. "It's going to be fun, it's going to be exciting, but it's going to be nerve-wracking because you know this isn't high school anymore."
Mark Richt has been down this road with freshmen before, but admits this season will be a bit different than even he is used to. It has been since 2003 that Georgia opened on the road – meaning there isn't a player on the roster that can pass along any advice on how the freshmen should handle the situation.
That, Richt said, might not be a bad thing.
"Those guys have no idea what's about to happen to them," he said. "They say the term ‘Ignorance is bliss' and it's probably true. The less you tell them, the better."
Regardless, it will be an experience the freshmen won't forget, Richt said. And more importantly, it's one they've waited a long time to enjoy.
"Camp has been long," Charles said. "We've been seeing too much of each other, been banging too much, and now we finally get to leave and go hit somebody else."
EARLY TEST
In last season's opener, Georgia went to then-freshman A.J. Green on just the third offensive play of the game and Green responded with a 36-yard catch to set up a touchdown.
"There's nothing quite like that first catch," Green said.
Richt said he's like to do a similar favor for a few of this year's true freshmen in Week 1, but he's not making any promises.
"It would be nice to, but I don't even know if we've established what the first play will be yet," Richt said. "I think the first time the opportunity arises for the freshmen, it's nice when they do make the play. It just gives them instant confidence. If they don't make the play, you've got to be there for them and give them another chance and let them know you believe in them."
EXCITEMENT ALL AROUND
It's not just the freshmen that are excited to get their first taste of action Saturday. Marcus Washington has been at Georgia for five seasons, but it's been more than a year since he last took the field on game day.
In the meantime, he's recovered from a serious shoulder injury and switched positions, from linebacker to defensive end, which makes Georgia's date with Oklahoma State as close to a new beginning as it gets.
"It's been a long time coming," Washington said. "I haven't played in over a year, and it's a new position, so it's almost like a fresh start for me. I just can't wait to get out there and see what I can do."
WHAT, YOU TOO?
The freshmen may not know what to expect Saturday, but Richt admits, he's not much different.
With Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and Mohamed Massaquoi – the stalwarts of Georgia's offense for the past two seasons – now in the NFL, it's hard to make an accurate prediction as to what the Bulldogs might look like when they take the field against Oklahoma State. But rather than nerves, Richt said he's feeling more excitement at the possibilities.
"I get excited," Richt said. "I'm anxious, but curious is maybe the best word. I've very curious to see what we've got, curious to see how we'll respond in this game and throughout the season. But you get a good taste in Game 1."
READY, WILLING AND ABLE
Richt isn't giving away any scoop on who might handle the kickoff duties at Oklahoma State – sophomore Blair Walsh or JuCo transfer Brandon Bogotay – but he definitely sounds like he's gained a lot more confidence in the incumbent since the preseason began.
"I see a lot different focus from Blair," Richt said. "I think the competition of Bogotay coming in has really helped that situation. Both of those guys are really capable."
The competition has certainly kept both players sharp, but Walsh said it's not necessarily Bogotay's presence that has spurred him on to greater heights.
"I'm not the type of person who lays back when he has a job, but competition pushes everybody," Walsh said. "It's not just about bringing guys in so you have somebody pushing you the entire time. You've got to do what you've got to do and just working hard for me has been the key."
After a strong start to the season, Walsh struggled down the stretch last year – particularly when attempting directional kickoffs, a favorite philosophy of Georgia's kicking coach, Jon Fabris.
Whether the Bulldogs choose to kick to the corner or boot it deep, however, Walsh said he's aware that Oklahoma State presents a significant problem. Kick returner Perrish Cox is closing in on the Big 12 record for return yards, and his 895 return yards and two touchdowns made him one of the top threats in the country.
"We know what we're up against," Walsh said. "We know the guy is very good, and we've got to be on top of our game."
Walsh plans to be on top of his game, too. Regardless of which kicker is handling kickoffs, Walsh said he has something to prove, starting with Saturday's contest against the Cowboys.
"I've been working hard and I have something to prove to everybody to show that I can do what's asked of me and that I'm the guy for the job," Walsh said.
THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
Oklahoma State's defense took a good bit of criticism a year ago after being embarrassed against rivals Texas Tech and Oklahoma and finishing 93rd in the nation in total defense.
That might be some encouraging information for Georgia, but with new defensive coordinator Bill Young now at the helm for the Cowboys, there's a bit of mystery as to just how good the unit might be.
"You look at where he's been, and if it's consistent, then schematically you know this is probably what he likes to do," Richt said. "But then as you're studying his scheme, you're not studying his personnel. If you're studying Oklahoma State's personnel, it's in a system that they're probably not going to be running. Coaches don't like the unknown, and we don't know for sure what's going to happen."
That makes the task of preparing for Oklahoma State a bit more of a challenge than normal.
The plan, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said, is simply to watch the Cowboys' personnel and study Young's past work, then hope to come up with a few options that look like they have a chance to be successful. The bottom line, however, is for Georgia's offense to be good at what they do best.
"You've got rules for your plays and blocking assignments and routes for different coverages," Bobo said. "So what we can execute and what we feel gives us the best chance to win against any kind of package is what we'll go into the game with."
THEY ALL LOOK GOOD
Don't ask freshman cornerback Branden Smith to pick out which of Georgia's young receivers has been the most impressive this preseason. With all he's been trying to learn in such a short time, they've all looked good.
"Right now everyone's impressing me," Smith said. "The college level is a whole other level. I'm still improving, still trying to learn. Their routes are so smooth, and everybody's running good routes. So everybody's challenging me."
Of course, when it comes to playing favorites, Smith isn't pulling punches. As difficult as it might be to cover any of Georgia's receivers, he knows one has a little more to his game than the rest.
"A.J., he's amazing," Smith said of sophomore receiver A.J. Green. "Anything in the air, he goes and gets it."
NO HARD FEELINGS
Richard Samuel will get the start at tailback Saturday, and he's expecting a pretty significant number of carries, too. While that might be a good opportunity for him to gloat after numerous fans wondered if he might be better suited to linebacker this offseason, fullback Shaun Chapas said he never heard Samuel complain about the critiques.
"As far as I could tell, I don't think he ever let any of that bother him," Chapas said. "He's always been a student of the game and tried to go in and get better each day."
That attitude hasn't changed much in the wake of his recent success, either. Samuel ignored the critics at his low points, and he said he hasn't paid much attention to the enthusiasm surrounding him now.
"I'd say people are a little more excited," he said, "but I'm just going on with my day."
KING FOR A DAY?
With just six scholarship receivers, Georgia's coaches know they'll be counting on several unproven players to come up big in the passing game. That list might start with redshirt freshman Tavarres King, and Richt said he's been pleased with the attitude King has had throughout the preseason.
"The one area of improvement that I have seen has been in his confidence level," Richt said. "It's much more positive and stronger this fall. In this past scrimmage, in the running game, he really competed. That's something that is an indication of his confidence level."
After getting a taste of action early last season, then riding the bench with a medical redshirt the final three months, King admits he's in a far better emotional state this time around. The promise of significant playing time and a shot at some big plays is enough to keep anyone motivated.
"It's kind of exciting going into the season knowing that I could be a marquee guy, that I could be what Mohamed Massaquoi was last year," King said.
BOYKIN TO RETURN KICKS
Sophomore cornerback Brandon Boykin is the likely starter at kick returner, Richt said Thursday, while Prince Miller will handle the majority of the punt returns against Oklahoma State.
While Boykin is the top candidate for kick returns, Richt said freshman Branden Smith and Samuel are also in the mix, adding that Samuel's duties as the starting tailback – even with just two scholarship running backs likely to play – hasn't changed the way the team will use him on special teams.
"If we thought Richard was the best return man, he'd be there," Richt said. "Richard's actually covering some kicks for us. We're trying to put our best people in a position to help us win, and we think our special teams plays are just as important as our scrimmage down plays."
SPECIAL MOMENT FOR FRESHMEN
Prior to the start of fall camp, Richt said he anticipated that a number of Georgia's true freshmen would see action on special teams this season.
