Figgins not waiting for his number anymore

One of the more interesting stories in spring practice is tight end-turned-fullback Bruce Figgins. Figgins, head coach Mark Richt and several of his teammates discussed his move in a story, which has just been posted on Macon.com. A quick tease:

ATHENS -- It’s the question everyone has been asking Bruce Figgins since the move became official: Is he going to switch his jersey now?

That number 89 works great for a tight end. But at fullback? Figgins, however, has held firm: No matter how weird it looks, he’ll line up in the backfield with a number not usually associated with a back.

“Everybody’s been asking me if I want 40-this or 40-that. But no, I’ve had this number too long,” Figgins said. “My momma and grandma and granddaddy, everybody in my family has 89 jerseys made.”

Read the whole story here.

Video Blog: Orson and The Hitman

Check out Jakar Hamitlon talking about the origins of his nickname "The Hitman" and Orson Charles discussing life with three quarterbacks...



*Video courtesy of Brandon Spoon

Notes: Competition Is Key This Spring

By FLETCHER PAGE

(*Check out Fletcher's story on the progress Georgia's 3-4 defense is making HERE.)

The theme of spring practice should be dubbed "competition."

Occupying most of the headlines coming into spring, a three-way quarterback battle figured to be the most exciting competition. However popular the quarterback race, Logan Gray, Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger aren’t the only Bulldogs dealing with competition.

“It’s definitely a big competition,” said tight end Orson Charles. “It’s competition everywhere. I mean, how am I going to get better if I don’t have a competition? How is Aaron going to get better without Zach and Logan? It’s competition everywhere, and that’s how you get better.”

The competition for playing time has noticeably picked up on the defensive side of the ball. Last spring, the defense was predominately upperclassmen laden, with most starting spots locked up early.

That’s not the case this year, not with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham keeping players on their toes. Grantham has ratcheted up the competition by implementing the new 3-4 defense. No player has been guaranteed playing time, and no starting spot announced.

“It’s great because it brings a lot out of players, knowing that you might not be the starter,” said safety Nick Williams. “Nobody has a starting job. You can get kind of content when you know you’re going to be playing as a starter on Saturday nights, so you don’t practice as hard.”

The winner amid all this competition? The Georgia team as whole, since players say practice has been intense, with each man bringing his best every day.

“Everybody is out there just flying around,” Williams said. “And I like how the coaches are doing it. They haven’t set on who is starting at each position. They have swapped everybody out, keep everybody wondering really. No one knows, so you have to come out every day with your best.”

HOUSTON ROUNDS OUT HIS GAME

Justin Houston says he’s in a familiar position.

Two years ago, while redshirting during his freshman season, Houston was moved to outside linebacker. He worked in pass coverage, briefly learning how to do more than just rush the quarterback.

He was moved back to defensive end, his high school position, and enjoyed success the past two seasons, only having to pin his ears back and get to the quarterback.

Now in Grantham’s new 3-4 scheme, Houston finds himself changing positions again. He’s back at outside linebacker, and while he still gets to rush the quarterback on most occasions, he’s trying to complete his game at the new position.

“The main focus right now, what I’m trying to do, is drop back into coverage,” Houston said. “I pretty much, in pass rushing I’ve still got some moves to work on, but my main focus right now is learning how to drop into coverage.”

Houston says the time spent at outside linebacker, even though in the 4-3 scheme, helped prepare him for his current role.

“I’m starting to get back in the groove of things, and starting to get back used to it,” he said.

SHAKE-UP AT OLB

Houston and Cornelius Washington are the projected starters at outside linebacker, but there have been some moves made behind the tandem on the depth chart.

Grantham announced the changes Tuesday.

“We moved Reubon Faloughi to Sam [strongside], and Montez Robinson to Will [weakside],” Grantham said. “So Reubon is now behind Cornelius and Montez is behind Justin. I thought that went really well. I was pleased thought, I really was.”

Faloughi and Robinson, as well as Washington, made the switch from defensive end to outside linebacker, just like Houston.

“I think we’re all in the same position,” Houston said. “I think as defensive ends, you learn how to pass rush, but you don’t learn how to drop in coverage. I think everybody is in the same shoes, learning how to drop into coverage.”

GRANTHAM SETTLING IN

Moving from the NFL back to the college coaching ranks could be considered a culture shock.

Professional players already have a foundation of knowledge and understanding. College coaches get players basically starting at square one.

Grantham shrugs off the notion of a culture shock, but says he has made some adjustments in his coaching approach.

“The level of teaching is different,” he said. “You’re taking guys that are really raw, and you’re teaching them quite a bit of stuff. So you’ve got to make you’re your mechanics, and methods of teaching are one that they can understand, and that they can improve. It’s a little but slower process probably from that standpoint. But at the same time, I still think we’ll get there. It just takes time.”

So far, Grantham’s message, and methods for delivering it, has worked.

“Coach Grantham is a good coach,” said defensive end DeAngelo Tyson. “He gives me advice how to play, and how to make me a better person at the position. So, I think he is a good coach.”

Notes: Tight Ends Bring Versatility to Offense

By FLETCHER PAGE

Still adding to the list of what they can do, Aron White and Orson Charles should offer defenses a matchup dilemma this fall.

Both tight ends are athletic enough to split out at receiver, with the formation options at offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s disposal essentially endless.

“It’s going to be good to have those guys just to confuse the defense,” said quarterback Aaron Murray. “Not knowing if we’re in a two-tight formation, or spread, or three receiver look.”

Both White and Charles play tight end and receiver in high school. They’ve got the size to hang in the trenches, blocking or catching pass over the middle, but also the quickness to flex out wide.

Playing the matchup game, Georgia can flex either Charles or White, or both, if a linebacker is trying to cover them.

The possibilities are endless.

“It’s going to pose a great threat,” Murray said. “It’s going to be pretty hard for the defense. You look at our defense now, we come out with two tight ends, and they think we’re going to be in a two-tight formation and we split one out, or we split two out and they’re in a base defense. They’re not ready to handle four receivers. It causes it a lot of confusion just because of their athleticism.”

And with so much depth at tight end, adding Bruce Figgins and Arthur Lynch to the mix, flexing White or Charles out adds another way to get more players involved in the offense with surplus opportunities to make plays.

“They’re really trying to get us involved because we’re deep,” Charles said. “We’ve got athletes all over the entire room. You look at all of us, we all have things that we all need to work on, but we have things we are just real good at. You know, just trying to put your players out there and let them play, and let them win ball games.”

Charles admits, learning all these positions and schemes is a challenge. But he’s never been one to back down from a test. He and White have spent extra time, working on the finer details of route running to prepare.

“I know coach [John] Lilly says I still have to work on my footwork, just little simple stuff like that,” Charles said. “That’s what we’re trying to correct right now. That will make a whole difference. Everybody can work on footwork, because if you don’t have footwork and get your [helmet] in the right place, then you don’t have anything.”

With White and Charles’ ever evolving versatility, the offense continues to add dimensions.

“It causes a lot of confusion just because of their athleticism,” Murray said.

MORE VERSATILITY

Speaking of interchangeable pieces, DeAngelo Tyson is splitting practice reps at defensive tackle and end, and says he doesn’t care where he plays. As long as he can help the team, he’ll do it.

“It all depends on what group of d-linemen are in,” he said. “If it’s just some guys who are experienced at end, they play end. If some more d-tackles come in, then I move to end, try to learn and try to play it to the best of my ability.”

Tyson was a tackle last season, almost certain to move into the starting lineup with the graduation of Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins and Kade Weston. But in defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s 3-4 scheme, Tyson’s size, 6-foot-2, 295-pounds, gives the potential for a move to the outside. Grantham loves big-bodied ends, and Tyson’s athleticism is coveted.

