Notes: Dawgs Keeping Big Game in Perspective

This week’s matchup is circled on Georgia’s calendar every season. Florida is a huge rival, and the game typically determines which team will head to Atlanta to represent the SEC East in the conference’s championship game.

This year, however, things are different for the Bulldogs. For only the second time since 1996, Georgia will be unranked when it faces Florida, and while the Bulldogs’ Eastern Division title hopes remain on life support, this game is about more than simply keeping their preseason goals alive.

“Even if both teams were ranked or unranked, it’s always a big game,” quarterback Joe Cox said. “Now with us being an unranked team playing the No. 1 team, it could change our season. We want to use this game as a great opportunity to turn our season around. That’s what we’re going for.”

Of course, even Cox knows that’s a lot of pressure to put on his team, which enters the game with three losses for the first time in 13 seasons. So while he admits there’s a lot ride on the outcome in terms of team morale, he said the Bulldogs are doing their best to keep the game in perspective.

“We don’t want to beat Florida in order to save the season or turn things around, we just want to beat Florida to beat Florida, for us,” Cox said. “We’re not talking about all the things that could come with it because there’s no need to talk about it and be thinking about stuff like that. We want to come out and execute our game plan and win the game.”

A win would be sweet, however, after Georgia has suffered through its most tumultuous season since head coach Mark Richt arrived in 2001. And knocking Florida from its perch atop the rankings – that’d be pretty nice, too.

But while the rivalry aspect of the game serves to energize the fans, Georgia’s No. 1 goal is to keep things simple. It’s not about what happened earlier this year or what has happened in seasons past, Cox said. It’s simply about getting a win this week – even if that win might be a little bigger than the others.

“I didn’t play 18 years ago, and I don’t know who did,” Cox said. “It’s all about this year, and that’s how you need to approach every game. You can talk about who won in 1957, but it doesn’t have anything to do with when you play on Saturday. That’s more something for fans to go back and forth about and bragging rights.”

RIVALRY RENEWED

The first time A.J. Green saw Florida defensive end Carlos Dunlap, he assumed there were a few years between them. As it turned out, the bulked-up Dunlap was just a year older than the lanky Bulldogs receiver.

“I’ve been playing against that guy since the sixth grade,” Green said. “I remember seeing how big he was and saying, ‘Man, this guy is huge. He’s not my age.’”

Dunlap and Green grew up near each other in South Carolina and were rivals throughout their careers, playing against each other in grade school and high school on both the football field and the basketball court. During one game in high school, Dunlap’s coach even split him out at cornerback to try to defend the speedy Green – a move that didn’t exactly pay off.

“It was a game at home, a rivalry, a sold-out game,” Green said. “He came over and tried to jam me one time. If he had gotten his hands on me, he probably would have knocked me down, but he didn’t get his hands on me.”

Instead, Green raced by Dunlap, and the two have been going back-and-forth ever since.
But while their on-field rivalry is intense, Green said the two are good friends away from the game and talk on a regular basis about their roles with their teams and their roles in the community.

“We were the face of South Carolina, and a lot of people, a lot of kids look up to us,” Green said.

When Green was being recruited out of high school, Dunlap was one of his primary advisors, offering words of encouragement and advice on earning playing time as a freshman. Oddly, Green said, Dunlap never tried to sell his friend on Florida or chastised him when he chose the Gators’ archrival.

“He’s a great guy,” Green said. “He’s grown as a person. In high school, he had an attitude pretty much. But now, he’s a good guy, and we talk all the time. Before I came up here, he talked to me about how it was to come and play, how hard it was to come in in the summer and get everything down pat to try to play right away.”

Green said his hope is that the two might finally be teammates in the NFL one day after being rivals for so long as amateurs. This week, however, Dunlap is anything but a friend.
The burly defensive end has already recorded five sacks this season, and while he may be a friend of Green’s, quarterback Joe Cox said he’s not particularly excited to get to know Dunlap on Saturday.

“He’s a big guy who is strong and he moves very well,” Cox said. “Their whole defense is, you can look at all their guys, but he definitely does stand out.”

STARVING FOR A WIN

Caleb King is hungry.