As Georgia prepares for Oklahoma State, Richt said he's not sure how many will actually start, but most of the 12 who are traveling to Stillwater will see some action on special teams.
"I don't know how many true freshmen are starters, but I know they're all over our special teams, and in the course of a game, you tend to get into your two-deep pretty quick," Richt said. "So I wouldn't be surprised if a good many of them play for us on a special team."
RUNNING DOWN THE LIST
The 12 freshmen making the trip for Georgia are:
QBs Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray; RB Washaun Ealey; WRs Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten; TEs Arthur Lynch and Orson Charles; DLs Abry Jones and Montez Robinson; LB Mike Gilliard; DBs Branden Smith and Shawn Williams
Sophomore kicker Brandon Bogotay will also be on the trip.
KEEPING AN EYE OUT
The college football season officially kicks off tonight with games between Oregon and Boise State and South Carolina and NC State. While Richt's focus will still be on Saturday's contest in Oklahoma, he said he'll be keeping a careful watch on tonight's games, too.
"When you watch those games, you can do some role playing. You're watching it and you're like, ‘What would I do in this situation right now?' It's kind of a practice game for you. Situations, as much as you try to simulate them out here, there's always something that could happen that you didn't plan for. When I watch these games, situations will come up, and I might get on the horn with a coach and say, ‘Did you see what happened last night? Are we ready for that?' There's a checklist for all these situations, but everyone once in a while something will pop up."
*NOTE: Our meetings with Richt on Thursdays come before practice, so there won't be any post practice notes. I'll post the release from UGA after practice though.
It's not that Charles has ever visited Stillwater, Okla. before, but for the past six months, he's been dreaming about what the trip will be like.
"Ever since I found out I was going to Georgia, I looked at the schedule and I've just been dreaming about it – imagining scoring touchdowns, making that crucial block and just celebrating with my teammates after the victory," Charles said. "I'm getting enough sleep, but I'm always dreaming about the same thing."
Charles' fellow freshman tight end, Arhtur Lynch, said he hasn't been quite as consumed by visions of his first college downs, but he's definitely a bit anxious about what's in store.
"In high school, we had a lot of big games, but I can't really get a grasp on what it's going to be like," Lynch said. "It's going to be fun, it's going to be exciting, but it's going to be nerve-wracking because you know this isn't high school anymore."
Mark Richt has been down this road with freshmen before, but admits this season will be a bit different than even he is used to. It has been since 2003 that Georgia opened on the road – meaning there isn't a player on the roster that can pass along any advice on how the freshmen should handle the situation.
That, Richt said, might not be a bad thing.
"Those guys have no idea what's about to happen to them," he said. "They say the term ‘Ignorance is bliss' and it's probably true. The less you tell them, the better."
Regardless, it will be an experience the freshmen won't forget, Richt said. And more importantly, it's one they've waited a long time to enjoy.
"Camp has been long," Charles said. "We've been seeing too much of each other, been banging too much, and now we finally get to leave and go hit somebody else."
EARLY TEST
In last season's opener, Georgia went to then-freshman A.J. Green on just the third offensive play of the game and Green responded with a 36-yard catch to set up a touchdown.
"There's nothing quite like that first catch," Green said.
Richt said he's like to do a similar favor for a few of this year's true freshmen in Week 1, but he's not making any promises.
"It would be nice to, but I don't even know if we've established what the first play will be yet," Richt said. "I think the first time the opportunity arises for the freshmen, it's nice when they do make the play. It just gives them instant confidence. If they don't make the play, you've got to be there for them and give them another chance and let them know you believe in them."
EXCITEMENT ALL AROUND
It's not just the freshmen that are excited to get their first taste of action Saturday. Marcus Washington has been at Georgia for five seasons, but it's been more than a year since he last took the field on game day.
In the meantime, he's recovered from a serious shoulder injury and switched positions, from linebacker to defensive end, which makes Georgia's date with Oklahoma State as close to a new beginning as it gets.
"It's been a long time coming," Washington said. "I haven't played in over a year, and it's a new position, so it's almost like a fresh start for me. I just can't wait to get out there and see what I can do."
WHAT, YOU TOO?
The freshmen may not know what to expect Saturday, but Richt admits, he's not much different.
With Matthew Stafford, Knowshon Moreno and Mohamed Massaquoi – the stalwarts of Georgia's offense for the past two seasons – now in the NFL, it's hard to make an accurate prediction as to what the Bulldogs might look like when they take the field against Oklahoma State. But rather than nerves, Richt said he's feeling more excitement at the possibilities.
"I get excited," Richt said. "I'm anxious, but curious is maybe the best word. I've very curious to see what we've got, curious to see how we'll respond in this game and throughout the season. But you get a good taste in Game 1."
READY, WILLING AND ABLE
Richt isn't giving away any scoop on who might handle the kickoff duties at Oklahoma State – sophomore Blair Walsh or JuCo transfer Brandon Bogotay – but he definitely sounds like he's gained a lot more confidence in the incumbent since the preseason began.
"I see a lot different focus from Blair," Richt said. "I think the competition of Bogotay coming in has really helped that situation. Both of those guys are really capable."
The competition has certainly kept both players sharp, but Walsh said it's not necessarily Bogotay's presence that has spurred him on to greater heights.
"I'm not the type of person who lays back when he has a job, but competition pushes everybody," Walsh said. "It's not just about bringing guys in so you have somebody pushing you the entire time. You've got to do what you've got to do and just working hard for me has been the key."
After a strong start to the season, Walsh struggled down the stretch last year – particularly when attempting directional kickoffs, a favorite philosophy of Georgia's kicking coach, Jon Fabris.
Whether the Bulldogs choose to kick to the corner or boot it deep, however, Walsh said he's aware that Oklahoma State presents a significant problem. Kick returner Perrish Cox is closing in on the Big 12 record for return yards, and his 895 return yards and two touchdowns made him one of the top threats in the country.
"We know what we're up against," Walsh said. "We know the guy is very good, and we've got to be on top of our game."
Walsh plans to be on top of his game, too. Regardless of which kicker is handling kickoffs, Walsh said he has something to prove, starting with Saturday's contest against the Cowboys.
"I've been working hard and I have something to prove to everybody to show that I can do what's asked of me and that I'm the guy for the job," Walsh said.
THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
Oklahoma State's defense took a good bit of criticism a year ago after being embarrassed against rivals Texas Tech and Oklahoma and finishing 93rd in the nation in total defense.
That might be some encouraging information for Georgia, but with new defensive coordinator Bill Young now at the helm for the Cowboys, there's a bit of mystery as to just how good the unit might be.
"You look at where he's been, and if it's consistent, then schematically you know this is probably what he likes to do," Richt said. "But then as you're studying his scheme, you're not studying his personnel. If you're studying Oklahoma State's personnel, it's in a system that they're probably not going to be running. Coaches don't like the unknown, and we don't know for sure what's going to happen."
That makes the task of preparing for Oklahoma State a bit more of a challenge than normal.
The plan, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said, is simply to watch the Cowboys' personnel and study Young's past work, then hope to come up with a few options that look like they have a chance to be successful. The bottom line, however, is for Georgia's offense to be good at what they do best.
"You've got rules for your plays and blocking assignments and routes for different coverages," Bobo said. "So what we can execute and what we feel gives us the best chance to win against any kind of package is what we'll go into the game with."
THEY ALL LOOK GOOD
Don't ask freshman cornerback Branden Smith to pick out which of Georgia's young receivers has been the most impressive this preseason. With all he's been trying to learn in such a short time, they've all looked good.
"Right now everyone's impressing me," Smith said. "The college level is a whole other level. I'm still improving, still trying to learn. Their routes are so smooth, and everybody's running good routes. So everybody's challenging me."
Of course, when it comes to playing favorites, Smith isn't pulling punches. As difficult as it might be to cover any of Georgia's receivers, he knows one has a little more to his game than the rest.