Tyson says Grantham has been everything he expected as a coach.

“He gives me advice on how to play, and how to make me a better person at the position,” he said. “So, I think he is a good coach.

With spring practice in full swing, Tyson is happy with the defensive progress.

“It takes time to learn it,” Tyson said. “We practice every day, go over our playbooks. It’s going to take a little time. As long as I keep working at it, practice hard then I should be able to do what I’m supposed to do and help out the team win some games.”

LEADING THE CHARGE

Head coach Mark Richt singled out a couple of players, on a few occasions, who have provided leadership this season.

Darryl Gamble is the first name he mentions on defense.

Gamble doesn’t come off as overly comfortable when asked of his expected outspoken role. But he says he realizes it’s what seniors do. The fact that he is stepping up in a leadership role this early is encouraging since he will most likely be starting at an inside linebacker position, and making many reads and calls in-game during the season.


"I guess it's my role," he said. "I'm a senior. You're supposed to lead. A lot of guys follow me, so it's easy for me to go and tell somebody how to do stuff."

Richt also pointed to Akeem Dent as a leader, who just like Gamble, figures to play as an inside linebacker this year.

Video Mailbag: Lakatos, Leadership and Learning the D

You guys had questions for Orson Charles, Nick Williams, Caleb King and DeAngelo Tyson. They had answers for you...



Thanks to Brandon Spoon for shooting and editing the video.

Georgia's players are off this week, but we'll do this again when practice picks back up. Be sure to follow me on Twitter for your chance to submit questions for the players.

Video Blog: Figgins Talks Tight Ends

Georgia tight end Bruce Figgins wasn't out on the field last year, but he got an up-close-and-personal view of his fellow tight ends. In this video, he gives an update of the progress his unit -- and rising sophomores Arthur Lynch and Orson Charles -- have made since the end of the season.



(*Video courtesy of Brandon Spoon.)

Notes: Position Changes Could Come Soon

Several of Georgia's top commitments on the defensive side of the ball made it official that they were coming to Athens on Wednesday, but just where they might line up once they arrive remains a bit of a mystery.

Star defensive back Alec Ogletree will begin camp at safety, head coach Mark Richt said, but there's a chance he could end up at linebacker at some point. At 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, defensive end T.J. Stripling has the prototypical frame for an outside linebacker, and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said that's a move any of the Bulldogs' ends could make, including new recruits Brandon Burrows, Jalen Fields and Dexter Morant. Even prized prospect Garrison Smith, who played defensive tackle in high school, could find he fits better at end in Grantham's 3-4 scheme.

"Any of these guys you bring in, you get them working, then you evaluate and see where they can help you, wherever that may be," defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos said.

And for now, Grantham said finding a home for players who have yet to arrive on campus is a secondary priority.

“It’s kind of early because we’re still evaluating our guys," Grantham said. "Once we get our guys in place, we’ll figure out what the best matchups and best scenarios are.”

The process of evaluating the current Georgia players is one Grantham began several weeks ago, breaking down film on each player and working to decide where they might fit in.

The results aren't exactly in yet, he said. But they're not too far off, either.

“We’re getting closer," Grantham said. "It’ll be sooner than later, but nothing’s ever etched in stone. We’re going to start some guys out at positions and see how they handle it. But I can tell you that nothing is etched in stone right now, and we’ll be constantly tweaking it throughout spring ball and into the fall to get our best players on the field at all times.”

That's a plan Lakatos is on board with, and he might take it even a step further.

Film study provided an initial gauge, spring practice will add more, and the fall will see the arrival of the new freshmen -- but it might be years before everyone has found a home, and even then things will be re-evaluated with each new matchup.

"Sometimes people's ability correlates to what you're trying to stop and how they can help you that week may be different than the previous week," Lakatos said. "And then players change. Players develop at different rates than other players. So it's a constant evaluation of who the best guys are and what's the best situation."

IT WORKS BOTH WAYS

While the loss of a few longtime Georgia commitments, including receiver Da'Rick Rogers, before signing day was the primary buzz among fans and recruiting services this week, head coach Mark Richt took a more pragmatic view of the situation.

Georgia was lucky enough to hold on to its entire class a year ago, but Richt knows that's the exception to the rule. More often, he said, keeping an 18-year-old's mind made up is a difficult task.

"These kids are 17, 18, 19 years old and coaches that are anywhere between 25 and 65 are trying to convince them why one school is better than another," Richt said. "So it can be confusing at times. It can be very difficult at times. That’s why our policy has been to be very straightforward from the beginning, Don’t say something that won’t come true in the end. Trust is really the only thing we have to hold us together, I think.”

Richt said coaches get a good feel for recruits during the process, and they usually have a pretty good idea of which ones are sincere about their commitments and which are likely to bolt before signing day.

But the process works both ways, and even Georgia got in on the action this year, swiping offensive lineman Kenarious Gates at the last moment from Kentucky.

It's just part of how things work on the recruiting trail, and while it may have put a dent in the Bulldogs' rankings from recruiting services this year, it's nothing Richt is getting too upset about.

“If we feel like that kid is not 100 percent certain, then we’ll continue to recruit him," Richt said. "I think everybody does that. If you take a kid is solid, then you’re wasting your time and you don’t want to do that. Sometimes these kids make decisions based on emotion and they’re not certain what they want to do, so we’re going to continue. I think you have to.”

That explanation doesn't necessarily smooth things over with some of Georgia's current defenders, including Jakar Hamilton, who said Rogers' late decision prevented another player from being recruited as heavily and left his team in a bad position. Hamilton and teammate Bacarri Rambo both promised some retribution on the field should they get a chance to hit Rogers in a game.

When reminded that Georgia, too, had lured a commitment away from another school, however, Hamilton's mind didn't change much. Just like any hijinx on the recruiting trail, a little retribution is all part of the game.

"It happens a lot," Hamilton said of the de-commitments. "But your in the SEC. You're going to get hit regardless."

A POSITION OF STRENGTH

The loss of Rogers put a bit of a damper on Georgia's signing day festivities this week and, perhaps more importantly, it meant the Bulldogs' depth chart at wide receiver would take a hit going forward.

Georgia will have just seven scholarship receivers on hand in 2010 -- senior Kris Durham, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, juniors A.J. Green and Israel Troupe, sophomores Marlon Brown, Tavarres King and Rantavious Wooten, and true freshman Michael Bennett, who just signed with the Bulldogs on Wednesday. Durham will most certainly be gone in 2011, and there's a strong chance Green could depart for the NFL a year early as well.

“Depth is definitely an issue at receiver. I would say we don’t have, at this moment, a good number that I feel comfortable having," Richt said. "Usually during the season you’re probably going to play around six or seven (receivers) and that’s what we have right now, so everybody’s going to get their share. We need to stay healthy at that position.”

Of course, while the Bulldogs may be a tad thin at receiver, the tight end position is overflowing with riches, and that could certainly offset any shortcomings in the passing game, Richt said.

Georgia returns all three of its top tight ends from 2009 -- junior Aron White and sophomores Arthur Lynch and Orson Charles -- while junior Bruce Figgins is set to return from a shoulder injury that cost him last season.

Richt said he still plans to employ three-receiver sets on occasion, but the diverse skill sets of his tight ends makes them a prime option for offensive coordinator Mike Bobo's scheme.

"What you’re looking for in offensive football is a chance to have some mismatches," Richt said. "We’re blessed with four outstanding tight ends. We certainly have playmakers and good solid depth with guys that can really play that position. I think that takes a little of the burden off the wide receiving corps."