Sure, he’s hungry for a win this week against rival Florida. And he’s been starved for a chance at redemption after blowing a blocking assignment last season that sent him to the bench for the next few weeks. And after a two-touchdown performance in his last game, he’s dying for a chance to build on his success.

But mostly, he’s just hungry – for some real food.

After breaking his jaw in Georgia’s loss to LSU on Oct. 3, King has been barred from eating solid foods, meaning all his meals have come in the forms of shakes, soups and other less-than-hearty delicacies.

“Everybody can eat a meal, but I have to eat a drink,” King said. “It’s hard. I just have to be in the weight room more than everybody else so I can keep my strength and keep my weight up.”

King’s diet has been monitored by Georgia’s training staff, but for the most part, he’s been on his own to find ways to keep his body strong despite the lack of solid foods.

“I blend stuff, I drink a lot of Muscle Milk – morning, afternoon, at night for dinner,” he said. “If I think I just need something, I drink it. So it’s just pretty much the same routine every day.”

That’s a routine he’ll be thrilled to end, but he’s not sure when that might happen.
His jaw is healing, but he’s far less concerned about the injury and more about when he can dive into a steak.

“I’ve been thinking about it, but (trainer) Ron (Courson) tells me he’ll tell me when it’s time, and he hasn’t even given me a hint,” King said. “He hasn’t even looked my way yet, so I don’t know.”

The upside, King said, is that he’s had plenty of film study and strength training to keep him occupied, but as good as some success on the field Saturday might taste, it probably won’t be quite as good as his first real meal.

“I already told Ron, the first meal, they’re going to have to pay for it,” King said. “I’ll go in and chow down.”

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Prince Miller finally brought a spark to Georgia’s punt-return game two weeks ago with two returns totaling 95 yards, but keeping that trend going won’t be an easy task this week.

Through seven games, Florida has yet to allow even a single punt-return yard to its opponents behind punter Chas Henry, making the Gators a worthy adversary for Georgia punter Drew Butler, who leads the nation in punting average. With those statistics, Mark Richt said field position will be tough to come by.

“Chas Henry is fantastic,” Richt said. “He hasn’t punted a lot, but he can boom it with distance and great height. He can easily get a five second hang time, and when you get that hang time, you’re not going to return it.”

Of course, punting is just one aspect of the special teams, and Richt said it will be incumbent upon the Bulldogs to win more than just one of those battles.

Last year, a botched on-side kick led to a Florida touchdown, while kicker Blair Walsh missed three field-goal tries for the Bulldogs in a loss. This season, however, Walsh is among the best kickers in the country, and Georgia’s special teams have provided a number of highlights that have Richt convinced Georgia could be in for a successful day Saturday.

“It’s a situation where you’re going against one of the better special teams teams in the league and in the country,” Richt said. “It’ll be a challenge, but we’ve had a lot more good than bad in my opinion on our special teams, and I think we’re moving in a very good direction.”

WHERE’D HE GO?

Georgia’s fans may assume linebacker Rennie Curran is the Bulldogs’ version of Superman after he has led the team in tackles in all seven games so far this season, but even Superman needs a break.

So while linebackers coach John Jancek said he would love to have Curran on the field at all times, that just hasn’t been an option, and the All-SEC junior has sat out a handful of key series during the past few games.

“The guy can’t play every single snap,” Jancek said. “He’s on all the special teams, and you have to factor those plays in. And you’ve got to be able to substitute, roll guys in and keep guys fresh.”

That trend will continue throughout the season, Jancek said, with the idea being that keeping Curran fresh for most of the plays is better than having him winded on all of them.

“Rennie, as great of a player as he is, he’s not going to be as effective as he should be or could be if he’s taking every snap,” Jancek said.

BIG CHALLENGE AWAITS

The season hasn’t exactly been an easy ride for Georgia’s offense, which has had its share of ups and downs. But despite a handful of tough opponents along the way, quarterback Joe Cox admits this week’s game will likely be the Bulldogs’ toughest.