"A.J., he's amazing," Smith said of sophomore receiver A.J. Green. "Anything in the air, he goes and gets it."
NO HARD FEELINGS
Richard Samuel will get the start at tailback Saturday, and he's expecting a pretty significant number of carries, too. While that might be a good opportunity for him to gloat after numerous fans wondered if he might be better suited to linebacker this offseason, fullback Shaun Chapas said he never heard Samuel complain about the critiques.
"As far as I could tell, I don't think he ever let any of that bother him," Chapas said. "He's always been a student of the game and tried to go in and get better each day."
That attitude hasn't changed much in the wake of his recent success, either. Samuel ignored the critics at his low points, and he said he hasn't paid much attention to the enthusiasm surrounding him now.
"I'd say people are a little more excited," he said, "but I'm just going on with my day."
KING FOR A DAY?
With just six scholarship receivers, Georgia's coaches know they'll be counting on several unproven players to come up big in the passing game. That list might start with redshirt freshman Tavarres King, and Richt said he's been pleased with the attitude King has had throughout the preseason.
"The one area of improvement that I have seen has been in his confidence level," Richt said. "It's much more positive and stronger this fall. In this past scrimmage, in the running game, he really competed. That's something that is an indication of his confidence level."
After getting a taste of action early last season, then riding the bench with a medical redshirt the final three months, King admits he's in a far better emotional state this time around. The promise of significant playing time and a shot at some big plays is enough to keep anyone motivated.
"It's kind of exciting going into the season knowing that I could be a marquee guy, that I could be what Mohamed Massaquoi was last year," King said.
BOYKIN TO RETURN KICKS
Sophomore cornerback Brandon Boykin is the likely starter at kick returner, Richt said Thursday, while Prince Miller will handle the majority of the punt returns against Oklahoma State.
While Boykin is the top candidate for kick returns, Richt said freshman Branden Smith and Samuel are also in the mix, adding that Samuel's duties as the starting tailback – even with just two scholarship running backs likely to play – hasn't changed the way the team will use him on special teams.
"If we thought Richard was the best return man, he'd be there," Richt said. "Richard's actually covering some kicks for us. We're trying to put our best people in a position to help us win, and we think our special teams plays are just as important as our scrimmage down plays."
SPECIAL MOMENT FOR FRESHMEN
Prior to the start of fall camp, Richt said he anticipated that a number of Georgia's true freshmen would see action on special teams this season.
As Georgia prepares for Oklahoma State, Richt said he's not sure how many will actually start, but most of the 12 who are traveling to Stillwater will see some action on special teams.
"I don't know how many true freshmen are starters, but I know they're all over our special teams, and in the course of a game, you tend to get into your two-deep pretty quick," Richt said. "So I wouldn't be surprised if a good many of them play for us on a special team."
RUNNING DOWN THE LIST
The 12 freshmen making the trip for Georgia are:
QBs Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray; RB Washaun Ealey; WRs Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten; TEs Arthur Lynch and Orson Charles; DLs Abry Jones and Montez Robinson; LB Mike Gilliard; DBs Branden Smith and Shawn Williams
Sophomore kicker Brandon Bogotay will also be on the trip.
KEEPING AN EYE OUT
The college football season officially kicks off tonight with games between Oregon and Boise State and South Carolina and NC State. While Richt's focus will still be on Saturday's contest in Oklahoma, he said he'll be keeping a careful watch on tonight's games, too.
"When you watch those games, you can do some role playing. You're watching it and you're like, ‘What would I do in this situation right now?' It's kind of a practice game for you. Situations, as much as you try to simulate them out here, there's always something that could happen that you didn't plan for. When I watch these games, situations will come up, and I might get on the horn with a coach and say, ‘Did you see what happened last night? Are we ready for that?' There's a checklist for all these situations, but everyone once in a while something will pop up."
*NOTE: Our meetings with Richt on Thursdays come before practice, so there won't be any post practice notes. I'll post the release from UGA after practice though.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Get to Know: Brandon Bogotay
For the past few weeks, we've been chatting with some of Georgia's incoming freshmen to find out a bit about what they're like away from the football field. In our latest installment, I talk to kicker Brandon Bogotay, who transferred from Grossmont College in San Diego with the hopes of handling Georgia's kickoff duties in 2009... and maybe more.
(NOTE: This interview took place before Bogotay arrived at Georgia earlier this month.)
David Hale: Most of the kickers I know have a genuine empathy for their NFL brethren. Is your favorite player a kicker, too?
Brandon Bogotay: Usually I look more toward personalities than what position they play. I live in San Diego so I'm a big fan of LaDanian Tomlinson, just because I think he's a team leader on and off the field. He's a humble character and a hard worker and he supports his teammates.
DH: But you do sympathize with what kickers go through, right?
BB: Most definitely. You're on the field for just a little bit of time, but that little bit of time can be a game-changing moment. Every kick, every point matters in the game.
DH: Are you the typical Southern California guy who spends all his free time at the beach surfing?
BB: I do enjoy the beach. I grew up surfing. I love the beach and relaxing, but you can only sit on the beach for so long.
DH: Coming all the way from San Diego, Athens has to seem like another world for you. Are you concerned about the change in culture?
BB: I'm sure it's going to be a big change coming from San Diego, but I'm just excited to be in a college town and just see how everybody vibes off each other. When I was there (in the spring), people were a lot nicer to each other than they are out here in San Diego. I'm excited.
DH: Well, I lived in San Diego for a few years, and I think you'll probably be fine in Athens. One thing I do miss though is the food. You really can't get great fish tacos out here.
BB: Yeah, I was asking one of the players if they've ever had carne asada and they had no idea what it was. I was like, ‘Oh man.'
DH: That's true, but if you want some pulled pork or some meatloaf and mashed potatoes, you're in the right place.
BB: That's what I hear. I hear the barbecue is amazing.
DH: So what do you think you'll miss the most about San Diego?
BB: Probably just my friends and family. I've got a good group of core friends and most of my family is here, but I'm ready to step out and experience some new things.
DH: Well, since you mentioned it, how did your friends and family react to your decision to come to Georgia? That's a long way for them to travel.
BB: Everyone around that we all know, everybody's rocking the Georgia gear now. You see Georgia flags all over San Diego, which is cool. My mom retired in the airlines, so she has flight benefits and they're going to try to fly out to as many games as they can.
DH: As a Southern California guy, you undoubtedly run into a celebrity or two every now and then. Have you ever met anyone famous that you were particularly impressed by?
BB: I've met a couple of Chargers because one of my buddies works at a car dealership and gets to talk to a bunch of those guys, and they're just great guys.
DH: Well, among the celebrities you haven't met, who would you most like to spend some time with?
BB: No. 1 celebrity? I'd have to say Tiger Woods. He's super competitive, he always comes out on top, but he's also humble, and he's one of the hardest working players on the tour. I know he works out with the Chargers every now and then, and I've heard he puts up like 360-something on the bench. The guy's got everything going for him.
DH: Yeah, and he's usually at his best when he's playing out there at Torrey Pines, too.
BB: Yeah, he's unbelievable.
DH: Blair Walsh is a big political buff and a pretty staunch Republican. Not to get too personal, but do you have any strong feelings on that stuff and have you talked about it at all with Blair?
BB: I haven't talked politics with Blair. We're still trying to get to know each other a little bit. It's hard to talk politics with people you don't really know because everybody's got their strong opinions and beliefs. I kind of stick in the middle. I don't like to give myself a label. I like to vote for policies rather than a label.
DH: So away from the football field, what do you like to do for fun?
BB: I used to ride dirt bikes but I stopped that so I don't get hurt. Golf is great, I love golfing, playing basketball and soccer.
DH: Last question: You're going to be the last guy to arrive on campus since you're transferring in a little late. Are you concerned about being the only guy in the locker room who doesn't know everyone else already? What do you think it'll be like?
BB: It's one of the things I'm not really sure. I've never been in this situation, but I'm just looking forward to getting there, meeting the guys and getting things rolling.