BACK TO BASICS

In what was no doubt the most unintentional highlight of Georgia's signing day for fans, the Bulldogs' normally reclusive offensive line coach, Stacy Searels, was forced to address an inquiry about injured left tackle Trinton Sturdivant during a question-and-answer session with fans.

Searels stepped to the microphone and attempted an answer, but his voice was noticeably hoarse.

“My voice is gone because I was hollering at somebody else this morning,” Searels said, to huge applause from fans.

Truth be told, however, Searels was thrilled to have a scratchy throat, too. It meant he was finally off the recruiting trail -- where the shorthanded Georgia staff has spent much of the past two months -- and finally back to the business of whipping his players into shape.

“On Monday and Wednesday we had our offseason program," Searels said. "It’s fun to get off the road, sleep in your own bed, and get back to coaching ball."

BIDING THEIR TIME

As for those players Searels has been busy motivating of late, the past three seasons have provided a big dose of encouragement as to what the future might have in store.

Georgia landed three offensive line recruits this year -- four-star prospect Brent Benedict, burly lineman Kenarious Gates and Kolton Houston, who enrolled in January and is already working out with the team.

While it's unlikely that any of the three will see the field -- just as last year's signing class of Austin Long, Chris Burnette and Dallas Lee failed to do -- that's not necessarily a bad thing, Searels said. It means that Georgia's starters are doing their job, and unlike years past, the younger players are being given an opportunity to develop before being thrown into the fire.

“The first two years (Searels was at Georgia) we started four true freshmen," he said. "These kids being able to redshirt, get a little bigger, get a little stronger, work in the weight room and develop and not just be thrown into the fire, I think it’s going to make the offensive line even better.”

AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED

Georgia's newest safety, Jakar Hamilton, arrived from Georgia Military College with a pretty impressive reputation. Grantham, Lakatos and the rest of the Bulldogs' staff had seen him on tape enough to know he had plenty of ability. But there's always a concern about how a player will react to a new environment.

In Georgia's first few days of offseason conditioning, however, Lakatos said Hamilton has gone a long way toward eliminating any of those worries.

"We watched him on video, and he's a very good player on tape -- very exciting, very physical, rangy, competitive guy," Lakatos said. "The encouraging thing is, the couple of morning workouts we've had, he's been that guy. I know that's different from being on the field, but he's a hard worker. And with his ability times the hard work, he has a chance to be pretty good."

A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

It's not just Georgia's defensive players that are going to get a quick study in Grantham's new 3-4 scheme. It's also the rest of his staff.

While Lakatos will be new to the scheme, he's not likely to be greatly affected by the changes to the front seven. Rodney Garner, on the other hand, is going to be getting a fresh look at preparing a defense, and he's excited for the opportunity.

“This is my first time coaching in a 3-4 scheme," said Garner, Georgia's lone holdover among defensive coaches from last season. "I’m excited about expanding my knowledge as a coach just like the players are.”

THANKS FOR THE EFFORT

For six crucial weeks of recruiting, Georgia's coaching staff consisted of just one full-time defensive coach. That meant keeping a full staff on the road talking to recruits would be a chore for all those involved.

But to avoid being too shorthanded, the Bulldogs activated three of their graduate assistants to head out on the road, too, and when Georgia finally wrapped up recruiting season Wednesday, Garner said its successes were due in no small part to the efforts of the graduate assistants.

“They played a very vital role," Garner said. "I think it was beneficial for them and it was beneficial for us. It gave them a chance to get out there on the road and enhance their resume, and I thought they did a nice job when they were out there.”

Charles Takes Training to Next Level

Happy birthday wishes go out today to Georgia's freshman All-America tight end Orson Charles, who turns 19.

Another year older and a year of experience under his belt means fans are obviously excited about what Charles will contribute next season to Georgia's offense, but he's hardly resting on his laurels following a freshman campaign in which he caught 23 passes for 374 yards and three TDs.

In fact, quite the opposite.

Charles is taking a military science course this semester that's required for his major. During the course, his teacher spent some time discussing the training that Army ROTC members on campus participate in and encouraged students to give it a try. Never one to pass up on a challenge, Charles accepted.

"I took a little of it in high school, but I never really got serious, so I decided to just go ahead and do it and see how I'm feeling," Charles said. "So that's what I've been doing."

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the past three weeks, Charles has been getting up at 5:30 in the morning and heading out for PT with members of the UGA ROTC. And while he assumed going into it that he was already in pretty good shape, the early morning workouts have helped to open his eyes.

"It's definitely different than football -- way different," Charles said. "In football, the most you'll probably run is probably 200 (yards) back and forth. They go miles and miles and miles, and my whole method is just trying to keep up with them. … You go out there and find out you're not in shape."

The running is no jog through the park, Charles said. Each day, he reports for PT at 5:50 a.m. and runs -- either through campus or laps indoors -- about four miles, he said. Motivation is the key.

"You've got to talk to yourself when you're running with them," Charles said.

Of course, hard work is nothing new for Charles, who is doing the ROTC PT in addition to his daily workouts with the football team.

Charles isn't using football as a crutch though. In fact, while a few people have recognized him, he's made a point of keeping his career on the gridiron under wraps.

"I'm not sure if they know I'm on the football team," Charles said of the ROTC students he's been working with. "I just told them I have that class, and my teacher just recommended we come out there. I don't really go out there and tell them I'm on the football team. I had a couple people write me on Facebook saying that I had motivated them. I know a couple people that I told them I was coming out there, and they didn't believe me. My teacher said that on the first PT. So I'm surprising a lot of people."

He's surprising himself a bit, too, and that's what it's all about for Charles. He hopes the extra training will get him in better shape for football, but really, it was just about pushing himself.

"It's more something I wanted to see if I could do, see if I could beat my mind," Charles said. "Your mind says don't get or it's not worth it. I wanted to see if I could do that. Hopefully it rubs off on football."

Practice Notes: Recruiting Implications Will Be Big Saturday

In his first year on the job at Tennessee, Lane Kiffin made a point to put a target on Georgia. He called the Bulldogs his team’s biggest rival, and for good reason. The Volunteers need to recruit in Georgia, and Kiffin wanted to get his regime off on the right foot. The result was a dominant win over the Bulldogs in Knoxville last month.

This week, Georgia faces another first-year coach of another SEC program that relies on the Peach State to fill a sizable portion of its roster when Auburn comes to Athens. And once again, the victor will earn bragging rights – not just among fans, but in the living rooms of recruits throughout the state.

“Winning helps recruiting,” Georgia recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner said. “That’s the single most important factor is winning. Everybody loves a winner, and if you win, you’re hot, and you’re the most attractive person out there.”

For the past three years, Georgia’s had the edge over Auburn, but that hasn’t stopped the Tigers from competing for many of the same players the Bulldogs have recruited. Twenty players on Auburn’s current roster hail from Georgia, and a win for first-year coach Gene Chizik would help to boost that number in the future.

But the familiarity also breeds a bit of intensity, too, and head coach Mark Richt said his current players aren’t interested in letting Auburn become the latest to earn a win over the Bulldogs, on the field or on the recruiting trail.

“Auburn being so close to our border, just about every guy that we have on our team was more than likely recruited by Auburn and has been to Auburn and has seen what they are all about,” Richt said. “It’s a big deal for us as a staff, it’s a big deal for us as a team.”

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER

A year ago, Clint Boling was pressed into action at left tackle thanks to a slew of injuries at the position, and he never quite felt at home.

This season, Boling has made the move once again, but now he’s a bit more comfortable playing the most demanding position on the offensive line.