Florida ranks first nationally in total defense, second in pass defense, 12th in run defense and second in scoring defense, allowing just more than 10 points per game. In addition, the Gators return several key players from injury, including All-SEC linebacker Brandon Spikes, meaning Georgia has its work cut out for it.

“You look at them statistically, they definitely are the best we’ve faced,” Cox said. “They have great athletes, they’re ranked pretty much one or two in everything in the country, so they’re definitely the best. I’m glad we had two weeks to prepare for them.”

Five Players to Watch: Arkansas Edition

I'm hitting the road for Arkansas -- woo hoo! -- so I'm limited on posts for today. But in advance of this week's SEC showdown, here's my thoughts on five players who will be the difference for Georgia on Saturday.

1.) Prince Miller. The senior cornerback didn't officially get burned against South Carolina, but he sure didn't have his best day. The Gamecocks had two touchdown passes against Miller, but both were called back due to penalties. He'll need to improve in coverage against a far more potent Arkansas team that enjoys lulling an opponent to sleep with a controlled passing game, then going deep for the big play at just the right time.

2.) Akeem Dent. South Carolina burned Georgia over and over by dumping off passes to the tight end over the middle. Dent didn't play particularly well, and with Darius Dewberry out and Nick Williams questionable for the game, he'll be back to work at the Sam linebacker spot on Saturday. That's going to be a concern, as Arkansas has one of the conference's top tight ends and the Razorbacks will no doubt be looking to exploit the same weaknesses South Carolina did.

3.) The Brand(on/en)s. Man, we really need a better nickname for these two. And as a fan of a non-Houston NL Central team, I can't endorse "The Killer Bs." Plus, as one reader pointed out, no true Georgia Tech hater can give his players a bee-related nickname.

Anyway, to the main point: Arkansas' special teams aren't exactly the best the SEC has to offer. Smith and Boykin were monsters in the return game last week, setting up Georgia with good field position on offense (or in Boykin's case, taking it to the house). They'll have a chance at a repeat performance this week, and against the Hogs' high-octane offense, every yard is important.

4.) Justin Houston. With Rod Battle out, Georgia's depth at defensive end isn't getting any better now that Houston is back from a two-game suspension. But that doesn't mean the results can't be improved. Houston had a huge spring and continued to earn praise for his work this fall despite the two-game absence. That should match up well with the less-than-mobile Ryan Mallett, who won't give the defensive line the same trouble Garcia did a week ago by moving around in the pocket and making plays with his feet.

5.) Mike Bobo. Two games into the season, and we really don't have any better understanding of what Georgia's offensive identity is. Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten still have hardly seen the field. Orson Charles has looked impressive but has been underutilized. Richard Samuel appeared on the verge of a breakout game last week, then disappeared from the game plan for 15 minutes. The playcalling improved last week from the opener, but there were still plenty of curious decisions. Arkansas' defense should't require a rocket scientist to solve, but the problem for Bobo has really seemed to be his overthinking of the game plan. Bobo needs to find the right mix of diversifying the offense enough to keep the Hogs guessing while not abandoning the Bulldogs' bread and butter for long stretches of the game. In other words, find an identity and go with it.

So… what do you think? What are your keys to this game? What matchup has you the most worried?

Practice Notes: Richt Mum on Jones' Injury

Mark Richt spent a few minutes talking about the potential of the offensive line this season should everyone stay healthy. He even noted that it had been a strong camp for sophomore center Ben Jones. But when asked about a potential injury Jones reportedly suffered during Wednesday’s practice, his answer was simply, “No comment.”

Jones was seen leaving Georgia’s football facilities with his foot wrapped and using crutches, but Richt would not discuss any apparent injury.

As a true freshman last year, Jones started nine games, all at center, and was one of the few consistent contributors during an injury-ravaged season.

This year, he is expected to be Georgia’s starting center, while freshman Chris Burnette has worked with the No. 2 unit. Junior Chris Davis, who had been working as the No. 1 left guard could also slide over to center, a position he played throughout the 2007 season.

UPDATE: Per UGA Athletics, the injury is just a sprain. X-rays were negative and Jones is considered day to day.

RETURN ENGAGEMENTS

A year ago, it was game day before Richt had a clear idea of who would return kicks and punts for Georgia. This season, the depth chart is already coming into shape, and it doesn’t look a whole lot different from last season.