(NOTE: This interview took place before Bogotay arrived at Georgia earlier this month.)
David Hale: Most of the kickers I know have a genuine empathy for their NFL brethren. Is your favorite player a kicker, too?
Brandon Bogotay: Usually I look more toward personalities than what position they play. I live in San Diego so I'm a big fan of LaDanian Tomlinson, just because I think he's a team leader on and off the field. He's a humble character and a hard worker and he supports his teammates.
DH: But you do sympathize with what kickers go through, right?
BB: Most definitely. You're on the field for just a little bit of time, but that little bit of time can be a game-changing moment. Every kick, every point matters in the game.
DH: Are you the typical Southern California guy who spends all his free time at the beach surfing?
BB: I do enjoy the beach. I grew up surfing. I love the beach and relaxing, but you can only sit on the beach for so long.
DH: Coming all the way from San Diego, Athens has to seem like another world for you. Are you concerned about the change in culture?
BB: I'm sure it's going to be a big change coming from San Diego, but I'm just excited to be in a college town and just see how everybody vibes off each other. When I was there (in the spring), people were a lot nicer to each other than they are out here in San Diego. I'm excited.
DH: Well, I lived in San Diego for a few years, and I think you'll probably be fine in Athens. One thing I do miss though is the food. You really can't get great fish tacos out here.
BB: Yeah, I was asking one of the players if they've ever had carne asada and they had no idea what it was. I was like, ‘Oh man.'
DH: That's true, but if you want some pulled pork or some meatloaf and mashed potatoes, you're in the right place.
BB: That's what I hear. I hear the barbecue is amazing.
DH: So what do you think you'll miss the most about San Diego?
BB: Probably just my friends and family. I've got a good group of core friends and most of my family is here, but I'm ready to step out and experience some new things.
DH: Well, since you mentioned it, how did your friends and family react to your decision to come to Georgia? That's a long way for them to travel.
BB: Everyone around that we all know, everybody's rocking the Georgia gear now. You see Georgia flags all over San Diego, which is cool. My mom retired in the airlines, so she has flight benefits and they're going to try to fly out to as many games as they can.
DH: As a Southern California guy, you undoubtedly run into a celebrity or two every now and then. Have you ever met anyone famous that you were particularly impressed by?
BB: I've met a couple of Chargers because one of my buddies works at a car dealership and gets to talk to a bunch of those guys, and they're just great guys.
DH: Well, among the celebrities you haven't met, who would you most like to spend some time with?
BB: No. 1 celebrity? I'd have to say Tiger Woods. He's super competitive, he always comes out on top, but he's also humble, and he's one of the hardest working players on the tour. I know he works out with the Chargers every now and then, and I've heard he puts up like 360-something on the bench. The guy's got everything going for him.
DH: Yeah, and he's usually at his best when he's playing out there at Torrey Pines, too.
BB: Yeah, he's unbelievable.
DH: Blair Walsh is a big political buff and a pretty staunch Republican. Not to get too personal, but do you have any strong feelings on that stuff and have you talked about it at all with Blair?
BB: I haven't talked politics with Blair. We're still trying to get to know each other a little bit. It's hard to talk politics with people you don't really know because everybody's got their strong opinions and beliefs. I kind of stick in the middle. I don't like to give myself a label. I like to vote for policies rather than a label.
DH: So away from the football field, what do you like to do for fun?
BB: I used to ride dirt bikes but I stopped that so I don't get hurt. Golf is great, I love golfing, playing basketball and soccer.
DH: Last question: You're going to be the last guy to arrive on campus since you're transferring in a little late. Are you concerned about being the only guy in the locker room who doesn't know everyone else already? What do you think it'll be like?
BB: It's one of the things I'm not really sure. I've never been in this situation, but I'm just looking forward to getting there, meeting the guys and getting things rolling.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Catching Up With... Rex Robinson
It has been a little while since we caught up with a former player on the blog, but today's conversation was definitely worth the wait. I spoke last week with Rex Robinson, who in addition to serving as the kicker on Georgia's 1980 national championship team, is also one heck of a blogger. He launched his Bulldogs-related blog, Roughing the Kicker, a few months back, and regularly manages to write exceptional posts on subjects ranging from Georgia's special teams play to some great anecdotes about the good old days in Athens.
You can find Rex's blog HERE or follow him on Twitter HERE.
While Rex has done a great job talking about some of the most pressing issues facing the Bulldogs on his blog, he also was kind enough to take time out to chat with me about Georgia's kickoff issues, the biggest question marks facing the team in 2009 and, of course, we talk a little shop about the business of blogging.
This is probably one of the longer entries in our "Catching Up With..." series, but I promise this one is worth the read. (Perhaps you should print it out and take it someplace quiet. If you work in an office, feel free to leave a copy for the next person, too.)
Anyway, here ya go....
David Hale: OK, let's talk shop for a minute. I've really enjoyed reading your blog since you started it, but I read a post the other day in which you wrote that some of your friends were shocked you could even put two sentences together, let alone maintain a blog. So what got you interested in doing it in the first place?
Rex Robinson: When I was in high school, I did a little bit of writing, but it was usually what might be construed as poetry or lyrics for songs. It was always something that I just used as a way of getting my thoughts down or my feelings out on paper. I guess only one of them was ever really published, and that was in my junior year yearbook, which was a unique one because it was the bicentennial in 1976.
I never had really thought about it until very recently. I started my business in January, and I ran into a guy named Ron Tarpley. ... Ron had started a Web site called Prep News Report and had gone through that process of learning how to put together a Web site. As we talked about it, he said, 'You need to do a blog.' I had a couple other people say that if you're trying to reach people, you need to do a blog, but Ron was the one that really put me over the top in deciding I wanted to pursue it.
The first one I did was on Word Press, which was pretty easy for someone like me that's not really a computer type of guy, but it really took off. That really blew me away how, in the first month, particularly with the article on the kickoff situation over at Georgia, I had like 14,000 views my first month. In the big picture, I know that's not huge, but for me, that blew me a way to go from zero to whatever in a month's time.
It's gone, I guess well. I did get a lot of positive feedback. Out of the 10 or 12,000 people, unique visitors, less than half come back. So even though that's a decent number, I guess, that to me means a lot of people said, 'What is this crap?' and have not come back. So I haven't gotten a big head yet that it's that big a deal or that it's ultimately going to be a huge thing, but it's been fun and it's given me another way to communicate with fans.
DH: One of the great things about writing about Georgia is how passionate the fans are. What has been the response you've gotten from fans who have found your blog?
RR: It's been overwhelmingly positive, but I don't get a tremendous number of comments left on the blog, which leads me to believe there's a lot of people out there that don't agree with everything that I say or talk about. I'm trying not to be overly controversial, even though when I have written things that are critical of the coaching staff or something of that nature, it just blows up. But I don't want to go down that path intentionally. If it's really something I feel strongly about, then I will. I don't want to be one of those old-school reporters or tabloid type of deals where I'm just saying stuff for the sake of generating traffic. But occasionally I'll get someone who offers a little bit different slant on something, but I've gotten mostly very, very positive feedback.
What was funny is one thing I saw on another blog was actually a comment about one of my first blogs, probably one of the first three or four blogs. A guy said something about that I made Mark Bradley and Terence Moore look good as far as my sports mind and the way I looked at things. I've never been overly critical of those guys -- though I don't really care for Terence Moore too much -- but I knew what he was saying, and it wasn't good.
Then later on, two or three weeks later, he actually left a very positive comment on my blog. So I don't know that he's totally come around, but I had to tell myself that I had to be prepared for people to say negative stuff. With people being anonymous, a lot of them will say stuff that if we were standing face to face, they certainly wouldn't. So I prepared myself if I really wanted to go down that road, and so far it's been OK.
DH: A couple months ago, Urban Meyer made news by saying that he didn't want any former players to say anything negative about the Florida program, and if they did, they were no longer welcome in the locker room or at practice. You've written some things that have been at least a little critical of some of the things Georgia has done. What kind of feedback did you get from the team or the coaching staff?