“I got a lot of experience playing left tackle last year and I’ve been working on it the last few weeks of practice, so I feel a lot more comfortable there now,” Boling said. “It’s not a big deal at all.”

Boling has started the past two games at left tackle after opening the season as Georgia’s starter on the right side of the line. When Trinton Sturdivant went down with a season-ending knee injury, many fans clamored for Boling to return to the left side where he eared rave reviews a year ago, but the change was slow to come.

With the return of junior Josh Davis from injury, however, Georgia had more leeway to fill any void Boling might leave on the right side of the line, and Boling said one the pieces were in place, everyone was happy to make the move.

“I think Coach (Stacy) Searels was just trying to find the best lineup he wanted with a group of guys that could play hard and do what he wanted to do,” Boling said. “And if that was me at left tackle and Josh at right tackle, then both Josh and I will do whatever Coach Searels wants to do.”

NO HUDDLE, NO PROBLEM

Georgia opened last week’s game against Tennessee Tech with a new look on offense – a no-huddle attack that kept the Golden Eagles guessing.

“We did the first couple of series. It wasn’t no-huddle, hurry-up offense, but it was just something we had gone into the game planning on doing,” quarterback Joe Cox said. “We wanted to get some plays run, get the line up and down fast, and try to put points on the board quick those first couple of drives. We scored on both those drives.”

The fast-paced offense was something offensive coordinator Mike Bobo had been toying with but saw a prime opportunity to run it against Tennessee Tech, and it gave Georgia a chance to show a more dynamic side of an offensive unit that has failed to show much life at times this season.

“It was just a change of pace, something that a lot of people haven’t seen us do, and it definitely caught them off guard because they were looking to the sideline trying to figure out what they needed to get in, and we went right down the field,” Cox said.

Despite the success the offense had against Tennessee Tech, Bobo isn’t sure if he’ll continue to use the approach going forward, but he said he liked the results enough to keep it as a possibility.

“It’s something we mess around with from time to time, and a lot is depending on our depth at receiver and how much we can do,” Bobo said. “But it was one of those games that we did want to spread them out and get our guys in space, and that’s something we could use in any game.”

TIGHT ENDS ARE TOP DAWGS

With A.J. Green out of the lineup last week, Cox found his tight ends made for appealing targets downfield against Tennessee Tech. The Bulldogs’ tight ends caught seven passes and one touchdown in the game, and that’s a trend Cox said he thinks can continue as Aron White and Orson Charles continue to develop within the offense.

“We’ve got two tight ends that are really making a lot of plays right now,” Cox said. “They’re dedicated to run blocking and work hard on it every day, and they’re great in the passing game. Orson and Aron, they run great routes and have great hands. You don’t have too many of those, and we’re lucky enough to have to of them on the same team.”

LINEMEN ON THE MEND

Two of Georgia's injured offensive linemen are making strides toward recovery, but Richt isn't sure either will be practicing before the spring.

Freshman Austin Long underwent back surgery before the season and has yet to practice with the team. There was hope he might be ready to practice by December leading up to an anticipated bowl game, but Richt said that's unlikely.

"He's got another appointment with the doctor, and it's sometime in December, to try to gauge how well it's healing," Richt said. "There's a possibility it's healed, but there may have to be some things that are taken out."

Richt said Long has been relegated to minor workouts -- elliptical machines and exercise bikes -- but he has not been able to run or do any significant weight lifting.

Trinton Sturdivant tore his ACL for the second time in as many years in Georgia's opener against Oklahoma State, but Richt said the left tackle is already well ahead of where he was two months after his first surgery.

"He's very excited about the repair," Richt said. "This is so much different than the last one because there was so much less damage that was done. The recovery is faster or at least he feels better faster. He feels like it's a great repair, he's confident in it, and he's excited about the future."

INJURY UPDATES

Richt on A.J.: "A.J. looks like A.J. Green, which is a very good thing. You'd never know he had any issues, and he might be a little more fresh than he would have been because we really didn't let him exert hardly at all."

Richt on Justin Houston: "He was wearing green but he was practicing and we expect him to play."

Richt on Quintin Banks: "He had a dislocated finger and they just kind of put it back together again and taped it to the next finger and go."

PRACTICE UPDATE

For the second straight day, Georgia's coaches and players braved the elements to get in a day's worth of practice, and while the energy was high, Richt said the passing game has been challenged by a day of rain and a day of high winds.

"We really haven't had a chance to throw and catch extremely well with the horrible weather yesterday," Richt said. “I think the wind was blowing like 14 to 20 mile-an-hour gusts out there, so it wasn't ideal conditions. Hopefully tomorrow we can have a pretty day. But we got the work in we needed to get done these last two days, and I'm happy with that and think we've got a good, solid plan.”

FOX LANDS RECRUIT

In the first day of college basketball’s early national signing period, first-year Georgia coach Mark Fox landed another recruit from the state of Florida when Orlando-area prospect Cady Lalanne signed a national letter of intent to join the Bulldogs.

“Cady is a terrific young kid who has the ability to score inside and outside,” Fox said of the 6-foot-8, 215-pound Lalanne. “One of the things we were looking for was a good interior offensive player, and I think we were able to find him. But his versatility on offense is something I really like, too. He was also very well-coached in high school, so I expect that his transition to college will be a smooth one.”

Lalanne is Georgia’s first recruit for the 2010-11 season, but Fox also landed guard Vincent Williams from the state of Florida soon after being hired in April.

Lalanne is rated as the nation’s No. 37 forward prospect by ESPN and the No. 21 center prospect by Scout.com.

From the Mailbag: Orson Talks to the Twitters

Last week, I got some Twitter questions for Rennie Curran, and he was kind enough to answer them.

This week's guest is freshman tight end Orson Charles, and you guys came up with another round of great questions. So let's get to them...

@genxdawg writes: Pleased w/ Charles blocking efforts so far. Has he been surprised by what it takes to be a good blocker in the SEC?

Similarly, @MIkeInValdosta writes: Orson, has SEC trench warfare been as you expected?

Always a confident guy, Orson said things aren't much different than he expected.

“It’s the SEC," he said. "I’ve been watching the SEC for a long time. I knew how to play, and Coach Richt was telling us how one mistake can ruin the whole game, so I just bring my ‘A’ game for every play.”

While word of Charles' exploits on the field were pretty widespread by the time he chose Georgia, his real legend began when word spread that he broke Florida's 2006 national championship trophy. That led @sanford222view to ask: Orson, what really happened with the whole crystal trophy thing in Gainesville? Was UF still a possibility for him then? DGD!

As it turns out, Florida was not only still a possibility for Charles, it was nearly a necessity. Here's the story from his side:

“I was on one of my recruiting visits, and it was like lunch time so they brought us up to the top deck where the box is you can look down and see the stadium. They had the Heisman trophy out and the National Championship trophy out.

"That was my first time seeing it. There was a little gap in between, so I wanted to take pictures. The Heisman was on the left, and the National was on the right. When I scooped down to take the picture of the name plaque, I bumped the table. I bumped it, and it hit the floor and just shattered.

"It was quiet for like five minutes. Everybody was staring, standing there looking at the pieces on the floor. Nobody could believe it. They were like, you want to be a Gator? It was like one of those commercials – ‘Want to get away?’.” I was like, I’ll go ahead and commit because they were saying it was like $35,000. I knew for sure I did not have that money. So I was like, I’ll go ahead and commit and hopefully bring y’all one back, but I’m not going to pay that much.”

Thankfully for Dawgs fans, the Gators didn't hold him to it.

@rbaile28 writes: Is it weird to see people walking around with your jersey number on already?