Richt said Prince Miller, who racked up 191 yards and one touchdown on nine returns, would handle punt-return duty, with quarterback Logan Gray reprising his role as the standard fair-catch man.

Richt said Gray has worked almost exclusively on kicks inside the 10, where his primary responsibility is to decide whether to fair catch the ball or let it roll into the end zone. Although Gray is likely to be Georgia’s No. 2 quarterback, Richt said the special teams job has few drawbacks.

“It’s not a high-risk job back there,” Richt said. “Rarely do those kicks get returned. Most of the time they’re trying to pooch it. It’s high, so it’s usually a fair catch or let it roll.”

There’s a bit more competition for kickoffs, with a couple of new faces joining last year’s veterans. Richard Samuel remains a top choice, along with senior Bryan Evans, but Richt said sophomore cornerback Brandon Boykin and freshman speedster Branden Smith are also getting reps.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE

Despite his special-teams work, Smith said his primary focus this preseason has been on learning the ins and outs of the cornerback position. Along those lines, he said his offensive reps have been minimal, despite Georgia’s coaches suggestions that he could see a bit of action at wide receiver this season.

“I’m not really working at it,” Smith said of his offensive exploits. “I’m still trying to focus on defense, trying to get my technique down. I still need to improve there, so right now I’m not even thinking about offense.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean Smith is averse to giving offense a try if called upon – a situation that he admits is still a possibility.

“If they do need me, I’ll go over there in a hurry,” Smith said. “I’m here to help the team win, whether they need me at quarterback, running back, whatever.”

STARTING FROM BEHIND

Kwame Geathers spent nearly three weeks waiting for a phone call to say he could start his Georgia career. He said he would sit in his living room and jump for the phone, even when it was just his grandmother calling.

When the call finally came to let him know he had qualified academically and could report to fall camp, the rest of his teammates were already three days into practice, and it’s been an uphill battle for the freshman lineman ever since.

“The first couple weeks were pretty hard, coming in late and seeing all the other guys in pretty good shape,” Geathers said. “I was back at home trying to stay in shape, but I’ve found out you can’t be prepared for a college workout. It’s a different level.”

Geathers said he got some sage advice to keep his head up through the tough times from his older brother, Robert, who played at Georgia and is now with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. Still the advice has been tough to follow through with, particularly given the demands of his position coach, Rodney Garner.

“He expects me to know all the plays right now,” Geathers said. “He looks at me just like all the seniors. He wants me to be the best, and the best have to do it fast and learn it fast.”

Geathers earned some action in Georgia’s scrimmages last week, however, and while he understands he still has a long way to go, he said that was a good first step in getting into shape for what lies ahead.

“I’m still trying to learn the plays. I got in there and tried to make some stuff happen,” he said. “It’s tough, but I’ve been taught to just keep going, keep striving for the best and keep working hard.”

THE WAITING GAME

After criticizing the team for a lackluster effort during Tuesday’s practice, Richt was a bit more upbeat about the Bulldogs’ play Wednesday.

“I judge those practices by how hard they’re working and how focused they are on doing what we ask them to do, and I thought today was a good day in that regard,” he said.

Richt credited the cooler weather and overcast skies with energizing the team and admitted that this is the time of year when keeping his players motivated becomes an issue, as the bumps and bruises of more than two weeks of practice add up and the excitement of the first game is still more than two weeks away.

“If we were less than a week away, we’d be like, man we need more time,” Richt said. “But now that we’re two-and-a-half weeks away, you’re anxious to get a little bit closer. You want to get the work in, but it’s a long time to wait for that game.”

Senior defensive tackle Jeff Owens said he’s as excited as anyone to get back to playing real football, but at the same time, he’s not ready to declare the Bulldogs ready for action just yet.

“We wish it was where you get through camp, and it’s the first game,” Owens said. “But I’m happy that we still have these two weeks to get better. I think we’ve got a long way to go to be great. To be at a championship level, we need to get to a certain point, and right now we’re not competing at that level. But we still have time and a lot of room to grow.”