RR: I have not been contacted and I haven't run into anyone. I haven't had the opportunity to go over to Athens for any reason. I almost went over last Thursday because I had gotten a call a few weeks ago from Blair (Walsh) just wanting me to come by when those guys kicked. He, Drew (Butler) and Ty Frix all get together and kick on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Anyway, I haven't been to Athens since all this started, but I probably will be going pretty soon, and I don't know what to expect. I don't know how much of this might have gotten back to the staff. I know some people on Twitter actually tried to get Coach (Mark) Richt to go to my blog when I was talking about all that stuff. I don't know that he ever did.
I'm of the opinion that -- I truly respect Coach Richt, and I really respect all of those coaches, and the fact that there might be one aspect of things that doesn't quite seem right or the best that it could be, I don't think that's anything to be that upset about. I don't call them names like some people do. Somebody left a comment on my blog the other day calling Coach (Jon) Fabris a numbskull. I had to answer and said, 'I don't think that he's a numbskull. I just think that he's possibly stubborn and maybe a little shortsighted on this one issue.' He's a great defensive ends coach, but they seem to really feel like they need to, what I would call, hide the weaknesses they have on the coverage team by putting all the pressure on the kicker, and that's a tough thing, particularly for a true freshman.
Anyway, I don't know what to expect. I doubt Coach Richt would ever take that position that Urban Meyer took. I think they're really pretty different people. And hopefully he has seen some of the other stuff that I've written, because I'm really not blowing smoke or anything. I truly believe all the positive things I've said about him, too, so hopefully he'll know where I'm coming from.
DH: I know kickers have to stick together, but you've gotten to be pretty close with Blair. How did that relationship develop, and what was it like for you watching his season unfold last year?
RR: I went over to Athens one day to watch practice and while I was there I met Blair that day. It was sort of like Brandon (Bogotay) when I talked to him on the phone a few weeks ago. They know enough about the history and tradition of Georgia to know who I was and was very respectful of that. He's a very nice guy. I had been watching him, and he's very serious about what he's doing, very focused. I had watched him kick some and he did well.
It was very difficult for me to watch the whole season progress because I felt like they were putting all that pressure on him. If he'd been an upperclassmen and had been there a couple of years and was physically stronger and more mature, I don't think it would have been as big a deal. But to continually put that amount of pressure on him, and even in games when it was obviously very windy, they were still trying to kick over there to the corner and it went out of bounds.
I think it ultimately, that one aspect of things, the kickoffs affected him overall, confidence-wise and maybe even technique-wise. I think even Kevin Butler voiced that opinion in his postgame one time. What you're asking Blair to do, he sort of had to go to extremes with how hard he's kicking the ball. It got to the point where he was almost aiming it instead of kicking it, and I don't if you ever played baseball or any other sports, but when you start thinking too much, things go bad. I think that's where he went with that.
It was difficult to see. I went and saw him around December or January and had lunch. We talked about some of the issues. For guys like that that have sort of gone through a rough patch, I always tell them that during the offseason, they can sort of prepare themselves for anything. They may have gotten blindsided as a freshman, but you can't get blindsided twice.
I think Coach Fabris can really be kind of hard on those guys as true freshmen. I think that may have happened to Andy Bailey, and I think it may have happened with Blair temporarily. Blair started off well. Andy got off to a rough start and never really recovered totally from his experience as a freshman. Andy never progressed through his four or five years. Blair started off well but struggled late. But I think all the competition that's coming, Brandon and all those things, I think it's going to create a good situation. I think both of those guys will respond well.
DH: You mentioned on your blog a little while back that you had a chance to talk with Brandon Bogotay as well. What was your impression of him?
RR: He seems to be a very level-headed and good guy. I was very impressed. Both guys seem to have the right attitude in terms of not assuming anything one way or the other. I don't think Brandon is assuming he'll be the guy, and I don't think Blair is assuming he won't be the guy. I know he wants to be the guy to do the kickoffs and field goals. They seem to have gotten off to a good start in terms of their relationship, having a working relationship that will be positive and not have a lot of animosity in it.
I commented earlier this week, I don't think they are going to make any wholesale changes in the kickoff program. If Brandon wins the job, I think it will be because he's better at the directional kicking. He may be able to kick it a little bit deeper, but still with good height and into the corner. You probably know that I feel like they ought to just let those guys kick it as deep as they can, even if it's the goal line or two or three yards deep, and then just cover it. Brandon kicks it a long way, but if he doesn't kick it 100 percent of the time, Coach Fabris is not going to go for it. If he were to kick it -- this is maybe a little bit of an exaggeration -- but if he were to kick it out of the end zone 75 percent of the time, the fact that that 25 percent remains and the ball is coming back out, I don't think Coach Fabris would let him do it.
DH: One of the things I hear from fans quite a bit -- and this is probably a lot easier said than done -- but one of the biggest complaints I get is, if Georgia is struggling on special teams, why not hire a full-time special teams coach. Do you think having a coach that was strictly dedicated to that rather than splitting duties would make a real difference?
RR: In a perfect world, maybe. But the NCAA has limitations on the number of coaches that can be out there, and it's created a situation where you can't have a true kicking coach anymore, even if it's a volunteer. You just can't have that body out there, which is the craziest thing. I think most of them would say if they had somebody that could be on the field and devote their full time to that kind of thing, then maybe. But the thing is, all those guys are great coaches. It's not that they're deficient as coaches. It's just a difference of opinion as to what the best philosophy is. It's not like they're struggling because (Fabris) doesn't have the time or the focus. He's not deficient in his preparation or knowledge or anything like that. It's just a very strong opinion of his that that's the way it ought to be done. Lots of people disagree with it. His philosophy is one thing, and a lot of people think it should be different.
DH: OK, I'll stop hassling you about the kickers for a bit and go a little more big picture. I talked with Mark Richt a few weeks ago, and even he says this is one of the least predictable seasons he can remember. From what you've seen and heard about the team so far, what are your expectations for the upcoming season?
RR: I think that Coach Richt has been pretty open since the season that maybe they didn't do all they could to be all that they could be last year when everything was so hyped. I've heard through the grapevine that maybe from the top down they didn't prepare the same way they did in previous years when they had had so much success. It's one of those things where, maybe not so much the coaches, but the players had read their press clippings too much. I think they went back to the drawing board and have had a renewed focus that's probably going to mean they're going to be pretty doggone good.
I think that Joe Cox is, I don't think quarterback is a problem at all. The question mark to me is at running back. With the opportunities that Caleb (King) had and that Richard Samuel had, they really never showed that flash that you -- not even a Knowshon flash, but any kind of flash that they could be the every down guy if they were expected to be. That's the only thing that concerns me is whether one of those guys will be able to be the main guy.
It obviously won't be the end of the world if they have to do a committee type of scenario. As long as they're able to keep them honest with our receivers and everything and with Joe, I think they're going to be pretty good. I think the defense will be better, again after going back to the drawing board and really realizing, hey, this was not good last year. We've got to get better. And I think they'll be better.
To me there's no way to predict -- and I don't like predicting a record or something like that. I think the Oklahoma State game, with it being the first game could be one of those 45-42 games again, hopefully with us being 45. But if they do put it all together, when those guys are focused like in the Hawaii game or LSU a few years ago when they were in Athens, when they're focused, they're scary good. They just play with so much energy from beginning to end. It's just been the last couple years they haven't always done that, and it really hurts them when they don't come out totally prepared.
DH: Well, we're just a few days away from SEC Media Days and only two weeks away from the start of practice. I know I'm pretty excited about the new season. Do you remember what it was like during your playing days at this time of year?
RR: It was great because -- I have thought about it here lately because I've been coaching some college kickers and learning about what they've been doing to prepare. It always makes me think back to my mind-set going into a season. From May, maybe late May or early June, the preseason magazines started coming out. They'd have the predictions of preseason All-SEC, the preseason rankings and all that stuff. It was fuel to the fire as far as, it's close, it's coming. Coach (Erk) Russell always used it as motivation. He'd send out these letters during the summer. A couple different times he sent out this note that said, 'Athlon has Georgia ranked sixth in the SEC in their preseason poll. But you know what Dogs do to poles.' Just stuff like that to get you fired up.