Orson: “I wouldn’t really recognize that this year. I’ll pay more attention to that next year. Really, it’s not my jersey. I know everybody bought No. 7 last year because of Stafford. I haven’t proven myself yet. I might claim that next year after I get one year under my belt.”

@godawgs921 writes: orson how many more td catches this season?

I asked Orson a more general question about changing his expectations due to the success he's had so far. His answer, essentially, was that he was always aiming high.

“They were pretty high to begin with, and I’m not going to lower myself any because of the playing time I’m getting in a game. You set your bar high, and if you don’t get it, for me, I still have three more years, and I’m going to get it.”

And finally, @jeffostenson writes: now that you've seen great successes as a bulldog, how glad are you that you made your final decision to come to athens?

This was a good question, and it actually tied in with one I wanted to ask, as it turned out.

Last week, I had Rennie talk about his final play against South Carolina, and I liked the idea of having a player walk me through a highlight from their perspective. So I asked Orson to tell me everything about his touchdown catch against Arkansas last week, and in doing so, he managed to answer Jeff's question, too.

Here's Orson's take...

“They called it the first time and I kind of came short, and once he called it again, I knew what I had to do, I knew the coverage and I knew they were going to respect A.J. So a linebacker tried to cover me so I had to come up and break a high. Right when I saw the ball, a lot of people don’t talk to themselves, but when I saw that ball in the air, I said, ‘Orson, do not drop it. Orson, do not drop it.’ Then I caught it and I scored, and the first thing I thought was, thank you, God.”

“A lot of people wondered when I kneeled down and scored that touchdown what I was saying, and I was just saying ‘Thank you God for putting me on this team.’ I really don’t call anything upon myself because if it wasn’t for God I wouldn’t be here, and my mom and my mentor and my coaches have drilled that into me.”

Of course, I didn't want Jeff's question to go officially unanswered, so I posed that, too.

“I thank God every night for leading me to Georgia," Charles said. "I don’t regret anything I do, I’m very happy I’m here, and I’m very happy with my new teammates and the class that came in with me that we’re making an impact.”

Big thanks to Orson -- who actually stayed very late after practice for this -- for answering all our questions. Remember, you can follow me on Twitter, too, by CLICKING HERE and we'll have another player interview next week.

UGA Notes: Shakeups in the Secondary

After spraining his MCL during last week’s win over Arkansas, head coach Mark Richt said it’s doubtful that cornerback Vance Cuff will be ready to play against Arizona State on Saturday.

“Cuff is doubtful,” Richt said. “He could turn around some between now and the game and because it’s a home game – if it was an away game he probably wouldn’t be on the plane. But we’re at home and if he feels good enough he could probably help us in an emergency.”

Cuff was Georgia’s top option off the bench in nickel situations, but that job will now fall to a combination of players.

Richt said Sanders Commings, who had been working at safety, will get some action at corner this week. While Prince Miller is generally the nickel back, Richt said the senior could stay at wide corner and Makiri Pugh could see increased action at nickel, too.

The most likely option, however, will be for freshman Branden Smith to get more work at corner with Cuff missing the game. While Richt said Smith isn’t exactly polished yet in terms of his defensive aptitude, the work he’ll get this week could prove important down the line.

“(Smith) is getting better at it as (he) goes,” Richt said. “He’s still young and got a lot of things to learn, and you just have to experience some things before you can really get good at them. I’m sure he’ll get that – he’ll get more experience.”

Defensive coordinator Willie Martinez also said he expects freshman Baccari Rambo to see increased playing time at safety this week, spelling Bryan Evans and Reshad Jones.

BACK IN ACTION

Through three games, Georgia’s tight ends have eight receptions – just two shy of last year’s total at the position. Aron White and Orson Charles each had touchdowns last week in a win over Arkansas, which puts the unit just one short of matching its total from 2008.

The bottom line is the position has become an offensive weapon once again for the Bulldogs, and a lot has to do with the impressive performance of the Bulldogs’ top receiver – A.J. Green.

“The presence of A.J. Green has helped that spot get favorable coverages, but they’re making plays, and that’s what we were hoping,” Richt said.

Charles has been the offense’s second-best weapon in the passing game this season, catching six passes for 146 yards thus far. The freshman’s blocking game, however, remains a work in progress.

“Certain blocks are easier for a guy his size, certain blocks he can get away with on just effort and technique,” Richt said. “But there’s some blocks that just take a certain amount of strength, and he’s still struggling some on those. If he doesn’t do it just right, he can get knocked back a little bit, but he’s getting there.”

FIGGINS’ FUTURE UP IN THE AIR

Georgia tight end Bruce Figgins still has three more games remaining on his six-game suspension, but Richt said the team hasn’t determined yet if Figgins will see any action this season at all.

The junior from Shaw High School underwent offseason shoulder surgery and missed spring practice. The injury is getting closer to being fully healed, but given that Figgins has already missed so much action, Richt said there was a possibility he would take a medical redshirt for the season.

“That has really not been determined at this point,” Richt said. “I think a lot will have to do with just where we are and where everybody is at that time.”

If Figgins should sit out the year, Richt said the Georgia Athletics Association has already determined that he would not have to miss additional playing time next year due to the suspension.

“Our association has decided that sitting out the entire year would serve as the discipline for that,” Richt said.

BANKS OUT AGAIN

Richt said safety Quintin Banks would not play this week against Arizona State as he continues to recover from a knee injury that cost him much of the preseason.

“He’s still trying to get back to where he can really run and change direction like he needs to to have a positive performance,” Richt said. “He’s still not there yet.”

A series of injuries, including an offseason surgery on his knee, has kept Banks on the sidelines for much of the past two seasons. It’s frustrating, Richt said, but he has been pleased with how upbeat Banks has remained.

“He’s an awesome kid, he’s always trying to keep a positive attitude, and he’s always trying to motivate his teammates even when he’s down and out as far as practicing,” Richt said. “It just hasn’t worked out for him like he would hope, but we’re all still holding out hope that it will for him.”

THE WAITING GAME

The hot rumor during the offseason was that Georgia would find ways to use backup quarterback Logan Gray as a weapon on offense – even if he wasn’t going to be the team’s starting quarterback. With Gray’s speed and athleticism, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said he thought the sophomore could be a perfect option in a “Wild Cat” formation.

As it turns out, however, Gray has been in on offense for just two snaps so far this season and didn’t see any action last week against Arkansas.

That’s not because Georgia has abandon its plans for Gray, however. With starter Joe Cox playing so well, and the Bulldogs playing in three close games so far, it’s simply a matter of not having opportunities to give Gray much playing time so far.

“It hasn’t really presented itself in a game,” Bobo said. “Every game there’s a plan for certain situations for guys to go in there, but Joe has done such a nice job in the last two games that you don’t want to break his rhythm or what we’re doing offensively.”

PENALTY PROBLEM

Georgia is once again among the most penalized teams in the country, and while Richt was hoping to avoid a significant crackdown following a 13-flag performance in Week 2, Bobo said the team’s problems against Arkansas are clearly a cause for concern.

Georgia racked up 14 penalties in last week’s win over the Razorbacks, including six false starts and three holding calls. While some flags are simply a matter of teams playing aggressive, Bobo said the Buldogs’ recent efforts show a lack of fundamentals.

“We talked about being more disciplined and focused, little things we talk about all the time that will get you beat,” Bobo said. “It’s not something that we want to see as a coaching staff, and usually it derails an offense of being able to execute and be successful. It’s something we’ve been harping on a little more this week.”