That’s the primary concern for Richt, who said the dog days of fall practice are perhaps the best indication of what to expect from the team once the season actually gets going.

“I think it’s going to wear on us a little bit, but that’s where we’ve got to be strong and stay focused because that’s what’s going to still be there when the emotions are gone,” Richt said. “We just need to keep grinding right now – and it is a grind.”

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

If it weren't for injuries to veteran linebackers Darius Dewberry and Akeem Dent, freshman Mike Gilliard would likely be spending this fall working with the third-stringers, toiling in relative obscurity.

As luck would have it -- for Gilliard and perhaps for Georgia -- he's managed to work his way into the starting lineup for the past two scrimmages, and the Bulldogs' coaches have been impressed with what they've seen.

“He’s gotten a lot of work because of Dewberry’s situation," Richt said. "He’s progressing, and he’s gotten a lot of work with the No. 1 unit."

His progress has been so impressive that Richt is all but certain that Gilliard won't be redshirted this season, regardless of the amount of playing time that may be available.

"I don’t think there’s much doubt we plan on playing him," Richt said. "When everybody comes back healthy, I don’t know where he’ll end up on the depth chart, but I think he’s played enough to where we wouldn’t be afraid to let him play some scrimmage downs and I know our special teams coaches are trying to find every one they can get.”

SLOWED, BUT STEADY

Akeem Hebron hasn't enjoyed a lot of consistency in his career. He arrived highly recruited, but injuries and academic issues have plagued his time at Georgia.

So far during fall practice, there's still a bit of rust, but Richt said the reports from Hebron's coaches have been encouraging.

“I don’t know if he’s 100 percent healthy from what he was coming out of high school, so I don’t know if he’s really hitting on all cylinders," Richt said. "But he’s smart, instinctive, he’s made good open-field tackles, and coaches like him.”

Richt said Hebron has been working mostly at the Will linebacker position behind Rennie Curran and Nick Williams.

Cracking Open the Mailbag (8/14)

I've managed to reply to some Twitter questions during the past few months, but it's been a while since we've really done an old-fashioned mailbag. But I've had a lot of good inquiries lately -- both of the Twitter and non-tweet variety -- so I figured it'd be a good time to rectify that issue.

So without further a do, let's see what y'all are interested in talking about...

From Peter S.: Last year I met (freshman defensive end) Reuben Faloughi before a game and had lunch with him. He's a very smart kid who talked about going to med school after college. He's exactly the kind of student we want here at UGA, with or without football. I'm happy to see him making an impression in football -- he was tall and pretty slender as a h.s. senior but I know the coaches liked him for many reasons -- but I do hope that you will note that he's a Hope Scholarship kid with outstanding academics. ... I'm proud to have kids like him at UGA.

DH: Well said, Peter. It is nice to have reminders that college football is about more than just football.

I listened in on a bit of Anthony Dasher's interview with Faloughi last weekend, and I was immensely impressed by the kid. After Dash finished talking to him, a few of us media folks took a minute or two to discuss our thoughts on the walk-on defensive end. The general consensus: He looks an awful lot like Quentin Moses in terms of body type. As Peter said, Reuben's a very smart kid, too, so clearly he's got the goods to make a name for himself in Athens.

And apparently Mark Richt thinks so, too...

"Reuben is a guy who is competing like he wants to earn a scholarship. He's athletic, he's smart, he's very determined and focused," Richt said. "He's one of those guys that was very, very close to being offered a scholarship, but sometimes you just don't have enough to give out. We were thankful to get him because he did have some scholarship offers. But he's determined to not only be a Bulldog, but to earn a scholarship and earn some playing time."

And one more note... that slender kid has bulked up a good bit. Faloughi lied on his resume saying he was 210 pounds, but he admits now he was actually 205. But after a couple of months working out at Georgia, he's already up to 220 and looking a lot more like an impact defensive end.

From Jack W.: David, there was much talk, even at the Rome Bulldog Club about Brandon (Wheeling), mentioned without CMR being asked a question...yes, I am from Dallas, Ga and my wife taught him. ... fine young person....just thought you might know something.