I always set personal goals because as a kicker, you were always on an island anyway. So I felt like if I set personal goals that were pretty lofty and I reached those goals, then I was helping the team at the same time. I always had the attitude that I wanted to do my part and make sure that when the season came to an end nobody could say, 'Man, if we only had a decent kicker, we could've been good.'
I was sort of away from it for a while. In the past six or eight years, I've gotten more and more involved in high school athletics and then went on to college, so I've really gotten back into it. I don't always come to Athens, but I watch from 12 noon to 12 midnight every Saturday, and flip it to every conceivable place where there might be a game, so I'm very excited.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Kicking it Up a Notch
Brandon Bogotay was just tossing the football around with a friend at Grossmont Junior College one day, occasionally booting the ball down the field with impressive length. His friend suggested he try out for the school's football team as a kicker, despite never having played the sport before.
A few days later, Bogotay was a part of the team. A few months later, he was one of the top junior-college kickers in the country. And a few weeks after that, he read a story that Georgia's head football coach was willing to look just about anywhere for a kicker who could kickoff into the end zone consistently.
Now, just a year after his journey began, Bogotay is about to leave San Diego for Athens as the Bulldogs' new kicker.
"I went out one day for a tryout and did one practice and the coach told me I made the team and it all started from there," Bogotay said.
While Bogotay is still pretty green in terms of football experience, the job of kicker is one he had been preparing for nearly his entire life.
"I always played soccer, so growing up as a kid running and building up my leg has been huge," Bogotay said. "About a year ago I started kicking the football. I've always hit the soccer ball pretty hard, and I just ended up kicking a bunch of touchbacks and from there I started developing field goals and fine tuning."
Touchbacks are exactly what Mark Richt -- and a lot of Georgia fans -- were desperate for last season.
Blair Walsh struggled on kickoffs down the stretch, failing to reach the end zone consistently then missing badly on directional kicks as well.
So Richt was looking for a kicker, and Bogotay was looking for a chance to move on to a four-year school. Bogotay still had another year of junior college eligibility, but when he learned of the opportunity at Georgia, he sent out a tape of his kicks in hopes of landing a scholarship offer.
"I think the (JuCo) coaches were hoping I was going to stay, but I felt like I was ready to step up to the next level," Bogotay said. "So I sent my film off to the coaches and they got back to me."
Bogotay had offers from Nevada and Hawaii as well, but his kicking instructor at Grossmont was a longtime Georgia fan and urged him to join the Bulldogs.
"He always told me that if Georgia offers there's no way you can refuse," Bogotay said.
After talking with the Georgia coaches and visiting campus, Bogotay was hooked. And for their part, the Georgia coaches were hooked on him, too.
While Bogotay knows he's being brought in for kickoff duties, he said coaches have assured him he'll compete for extra-point and field-goal duties as well -- a chance he relishes.
"He gave me the opportunity to come in and work and earn both positions, but basically I think the main focus is kickoffs," Bogotay said. "I'm coming in with the attitude to try to win both but I'll do whatever helps the team."
Bogotay said that seems to be the attitude of Georgia's incumbent, too. He said he has spoken with Walsh a few times, and the sophomore kicker has welcomed the challenge and sounded excited about Bogotay's arrival.
"We're cool. We're just going to work together and whatever is best for the team is best for the team," Bogotay said. "He was great. He just welcomed me and there was nothing negative. It's going to be fun to work with him throughout the year."
Bogotay still has a few more weeks of school at Grossmont and expects to arrive in Athens in July.
A few days later, Bogotay was a part of the team. A few months later, he was one of the top junior-college kickers in the country. And a few weeks after that, he read a story that Georgia's head football coach was willing to look just about anywhere for a kicker who could kickoff into the end zone consistently.
Now, just a year after his journey began, Bogotay is about to leave San Diego for Athens as the Bulldogs' new kicker.
"I went out one day for a tryout and did one practice and the coach told me I made the team and it all started from there," Bogotay said.
While Bogotay is still pretty green in terms of football experience, the job of kicker is one he had been preparing for nearly his entire life.
"I always played soccer, so growing up as a kid running and building up my leg has been huge," Bogotay said. "About a year ago I started kicking the football. I've always hit the soccer ball pretty hard, and I just ended up kicking a bunch of touchbacks and from there I started developing field goals and fine tuning."
Touchbacks are exactly what Mark Richt -- and a lot of Georgia fans -- were desperate for last season.
Blair Walsh struggled on kickoffs down the stretch, failing to reach the end zone consistently then missing badly on directional kicks as well.
So Richt was looking for a kicker, and Bogotay was looking for a chance to move on to a four-year school. Bogotay still had another year of junior college eligibility, but when he learned of the opportunity at Georgia, he sent out a tape of his kicks in hopes of landing a scholarship offer.
"I think the (JuCo) coaches were hoping I was going to stay, but I felt like I was ready to step up to the next level," Bogotay said. "So I sent my film off to the coaches and they got back to me."
Bogotay had offers from Nevada and Hawaii as well, but his kicking instructor at Grossmont was a longtime Georgia fan and urged him to join the Bulldogs.
"He always told me that if Georgia offers there's no way you can refuse," Bogotay said.
After talking with the Georgia coaches and visiting campus, Bogotay was hooked. And for their part, the Georgia coaches were hooked on him, too.
While Bogotay knows he's being brought in for kickoff duties, he said coaches have assured him he'll compete for extra-point and field-goal duties as well -- a chance he relishes.
"He gave me the opportunity to come in and work and earn both positions, but basically I think the main focus is kickoffs," Bogotay said. "I'm coming in with the attitude to try to win both but I'll do whatever helps the team."
Bogotay said that seems to be the attitude of Georgia's incumbent, too. He said he has spoken with Walsh a few times, and the sophomore kicker has welcomed the challenge and sounded excited about Bogotay's arrival.
"We're cool. We're just going to work together and whatever is best for the team is best for the team," Bogotay said. "He was great. He just welcomed me and there was nothing negative. It's going to be fun to work with him throughout the year."
Bogotay still has a few more weeks of school at Grossmont and expects to arrive in Athens in July.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Practice Notes: Competition at Kicker
By season's end last year, Mark Richt had promised to go to Poland to find a kicker who could reach the end zone on kickoffs. As it turned out, he only had to go as far as his mailbox.
Georgia announced Thursday that it had signed kicker Brandon Bogotay, a junior college transfer from San Diego, who only began playing football midway through his senior year in high school.
Bogotay still had another year of eligibility remaining at Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif., and his coach didn't send out any footage of the kicker, assuming he would return for his sophomore season. Bogotay decided to send out some tape on his own.
"He might have heard that Poland comment," Richt said. "I can't tell you how many times we watched that video."
It didn't take long for Richt to decide Bogotay had what Georgia was missing a year ago, but Georgia wasn't the only school interested. Bogotay had visited Hawaii a week earlier and had interest from several other schools, too, so Richt decided it was time to pull the trigger on a scholarship offer.
"Word started to get going, and I didn't want to get in a position where somebody closer to home got him," Richt said.
From Bogotay's highlight footage, Georgia's coaching staff was convinced he could be the answer on kickoffs -- an area the Bulldogs struggled mightily with a year ago.
"If you've seen tape on him, the obvious thing is that he has a very strong leg," Richt said. "Now, can he do it here? I don't know if the air is different in San Diego. There's just things you don't really know for sure. But we saw enough to think he has a chance to help us get really great field position when we kick the ball off."
Richt had said finding someone to handle kickoff duties this year would be a top offseason priority, but until he signed Bogotay, it appeared freshman Blair Walsh would land the job again by default.
"My goal as head coach is to make sure that we're better than we were a year ago, and we feel he gives us a chance to do that," Richt said. "If we get the exact same production that we got a year ago, did we really get better? I felt like we saw enough that this guy can help us be better, and that's what you want."