While the flags aren’t exactly something Bobo is celebrating, he said he is encouraged by how well his team responded, racking up 530 yards of offense despite the penalties last week. But while that’s an good sign, he said that type of success can’t last forever.

“We’re not going to be able to do that on a consistent basis,” Bobo said. “So that’s why we’ve got to try to keep preaching to those guys about good habits and good fundamentals and not losing their focus on things like the snap count, which is really inexcusable.”

Post-Game Notes: Green Gets Revenge

In the days leading up to the game, Arkansas cornerback Ramon Broadway made a glaring mistake in his preparations for Georgia receiver A.J. Green. He said he didn’t think Green was that much better than most of the other receivers he had faced.

Broadway and the rest of the Razorbacks’ secondary got a firsthand taste of Green’s revenge Saturday as the Georgia receiver scored twice in a thrilling shootout in Fayetteville, with the Bulldogs prevailing 52-41.

“Everybody knows how good he is in our locker room, and that’s what matters,” said quarterback Joe Cox, who had five touchdown passes in the game. “If somebody wants to run their mouth before the game, that’s their problem. Obviously it might not end up good after the game when he has a couple touchdowns on them.”

Green’s second touchdown with 10:46 left to play proved to be the turning point in a back-and-forth contest in which the two offenses traded blows throughout and the defenses struggled to find their footing.

Cox completed 18-of-26 passes for 375 yards and Green had seven catches for 137 yards.

“I think we had a perfect game plan for everything they were doing and we knew we had them on their heels,” Cox said. “We knew if we executed and made plays that we weren’t going to be stopped, and that was how it was the whole night. It was a fun feeling.”

Green's big game wasn't meant as a slap in the face to his critics, he said, but he didn't have the comments from Broadway in the back of his mind as he racked up catch after catch.

“That’s disrespect to me," Green said, "but I showed them today.”

COX SETS MARK

For the past nine months, Joe Cox heard plenty of criticism that he couldn't match the offensive fireworks of his predecessor, Matthew Stafford. Saturday, Cox put himself in rarified air -- tying a school record with five touchdown passes in a game, helping Georgia past Arkansas 52-41.

Cox's mark ties him with D.J. Shockley, David Greene and, of course, Stafford. The difference, however, was that Stafford's mark came in a loss against Georgia Tech last season, but Cox rallied his troops to a win.

"It's pretty cool, and it's definitely not something I expected to happen," Cox said. "We didn't know it was going to be a shootout like that, but if a team wants to make it a shootout, we've got to find a way to answer."

Cox finished the game 18-of-26 passing for 375 yards, both career highs. He was matched pass-for-pass by Arkansas' Ryan Mallett, who set the Razorbacks record with five touchdowns and 408 yards passing.

More than the numbers Cox posted, however, it was his demeanor in the huddle that made the difference, tight end Orson Charles said.

“My feeling was that we couldn’t be stopped, and Joe got in the huddle and said, ‘We can keep going, they won’t stop us.’”

BIG RUN MEANS A BIG DAY

In his first start, Richard Samuel couldn’t manage to break a tackle, but still mustered 87 yards.

A week later, his second start was hampered by Georgia turnovers and he got just 15 touches.

By Week 3, however, Samuel was ready for his breakout performance, and he showcased his impressive speed in the second quarter with an 80-yard touchdown run.

It was Samuel’s second touchdown of the season and the longest touchdown run by a Bulldogs’ player since Knowshon Moreno had an 80-yarder against Troy in 2007. Robert Edwards was the last Georgia player to run for a touchdown of 80 yards or more in an SEC game when he scored on an 80-yard run against Kentucky in 1997.

“It was a needed run for the running backs, just to show that they’re good for more than just five, six yards a carry,” Samuel said. “It was a good little run.”

Samuel ended the game with 16 carries for 104 yards — without his 80-yard scamper factored in, the sophomore averaged under two yards per carry at 15 rushes for 26 yards.

HAPPY RETURNS

Caleb King got his first taste of action this season after sitting out more than a month with a sore hamstring.

After weeks of confusion on whether the sophomore tailback would be available to play, King finally took his first handoff in the first quarter against Arkansas – a 5-yard run. He got back into the action in the second quarter with two more runs, both more than 10 yards, helping the Bulldogs to 122 rushing yards in the first half.

"It felt real good not having a broke wheel," King said. "I'm just glad the coaches still had the trust in me to put me back in the fire."

In what turned into a pass-happy affair, King finished the game with 11 carries for 59 yards. Three of his carries came as the Bulldogs tried to run the clock on their final drive.

“It’s just adding another asset to the little rotation we’ve got going on here,” Samuel said. “It’s good to have him back in the rotation and just playing football.”

GIVE IT AWAY

Georgia’s problems holding onto the football surfaced quickly against Arkansas.
After turning the ball over twice in the first quarter a week ago, and the results were no better against the Razorbacks.

Prince Miller muffed early in the first quarter after Brandon Boykin backed into the play on coverage. Arkansas responded with a touchdown four plays later.

With 24 seconds left in the first quarter, Joe Cox tossed to Samuel, who mishandled the ball and the Razorbacks’ Adrian Davis recovered the fumble. Again, Arkansas made Georgia pay for the miscue, with Ryan Mallett hitting Greg Childs for a 30-yard touchdown on the next play.

The Bulldogs turned the ball over a third time in the second quarter when Cox threw an interception down the middle of the field on a third-and-long play.

Georgia now has nine turnovers on the season, leading to 40 points by the opposition.

“We shot ourselves in the foot a lot and we still put up more than 50 points,” said wide receiver Michael Moore. “That just shows that we still have a long way to go. We can’t make mistakes and stupid penalties. We still have a long way to go and that just shows that we can be that much better.”

CHIPPING IN

Two Bulldogs got their first career touchdowns Saturday.

Redshirt freshman Tavarres King made the first big play of his career, hauling in a career-high 50-yard pass in the third quarter for his first touchdown as a Bulldog. He would add a 14-yard, third-down reception early in the fourth quarter.

Freshman tight end Orson Charles got in on the action too, reeling in two consecutive third-quarter passes for 62 yards and his first Georgia score.

“It was awesome. It was everything I dreamed it would be,” King said. “We had a lot of fun out there today. On that touchdown, Joe just looked at me, I looked at him and I knew it was coming my way. I embraced my opportunity and went up and got the ball.”

With Kris Durham out for the season, Moore is the Bulldogs' only scholarship senior at receiver. After career-highs in January’s Capital One Bowl, Moore had been quiet this season.

But Saturday he proved a valuable weapon at Cox’s disposal, besting his previous season totals and career-highs with six receptions for 91 yards.

EXTRA POINTS

-- Georgia linebacker Akeem Dent was a surprise scratch from the game, which left the Bulldogs thin at the position, given the absence of Darius Dewberry as well. Marcus Dowtin got the start at middle linebacker, with Darryl Gamble at Sam linebacker.

-- Blair Walsh’s 35-yard field goal in the first quarter, 37-yarder in the second and 31-yarder in the fourth make him a perfect 6-for-6 on the season.

-- Rantavious Wooten’s carry for no gain in the second quarter was the first touch of his career.

-- Bulldogs’ defensive end Justin Houston made his first start of the season after serving a two-game suspension to start the year.

-- Georgia senior Justin Fields left the game with an injured shoulder and did not return. Corner Vance Cuff also left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury and did not return.

-- Georgia’s 52 points matches its total from a win at LSU in 2008 as the most the Bulldogs have scored in an SEC road game since 2004.

*Thanks to Tyler Estep for assisting with these notes.