DH: Indeed I do, Jack. I'll preface this by saying Rodney Garner is not the type of coach to needlessly praise his players. Ricardo Crawford could probably spend a few days telling you about that if you ask him. But here's what Rodney had to say about Mr. Wheeling...

"I'm excited about Brandon Wheeling. I like that kid. I like his toughness. He's a very quality, solid guy that I feel comfortable with putting him in the game in any situation, whether it be the game on the line or whatnot. He knows what to do, he understands our system, and he brings a toughness to the game. He is a naturally tough kid, and they just don't make naturally tough kids anymore."

By the way, my buddy Brian Perkins asked in a chat I did during the spring if I had any good ways of incorporating more Journey songs into the Georgia game day routine. One of my thoughts was to have the band play "Wheel in the Sky" each time Brandon Wheeling steps onto the field. So if the Redcoats buy into my plan, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a lot of PT for Brandon this season.

From HVL Dawg: David, I saw in your tweet that CMR awarded a scholly to a walk on. I think he does that every year. Do you think he does it more than other coaches who are oversigning recruits?

DH: There's a good chance that the oversigning of recruits keeps many coaches from doing this, but it still a pretty common practice among most coaches. Richt has made a habit out of doing this with at least one or two players every year, and the practice has earned Georgia a good number of talented walk-ons, including last year's special teams captain, Andrew Williams. It also is probably the reason players like Faloughi came to Georgia.

From @shadcraft21: ask prince miller how Shawn Williams and Bacarri Rambo are coming along, south georgia native here.

DH: Didn't get to ask Prince, but I did get some details from a couple other Bulldogs.

Darryl Gamble on Rambo: "Baccari's making a lot of plays on the ball, catching interceptions, being in the right place, coming down and making plays on the running back."

Rennie Curran on Williams: "A guy that's till learning but has definitely impressed me is Shawn Williams. Looking at him, you see he's hungry, he's trying to make that big hit, be around the ball and make something happen. And he's got a little mean streak in him, too, and you always want to see that from your safeties. That's our last line of defense, so they've got to be the meanest."

From Travis H.: Has Drew Butler improved much as our punter for this season? Also do you have any insight on the kicking situation between Bogatay and Blair Walsh...I know in your last article you talked about them, just wondering if one is performing better than the other...

DH: The reports on Butler have all been pretty positive, but we aren't really going to know much until he does it on a Saturday. It's hard to simulate the rush properly in practice, and even during the scrimmages, the kicking is rarely live. The bottom line for Butler though is consistency. He has the leg to get the job done. It's a matter of making sure he's getting it done more often.

As for Bogotay and Blair... your guess is as good as mine. Neither guy is giving much away, and Mark Richt and Jon Fabris weren't exactly specific in their answers when talking to the Athens Banner-Herald the other day.

From Joe S.: Where can I go to get a good idea of a projected depth chart? OR do I need to wait a couple of weeks?

DH: Short answer, you need to wait a couple of weeks. And even then, I'm not sure how much difference it makes. Mark Richt will be the first to tell you that most of the "official" depth charts are simply rosters put together by the sports information staff that have little bearing on who actually plays.

Of course, this is a mailbag, so let's have a little more fun with it than that. From the reports I've gotten from players and coaches, here's how things look right now (the abbreviated version):

QB -- Joe Cox is the man, no questions. Logan Gray is looking solid at No. 2 but Richt refuses to make it official. Aaron Murray has an outside shot at the second spot and still may play even if he's No. 3 on the depth chart. Zach Mettenberger has a lot of work to do if he wants to move past any of the others.

RB -- Richard Samuel's scrimmage probably puts him in a front-runner's seat, but my guess is still that Caleb King gets a large share of the workload, if not the majority. Carlton Thomas remains the No. 3 guy, but I think Mike Bobo is still concerned about his pass blocking. Washaun Ealey and Dontavius Jackson are probably going to be shuffled to the back of the pack barring an injury, etc.