Richt said it will be an open competition this fall for all kicking duties, including extra points and field goals, and he expects that Bogotay's presence will push the current crop of Georgia kickers even if he doesn't win the job.
After a freshman season in which he delivered mixed results in the kicking game, Walsh said he is open to the challenge, but hopes to retain his job as both the field-goal and kickoff man.
"The mind-set that I have is they are bringing him in to compete at both positions, and that's what they're saying right now," Walsh said. "I've just got to treat it like that."
DAWGS SHOW RENEWED ENERGY
Tuesday, head coach Mark Richt lamented his team's lack of energy on the practice field, referring to the performance as "luke warm." Before the Bulldogs hit the field Thursday, Richt told his players he wanted to see more hustle, and that's exactly what he got.
"I really did like today," Richt said. "Tuesday I wasn't too thrilled. I thought we lost a little bit of that edge, but we really ran hard today. Guys were flying around. Both sides of the ball, great hustle, a lot of enthusiasm."
The strong day of practice was a good sign, quarterback Joe Cox said. While he admits that maintaining a high level of energy day in and day out is a tough task, he said bouncing back from a lackluster performance two days earlier illustrated the team's desire to stay motivated.
"That's the main goal is not to take any steps back and have a day where everybody knows it wasn't what we should have done," Cox said. "It's hard trying to keep people motivated every day for practice, but that is my main goal."
One of the day's biggest stars was freshman cornerback Brandon Boykin, who had two interceptions, but Richt said there has been no shortage of players who have impressed this spring.
"Our offensive line has had a couple times where they picked up some tough blitzes," Richt said. "Joe did a good job of working the pocket, threw some nice balls. ... Caleb (King) had a nice day running the ball in inside drill and on 11-on-11."
One play in particular stood out for Richt. It came on a pass from Cox to freshman Tavarres King, and Richt said it underscored how well the entire offense was working together.
"(The pass was) square over the middle that was within inches of Rennie (Curran) knocking it down, but it was a great catch on the run," Richt said. "There was a nice pick up of a blitz, Joe moving in the pocket, throwing a beautiful ball, Tavarres reaching out to snatch it on the dead run. It was impressive."
DOMINANT DOG
From Cox to Carlton Thomas to Bryan Evans and Rennie Curran, the spring platitudes have been plentiful. But if Richt had to narrow down his list to one MVP of spring practice, there's no doubt who would get the award.
"The most dominating player to this point has been Geno Atkins," Richt said.
Atkins has been a beast stopping the run and getting to the quarterback, and Tuesday he even returned an interception for a touchdown. The performance hasn't been particularly surprising, Richt said, as Atkins has been among Georgia's top defensive players the past two seasons, but this spring, the senior defensive tackle has taken things to a new level.
"They all struggle with him," Richt said. "Even a guy like Cordy Glenn, Ben Jones, he's tough as heck. They're talented guys, and Geno just kind of has his way with everybody right now."
A LOT ON THE LINE
Georgia will hold its first scrimmage of the spring tomorrow, and Joe Cox said no one on the team is taking it lightly. While coaches figure to use the practice to give some of the younger players a few more opportunities than they might normally get, Cox said Mark Richt already issued a warned his veterans that there will be a lot on the line for everyone.
"If you're a starter, tomorrow is where you solidify your spot," Cox said. "If you're a guy looking for playing time, tomorrow is where you get playing time. It is really good for the younger guys because they do get more reps, but it's not a period where the older guys can chill. It's time to prove ourselves that we can stay where we need to stay."
GREEN FEELING BLUE
A.J. Green wasn't sure how much he would be able to participate this spring due to a nagging groin injury, but through five practices, he was a full go. Thursday, however, he felt some soreness, and coaches decided to play it safe, sitting him out of most of the team's work.
"I wasn't 100 percent today," Green said. "I just had a little soreness. I did one-on-ones and stuff like that. They just told me to sit everything else out."
Both Richt and Green said they hoped he would be a full participant in Friday's scrimmage.
A LOT TO LEARN
For most of the Bulldogs, the spring is about picking up where they left off after their bowl game. For Georgia's receivers, however, new coach Tony Ball has implemented some major changes from the program they were used to.
"He's not changing the system, but he's changing how we do a lot of the little things," wideout Michael Moore said.
Where former coach John Eason took more of a big-picture approach to coaching, Moore said Ball has gone back to the basics. Instead of learning a plays, the receivers are working on fundamentals like coming out of breaks and gaining leverage on a defender.
"(Eason) stressed more the play, while Coach Ball stresses how to run your route," Moore said.
That has made this spring more of a learning experience for the receivers than for many of their teammates at other positions, and Moore said he has had to put in a bit of extra time at the office just to keep up.
"For us, we can't have enough time," Moore said. "After practice, me and A.J. (Green), we're still out there working on the stuff that Coach Ball is teaching us."
FLAG FIXATION
A year ago, penalties were the bane of Mark Richt's existence. Flags cost Georgia crucial yardage in nearly every game overturned several of the team's biggest plays of the year. Eventually, the penalties became the hot-button issue of the team's practice sessions, and punishments were in store for the whole team if it was flagged for too many infractions on game day.
"I can't say why we had as many penalties as we had a year ago because we didn't do anything that we hadn't done since I'd been here," Richt said. "As the season went along, we spent a lot more time emphasizing it, but it just got away from us."
Richt said Georgia's coaches aren't punishing players for penalties as much as they are encouraging a renewed focus on fundamentals. If a player is making smart decisions and getting into the proper position on a play, the odds of drawing a flag decrease significantly.
"By no means are we going to ignore it, but we're going back to the basics," Richt said. "The better our fundamentals and the better position we're in, I feel there's a lot less chance we'll have those kinds of penalties."
SPEECHES, BUT NO PLAQUES
Matthew Stafford had an arm so impressive it could earn him the distinction of becoming the top overall pick in the NFL draft. That's an asset Joe Cox knows he can't match, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a strong weapon of his own.
"Joe's No. 1 thing is his leadership abilities," wide receiver Michael Moore said. "I don't want to say we didn't have leadership last year because we definitely did with people like Mohamed (Massaquoi) and Corvey Irvin. But Joe's a more rah-rah guy. He'll get in your face and get you amped up. It's little things like that. That's the No. 1 thing that stands out to me between him and Matt."
Down the road at Florida, the Gators have a smooth-talking quarterback of their own. In fact, Florida thought so highly of Tim Tebow's post-game speech after a loss to Mississippi last season, that the school had his words etched into a plaque that will now hang outside the team's new football facility.
Moore said he thinks Cox can bring that same type of fire to the Georgia locker room, but he doubts he'll see any halftime speeches plastered to the locker room wall anytime soon.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Moore said. "Joe has some good quotes. But as far as hanging them up, I don't know if the head man will do that."
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE...
A reporter joked with Mark Richt before Thursday's news conference that Lane Kiffin had called Richt "a good buddy."
The compliment might have seemed a bit odd after Kiffin had reportedly made some less-than-kind statements about Richt's recruiting abilities earlier this year, but the Georgia coach at least attempted to appreciate the olive branch.
"Well, that's good," Rich said with a wry smile. "I need friends."
Georgia announced Thursday that it had signed kicker Brandon Bogotay, a junior college transfer from San Diego, who only began playing football midway through his senior year in high school.
Bogotay still had another year of eligibility remaining at Grossmont College in El Cajon, Calif., and his coach didn't send out any footage of the kicker, assuming he would return for his sophomore season. Bogotay decided to send out some tape on his own.
"He might have heard that Poland comment," Richt said. "I can't tell you how many times we watched that video."
It didn't take long for Richt to decide Bogotay had what Georgia was missing a year ago, but Georgia wasn't the only school interested. Bogotay had visited Hawaii a week earlier and had interest from several other schools, too, so Richt decided it was time to pull the trigger on a scholarship offer.
"Word started to get going, and I didn't want to get in a position where somebody closer to home got him," Richt said.