** I'll get to the Willie Martinez commentary tomorrow.

Notebook: Arkansas Tight End Has Georgia's Attention

Willie Martinez said the game plan last week was to avoid getting beat deep, and the result was an eight-catch, 96-yard performance for South Carolina tight end Weslye Saunders.

The game plan may have to change this week with Arkansas’ offense featuring All-SEC tight end D.J. Williams, but Martinez said the biggest key for Georgia’s defense will be execution.

“We didn’t tackle well in the last game, and that cost us,” Martinez said. “And we’ve got to do a better job of pressuring the quarterback, whether that’s through blitzing or the four-man rush. And we’ve got to do better in coverage.”

Martinez said Georgia was willing to give up some yards underneath against South Carolina, but linebackers coach John Jancek said Williams commands a bit more attention.

“It’s a different style in terms of what they do,” Jancek said. “I think Arkansas has some really good thoughts on how they want to get the ball to the tight end, and we need to be aware of where he’s at.”

The defensive effort should get a boost with the return of linebacker Nick Williams this week after the sophomore missed last week’s action with a sore hamstring. Georgia was without two of its top three Sam linebackers, who are usually tasked with covering the tight end.

“I’ve heard he’s a great player,” Nick Williams said of the Arkansas tight end. “I think I can help, even if it’s just with the depth so guys aren’t taking every snap at linebacker.”

AWESOME ORSON

Freshman Orson Charles was supposed to be eased into the offense, but he’s already proven he can be a weapon for Georgia.

Charles’ four catches and 84 yards receiving are both second-best on the team, and quarterback Joe Cox said the tight end is causing havoc for defenses already, despite his lack of experience.

“He’s definitely a great threat in the passing game,” Cox said. “He has really great speed, runs good routes, has good hands. You can tell that sometimes he’s having to think a lot about things, and that just comes with experience and just practicing. He’s learning a lot and it’s good that he’s getting plays early. You can see his confidence getting higher and higher with every ball he catches. He’s going to be a good one.”

While several of Georgia’s freshmen, including fellow tight end Arthur Lynch, have yet to secure the confidence of offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, Charles’ work ethic and reliability have stood out. That’s a good sign, Bobo said, and he expects Charles to see increased action in the coming weeks.

“He’s a conscientious kid who studies extremely hard and wants to be good and he has ability on top of that,” Bobo said. “He’ll continue to be more of the plan and the package because of his work ethic and his ability to make plays.”

BANKS OUT AGAIN

Safety Quintin Banks was cleared for action last week following a knee injury suffered during fall camp, but the problem flared up again during practice this week, and head coach Mark Richt said he won’t make the trip to Arkansas.

Richt said the knee problem was nothing more than swelling, however, and he expects Banks to return to practice next week.

“He’s coming off an injury that he’s on the front end of when he could come back and he looked good, but it puffed up on him and that’s typical,” Richt said. “You just kind of back down and get the swelling out and try again.”

Richt said that defensive end Kiante Tripp and linebacker Darius Dewberry will also miss the game at Arkansas, but Williams, tailback Caleb King and offensive lineman Josh Davis, each of whom missed last week’s game, will all be on the trip.

ANDERSON GETS THE START

Justin Anderson will start his second straight game at right guard Saturday, with Cordy Glenn working at left guard and Chris Davis coming off the bench.

Richt said Anderson looked sharp against South Carolina, and the coaches are anxious to allow the sophomore to continue to gain experience.

“He’s a good football player but he’s like any young guy, kind of up and down,” Richt said. “Sometimes you worry about how they’ll do in the course of a game, but as we always realize in the end, the more you play him the better he gets, the more comfortable he gets.”

Richt said the overall effort by the offensive line was strong a week ago, despite the offense totaling just 307 yards in the game.

“We pass protected pretty good, and we ran the ball well," Richt said. "I thought the line played pretty good, and some of the issues we had in total yards was just the number of plays we ran.”

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Defensive end Cornelius Washington recorded the first sack of his career in the first half against South Carolina last week, and Richt said the play was a perfect example of why coaches are so high on the redshirt freshman.

“There’s another example of a freshman who’s getting to play and is just going to get better in a hurry,” Richt said. “I thought he improved a lot from Game 1 to Game 2.”

Richt said Washington engaged his blocker and pushed him back into the quarterback before breaking free for the sack – a technique the coaches teach in order to prevent the quarterback from knowing which way to scramble.

“That was really a clinic on that one particular play, and it just shows what he’s capable of,” Richt said. “Now he just needs to get consistent at it.”

MURRAY STARTS THROWING

Freshman quarterback Aaron Murray began light throwing again Wednesday after dealing with triceps tendonitis for the past week.

Richt said Murray will make the trip to Arkansas, but he isn’t sure when Murray will return to full practices.

“He threw a little bit (Wednesday), but not a lot, and it wasn’t in a competitive setting,” Richt said. “Trying to predict that would be like predicting when Caleb (King) was coming back. It’s hard to say.”

FIGURING IT ALL OUT

Two weeks into the season, and wide receiver Michael Moore admits, he’s still not quite sure what to make of Georgia’s offensive attack.

The Bulldogs struggled to post just 10 points in their opener, then rebounded with 41 against South Carolina a week later. That makes figuring out which version of the offense will emerge this weekend a tough call.

“I really don’t know,” Moore said. “There’s a lot more playmakers than there was in years past. There had always been one or two guys – this guy or that guy. Now I think we’re able to spread the ball out a little bit more and get more people involved.”

The biggest leap forward from the first game to the second, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said, was the energy the team played with, but the task of finding an offensive identity is still an ongoing process.

“I still think we’re still honing in on what we are offensively,” Bobo said. “But if we’ll play hard and eliminate the mistakes, we’ll have a chance to move the ball and score points in games.”

MORE TO COME

Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten didn’t see the field at all in Georgia’s opener and managed just three plays combined a week later, but Richt isn’t writing them off. In fact, he thinks the pair could develop along a path similar to another accomplished Georgia receiver.

“I’m not going to predict it’ll happen like it did for Fred Gibson, but it wasn’t until Game 3 that Fred Gibson really started to come on and play,” Richt said. “We have every intention to keep playing them and getting them more and more comfortable. Some of it was just not feeling comfortable that they knew exactly what to do on every play without somebody behind them coaching them, but they’re getting better.”

ROAD TO RETURN

With Rod Battle out for the remainder of the season, the depth at defensive end will continue to be an issue, but Richt said two of Georgia’s youngsters could be closing in on a return.

Richt said sophomore Neland Ball is getting close to returning to practice, and redshirt freshman Jeremy Longo could return to work next week.

Longo had shoulder surgery during the offseason and Richt said he suffered a minor knee injury that hindered his return this fall.

“Not being able to move around as well on his knee was keeping him from progressing into combat with his shoulder,” Richt said, “but I think by next week we’ll begin to phase him into contact.”

NO DOUBTIN' DOWTIN

Sophomore linebacker Marcus Dowtin wasn't planning on getting a lot of playing time early this season, but when he got his opportunity in Week 1 against Oklahoma State, he made the most of it.

Dowtin was the team's leading tackler in that game, then followed it up with another strong performance a week later against South Carolina. He now ranks second on the team with 14 tackles, and he's garnered some confidence from Jancek, too.

“Marcus has earned more playing time," Jancek said. "He’s got still a number of things he needs to work on but he’s making progress and you’ve just got to keep moving forward.”

WAITING ON WOOD

Defensive tackle Brandon Wood has yet to practice this season while recovering from a labrum injury, but Richt said he hasn't completely counted Wood out yet. If the junior can return soon, Richt said, he could still avoid a medical redshirt.

“He could still play," Richt said. "He’s been trying to progress, and if he feels healthy enough and doctors say he can go, he’ll have a choice to make here.”