WR -- A.J. Green will be starting at either flanker or split end (he's been working at both) and Mike Moore is starting in the slot. In a three-wide package, Tavarres King is probably the nominal starter now, but Marlon Brown is clearly on the upswing and Orson Charles (while officially a tight end) can be moved out to what Richt calls a "Ted" position, which is still the tight end body type, but lined up in a wide receiver formation. All six of Georgia's wideouts will see ample playing time though.

FB -- It's Shaun Chapas all the time. Fred Munzenmaier will get some work, particularly at the goal line, but Chapas has a stranglehold on that job, no question.

TE -- Aron White is clearly the starter, but John Lilly and Mark Richt have both been very impressed with Arthur Lynch and Orson Charles so far. All three of those guys are going to have an impact, and Mike Bobo specifically said he hoped to scheme around the tight ends quite a bit more this season.

OL -- Bobo just discussed this the other day. The starting lineup is Trinton Sturdivant (LT), Chris Davis (LG), Ben Jones (C), Cordy Glenn (RG) and Clint Boling (RT). Don't expect that to change unless there's an injury. Vince Vance and Justin Anderson are backups at both the guard and tackle positions, and Chris Davis would likely slide over to center to spell Jones.

DE -- Rod Battle is the clear starter on one side, with Justin Houston likely being the starter on the other... except for that little suspension issue. That leaves Demarcus Dobbs as the next man up. Marcus Washington and Kiante Tripp are both behind them, with Cornelius Washington, Montez Robinson and Neland Ball further down the depth chart. This position still has a lot of room for shuffling though beyond Battle.

DT -- No questions here. It's Geno Atkins and Jeff Owens, with Kade Weston and DeAngelo Tyson behind them. We're likely to see a lot more of Weston this year than we did last year, too, I think.

LB -- Darryl Gamble is the starting Sam linebacker, Akeem Dent has the job in the middle and Rennie Curran is set at Will. Darius Dewberry will be the primary backup at Sam, Marcus Dowtin at Mike and Nick Williams at Will. Akeem Hebron, Charles White and Christian Robinson could see playing time, but that top six is looking pretty firm at the moment. Chase Vasser and Mike Gilliard are more than likely heading for redshirts or a lot of special teams work.

S -- Again, this position is completely settled. It's Reshad Jones and Bryan Evans as the starters. Baccari Rambo and Quintin Banks are probably the top two backups right now, but the reports on Shawn Williams have been glowing.

CB -- Prince Miller is set and unless he falls apart, Brandon Boykin will handle the other side. Sanders Commings is probably the top guy off the bench in a nickel package right now, but certainly we could see a good bit of Makiri Pugh as well. Between Branden Smith and Jordan Love, I'm guessing at least one will work himself into the discussion, but it's just too early to say on that yet.

As for the special teams, beyond Drew Butler I don't think any decisions have been made yet. And even if they had, I don't think Jon Fabris would tell me.

From Ludakit: You'll have to excuse me if you've already answered this somewhere else but there's been a lot of talk over pass breakups this season and this article was the first I've seen from any site mentioning that some of it is happening at the LOS. Do you know if a lot of the pass breakups are coming at the line or in coverage?

DH: I asked Rodney Garner about this, and here's what he said...

"The (defensive linemen) have been getting a good push and guys are getting a knack for getting their hands up and trying to bat balls, getting in the quarterback's window and vision area. They've done a good job with that, but we can still continue to get better."

I think the young QBs are still trying to learn and understand how to find the right passing lanes, and the second-team O line is perhaps not giving the QBs quite as much time as they need. More importantly, when you've got guys like Jeff Owens, Geno Atkins and Kade Weston charging up the middle, getting those throws off isn't easy on anyone. But I think Cox will be fine. He hasn't started since 2006, but the guy has played against SEC defenses and he hasn't shown any indication that his size is going to be an issue.

From Frank: Have you heard anything regarding a timetable for expanding Sanford Stadium?

DH: Right now, the only major capital project going on is the expansion of the Butts-Mehre facilities. I noted on the blog last week about some of the additions Mark Richt said are coming on that, but as far as Sanford Stadium goes, what ya see is what ya get for the foreseeable future.

From @Suthrn_Shepherd: who is the most difficult UGA corner to go against?

DH: I posed this inquiry to both A.J. Green and Michael Moore.