From Bogotay's highlight footage, Georgia's coaching staff was convinced he could be the answer on kickoffs -- an area the Bulldogs struggled mightily with a year ago.
"If you've seen tape on him, the obvious thing is that he has a very strong leg," Richt said. "Now, can he do it here? I don't know if the air is different in San Diego. There's just things you don't really know for sure. But we saw enough to think he has a chance to help us get really great field position when we kick the ball off."
Richt had said finding someone to handle kickoff duties this year would be a top offseason priority, but until he signed Bogotay, it appeared freshman Blair Walsh would land the job again by default.
"My goal as head coach is to make sure that we're better than we were a year ago, and we feel he gives us a chance to do that," Richt said. "If we get the exact same production that we got a year ago, did we really get better? I felt like we saw enough that this guy can help us be better, and that's what you want."
Richt said it will be an open competition this fall for all kicking duties, including extra points and field goals, and he expects that Bogotay's presence will push the current crop of Georgia kickers even if he doesn't win the job.
After a freshman season in which he delivered mixed results in the kicking game, Walsh said he is open to the challenge, but hopes to retain his job as both the field-goal and kickoff man.
"The mind-set that I have is they are bringing him in to compete at both positions, and that's what they're saying right now," Walsh said. "I've just got to treat it like that."
DAWGS SHOW RENEWED ENERGY
Tuesday, head coach Mark Richt lamented his team's lack of energy on the practice field, referring to the performance as "luke warm." Before the Bulldogs hit the field Thursday, Richt told his players he wanted to see more hustle, and that's exactly what he got.
"I really did like today," Richt said. "Tuesday I wasn't too thrilled. I thought we lost a little bit of that edge, but we really ran hard today. Guys were flying around. Both sides of the ball, great hustle, a lot of enthusiasm."
The strong day of practice was a good sign, quarterback Joe Cox said. While he admits that maintaining a high level of energy day in and day out is a tough task, he said bouncing back from a lackluster performance two days earlier illustrated the team's desire to stay motivated.
"That's the main goal is not to take any steps back and have a day where everybody knows it wasn't what we should have done," Cox said. "It's hard trying to keep people motivated every day for practice, but that is my main goal."
One of the day's biggest stars was freshman cornerback Brandon Boykin, who had two interceptions, but Richt said there has been no shortage of players who have impressed this spring.
"Our offensive line has had a couple times where they picked up some tough blitzes," Richt said. "Joe did a good job of working the pocket, threw some nice balls. ... Caleb (King) had a nice day running the ball in inside drill and on 11-on-11."
One play in particular stood out for Richt. It came on a pass from Cox to freshman Tavarres King, and Richt said it underscored how well the entire offense was working together.
"(The pass was) square over the middle that was within inches of Rennie (Curran) knocking it down, but it was a great catch on the run," Richt said. "There was a nice pick up of a blitz, Joe moving in the pocket, throwing a beautiful ball, Tavarres reaching out to snatch it on the dead run. It was impressive."
DOMINANT DOG
From Cox to Carlton Thomas to Bryan Evans and Rennie Curran, the spring platitudes have been plentiful. But if Richt had to narrow down his list to one MVP of spring practice, there's no doubt who would get the award.
"The most dominating player to this point has been Geno Atkins," Richt said.
Atkins has been a beast stopping the run and getting to the quarterback, and Tuesday he even returned an interception for a touchdown. The performance hasn't been particularly surprising, Richt said, as Atkins has been among Georgia's top defensive players the past two seasons, but this spring, the senior defensive tackle has taken things to a new level.
"They all struggle with him," Richt said. "Even a guy like Cordy Glenn, Ben Jones, he's tough as heck. They're talented guys, and Geno just kind of has his way with everybody right now."
A LOT ON THE LINE
Georgia will hold its first scrimmage of the spring tomorrow, and Joe Cox said no one on the team is taking it lightly. While coaches figure to use the practice to give some of the younger players a few more opportunities than they might normally get, Cox said Mark Richt already issued a warned his veterans that there will be a lot on the line for everyone.
"If you're a starter, tomorrow is where you solidify your spot," Cox said. "If you're a guy looking for playing time, tomorrow is where you get playing time. It is really good for the younger guys because they do get more reps, but it's not a period where the older guys can chill. It's time to prove ourselves that we can stay where we need to stay."
GREEN FEELING BLUE
A.J. Green wasn't sure how much he would be able to participate this spring due to a nagging groin injury, but through five practices, he was a full go. Thursday, however, he felt some soreness, and coaches decided to play it safe, sitting him out of most of the team's work.
"I wasn't 100 percent today," Green said. "I just had a little soreness. I did one-on-ones and stuff like that. They just told me to sit everything else out."
Both Richt and Green said they hoped he would be a full participant in Friday's scrimmage.
A LOT TO LEARN
For most of the Bulldogs, the spring is about picking up where they left off after their bowl game. For Georgia's receivers, however, new coach Tony Ball has implemented some major changes from the program they were used to.
"He's not changing the system, but he's changing how we do a lot of the little things," wideout Michael Moore said.
Where former coach John Eason took more of a big-picture approach to coaching, Moore said Ball has gone back to the basics. Instead of learning a plays, the receivers are working on fundamentals like coming out of breaks and gaining leverage on a defender.
"(Eason) stressed more the play, while Coach Ball stresses how to run your route," Moore said.
That has made this spring more of a learning experience for the receivers than for many of their teammates at other positions, and Moore said he has had to put in a bit of extra time at the office just to keep up.
"For us, we can't have enough time," Moore said. "After practice, me and A.J. (Green), we're still out there working on the stuff that Coach Ball is teaching us."
FLAG FIXATION
A year ago, penalties were the bane of Mark Richt's existence. Flags cost Georgia crucial yardage in nearly every game overturned several of the team's biggest plays of the year. Eventually, the penalties became the hot-button issue of the team's practice sessions, and punishments were in store for the whole team if it was flagged for too many infractions on game day.
"I can't say why we had as many penalties as we had a year ago because we didn't do anything that we hadn't done since I'd been here," Richt said. "As the season went along, we spent a lot more time emphasizing it, but it just got away from us."
Richt said Georgia's coaches aren't punishing players for penalties as much as they are encouraging a renewed focus on fundamentals. If a player is making smart decisions and getting into the proper position on a play, the odds of drawing a flag decrease significantly.
"By no means are we going to ignore it, but we're going back to the basics," Richt said. "The better our fundamentals and the better position we're in, I feel there's a lot less chance we'll have those kinds of penalties."
SPEECHES, BUT NO PLAQUES
Matthew Stafford had an arm so impressive it could earn him the distinction of becoming the top overall pick in the NFL draft. That's an asset Joe Cox knows he can't match, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a strong weapon of his own.
"Joe's No. 1 thing is his leadership abilities," wide receiver Michael Moore said. "I don't want to say we didn't have leadership last year because we definitely did with people like Mohamed (Massaquoi) and Corvey Irvin. But Joe's a more rah-rah guy. He'll get in your face and get you amped up. It's little things like that. That's the No. 1 thing that stands out to me between him and Matt."
Down the road at Florida, the Gators have a smooth-talking quarterback of their own. In fact, Florida thought so highly of Tim Tebow's post-game speech after a loss to Mississippi last season, that the school had his words etched into a plaque that will now hang outside the team's new football facility.
Moore said he thinks Cox can bring that same type of fire to the Georgia locker room, but he doubts he'll see any halftime speeches plastered to the locker room wall anytime soon.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Moore said. "Joe has some good quotes. But as far as hanging them up, I don't know if the head man will do that."
KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE...
A reporter joked with Mark Richt before Thursday's news conference that Lane Kiffin had called Richt "a good buddy."
The compliment might have seemed a bit odd after Kiffin had reportedly made some less-than-kind statements about Richt's recruiting abilities earlier this year, but the Georgia coach at least attempted to appreciate the olive branch.
"Well, that's good," Rich said with a wry smile. "I need friends."
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