WASHED OUT

After two practices earlier this week that Richt described as lethargic, the Bulldogs' Thursday workouts were moved indoors thanks to rain.

Rather than lament the missed time on the field, Richt said he hoped the mental reps would sharpen the team's fundamentals against Arkansas and the lack of running would allow the players to be refreshed in time for Saturday's game.

“We’ve had enough practice outside in the weather. I didn’t feel like we needed to get soggy today, and we’ll get a chance to concentrate on the assignments and the mental aspect of the game, which is the great majority of what today’s about anyway. I think that’ll be good for us. To hold off on any kind of running today would probably be a good thing and help freshen the boys up a little.”

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.

Just How Good Are Charles & Lynch?

After watching the tight end position essentially disappear from Georgia's offense a year ago, hopes are high for the position this year. But how good are Georgia's two freshmen tight ends, really? Well, that's probably hard to say until we actually see them play. Until then, the next best opinion is probably the one that comes from the guys covering Orson Charles and Arthur Lynch in practice.

So, with that in mind, I got some input from linebacker Nick Williams, who has seen a good bit of both tight ends while playing Sam linebacker this preseason.

Here's what Williams had to say...

On Lynch: "Arthur is really aggressive, and that's going to help our running game. He's a great blocker. He can catch, he's got great hands, but he's a great blocker. He's a smart player. That's the one thing I've learned. I always hear Coach Lilly saying, 'Good job, Arthur.' I'm thinking, man, this guy's a freshman? He's got all the intangibles."

On Charles: "He's got good speed, good size, and he can run. He's coming on at blocking, too. His footwork is good, good balance. He's going to be a great player. Whenever you're lining up over Orson, you know he's got at any time he could break a big play, so you better be going hard. And he can do so many things that when I'm lined up over him I'm thinking, is he blocking, going out for a pass, because he's a good blocker, he can run routes, he can catch a pass. So you've got to be 3-D-like. He's going to be a good one."

Bottom line, Williams said: He's as excited as anyone to see Lynch and Charles in action.

"I want to see them," Williams said. "I go against them every day and I want to see what they do in the game."

Boykin Assesses Freshmen

UGA cornerback Brandon Boykin discusses the Georgia receiving corps and the new additions in the defensive backfield, along with assessing A.J. Green's basketball skills.

From the Mailbag: Charles Takes on Blocking

I got a handful of pretty good questions for players last week via Twitter, but I didn't get time to post too many answers. So I'll take some time this week and dish them out one at a time.

This one comes from @drewh07, who asks: Can you ask how Orson Charles is doing regarding the blocking schemes...is he picking them up pretty well?

Indeed I can... and I did.

I had actually talked to Joe Cox about this issue before, and he said Orson was putting a lot of work into his blocking. He has already added some weight, which helps, but after talking to Orson firsthand, I found he's not happy with where he's at in terms of blocking... and that's a good thing.

"My blocking game is alright, but I don't want to be average," Charles said. "A lot of people are all right with being average, but I don't want to do that. I want to do what Georgia wants me to do, to be above average, to be a guy that people can depend on. My blocking's OK, but OK's not going to win you games. You've got to keep working at it."

I'm going to guess a few Georgia fans will be pleased with that answer. Seriously, Orson seems to have the perfect attitude, and when you add that to the focus veterans like Joe Cox, Rennie Curran and Jeff Owens have offered, it's hard not to think the mental side of this year's team is going to be a vast improvement from last year. Now, whether the same can be said for the skill side... I guess we'll find out soon enough.

Remember, you, too, can get your burning questions answered, but first you have to follow me on Twitter. (Or, I suppose you could just email me, but that's just so 2004.)

From the Mailbag: Aurora Cable Access Edition

It's Friday, it's 3:30, it's time to party. I'm your excellent host David Hale, and with me as always is... well, OK it's just me. And that "Wayne's World" reference was probably lost on a majority of you. Nevertheless, it is Friday, so let's crack open the mailbag for a few quick questions and answers...

From Bill in Sandy Springs: ESPNU has been reshowing the Texas vs Oklahoma State game. I couldn't help but notice what a big part of the Oklahoma State offense TE Brandon Pettigrew was(currently Detroit Lion). Pettigrew had atleast 5 or 6 catches in the parts of the game that I was watching and they were all at needed opportune times. After Dez Bryant last year Pettigrew got the second most catches on the team. I Also can't even imagine the huge impact a tight end of that great talent would have on the running game. No one seems to be talking about the void that OSU needs to fill at Pettigrew's vacant position. I am wondering how much of an effect it will have on the Cowboys offense particularly QB Zac Robinson. Your thoughts?

David Hale: It's tough to say really since I didn't watch a ton of Okie State last year. The obvious answer, looking at Pettirgrew's stats and draft value would be, "They'll miss him a lot." But if you simply go by stats and draft value, well Georgia's in a whole lot of trouble with what it lost.

The Oklahoman has a good article today, however, on who might be replacing Pettigrew , so that's probably the best place to start, and the OSU tight ends coach tells the paper that Pettigrew was "a bell cow." Now, I have no idea what that means, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say if Pettigrew was still around, we'd all be wearing gold-plated diapers.

(Again, I'm curious how many people actually got that reference.)

Of course, if you want a homegrown opinion on how good Pettigrew is, you can get it from Matthew Stafford, who told ESPN's Page 2 that he and the former Cow Poke are new BFFs.

Robert asks: How's that new MacBook working for you, David?

DH: Types like a dream. Thanks for asking.

Anonymous asks: What about (Kalvin) Daniels? Would he be above (Washaun) Ealey and (Dontavius) Jackson?

DH: Kalvin Daniels gets mentioned by coaches often and has run the ball well so far this fall. Daniels has been running with the second unit along with Ealey of late, but that's due in part to Jackson and Caleb King missing some action with injuries. My guess, however, is if Daniels has the confidence of the coaches -- which he appears to -- that's probably another mark in favor of redshirting Ealey.

KYDawg asks: I'd like to know what our new number 7 would consider his second best or favorite position if he were not a TE/reciever. I read that at plant he played some on D and even carried the ball a few times.

DH: You ask, Orson answers...

"If I wasn't playing tight end, I would be playing receiver," Charles said. "I'd slim down and get faster and play receiver. No defense. That was pretty much a high school thing."

Anonymous asks: Hey David, how do you say that DE's name? Fa-loo-ey?

DH: It's Reuben -- like the sandwich -- Fah-low-ghe -- sounds like "Flowbee." ("It sucks, as it cuts." ... "Well, it certainly does suck.")

Via Twitter, @jeffostensen asks Carlton Thomas: how will your small stature affect your blocking ability?

DH: Again, you ask, Carlton answers...

"You just can't sit back and let him come and get in to you," Thomas said. "You've got to attack. If you let them build that momentum up, they'll win every time because they're bigger than you. But if you can get to them early before they've built up a head of steam, you can win. You might lose a couple, but you'll win more than you lose."

And finally, Anonymous asks: Why is Vance Cuff left off your "depth chart", and why have we heard nothing about him recently? I know for a fact that he recently ran a 4.28 40 in practice and is trying to break Champ Bailey record at UGA in the 40, which is 4.24 I believe. Where's the love? Pretty good corner as well.

DH: The only answer I can give is that I'm an idiot. Sorry about that. Cuff is with the No. 2 unit at corner right now, and as you'll probably remember, he saw a good bit of action at the tail end of last season. I think the confidence the coaches have in him was a big reason they saw no issue with making Makiri Pugh a full-time safety.

OK, that's it for this week. Back with practice notes later tonight...