Moore's answer went back a ways: "Tim Jennings, by far. He was just so quick and fast. I was a freshman, but I think I'd like to take him on right now and see how we compare now. But he was definitely the best one."

A.J. stayed a bit more current: "Gotta be Prince. He's a great corner. He's so smart, and he's fast. You've got to be real precise to beat him."

A reporter then asked Green if Miller had been tougher to go against than Asher Allen. Turns out, Green only went one-on-one with Asher once, and it didn't go well for A.J.

"I don't care how great you be," Allen told Green, "you're still 0-1 with me."

From Jim F: Does UGA/ SEC conf. have any policy re: H1N1 outbreaks?? What % of team/ school infected before cancellation? cancellation or forfiet? Can infected players play? What assurances are there for opponents that all players are 'clean' on ther other side?

DH: This is an interesting question, and I passed along the inquiry to Claude Felton in the UGA sports information department. He said that, as of now, Georgia's football team is following the same guidelines as the rest of the university does -- you can find the school's H1N1 policies HERE.

Perhaps that's enough, but it will be pretty interesting to see if this becomes an issue as the season moves along.

From @Imprimatur: love your work. Read blog daily and subscribe to tweets. Could do without meal updates though. Text rates apply, etc.

DH: Fair point. I'll limit the off-topic tweets. But in case you were wondering, I had swordfish and a baked potato for dinner tonight. It was delightful.

From Will: As a quick side note to your links you posted for today (Saturday) - Florida being ranked #1 in recruiting may be the biggest croc (pardon the sort-of-pun). Every other recruiting site has their guys way down compared to these ESPN rankings, and theres no way they jump up that high before playing a down of senior year. This leads back into the whole SEC TV deal: good god, man, is this the kind of blatant bias that our conference signed up for. The kind that is currently financing our athletic renovations? If so, thats some pretty dirty money we're rolling in right now.

DH: Remember last year when ESPN ignored Knowshon's leap? I think I'm with Will on this one in taking a wait-and-see approach before I decide all should be forgiven. And more importantly, Georgia fans who tune in to the Worldwide Leader should probably get ready for a WHOLE LOT of Tim Tebow coverage during the next four months.

From Daniel G.: This is just a thought, but I am tired of announcers talking about how UF is going to walk through this season. They also usually state that the only hard game is in LSU.

Out of the past 15 years, UF has taken the week off before the GA\FL game 12 times. In those same years, UGA has only taken the off week prior to the game once - happens to be 2007 when we won. Gators have to travel to Ole Miss, while we have extra time to rest and prepare. Just a thought, but I would put this as a tough week for the Gators!

DH: I couldn't agree more. As Daniel also pointed out with some well-researched analysis, in the one season Georgia had a bye prior to the Florida game, the Bulldogs thumped the Gators 42-30 and partied in the end zone. In the two other years in which Florida played the week before the game, the two teams split the matchups, with Georgia winning in 2004 and losing last year.

The fact that Florida has had such a huge advantage in terms of preparation time for these games in the past 15 years is a much bigger issue than where the game is played. And if Damon Evans really cares about evening the odds with Florida, he should be less concerned with suiting up in Atlanta and more concerned with protecting the Bulldogs' schedule.

And if you check out the future schedules over at Sic 'Em Dawgs, that's not exactly happening.

From @allyugadawg: Just curious to know if Marlon's Grandmother (or Damon Evans for that matter) swung a switch at him for the facebook fiasco.

DH: The "fiasco" in question involved some scandalous comments attributed to Marlon Brown on Facebook last month.

As it turned out, the Facebook site was a fake, and it was not Brown who made the comments. That doesn't mean he didn't get some heat from it.

"I just got to school, and something already happened," Brown said. "I hadn't been at school a month and something was already stirred up a controversy about me."

It was a rough introduction to life in the SEC for Brown, and while he was aware of such stunts as the distribution of Knowshon Moreno's cell phone number by LSU fans last year, he was still stunned to see some pretty nasty words attributed to him.

"The thing about the Facebook is that I heard crazy rumors about it," Brown said. "Me and Coach Richt talked about it, and it was just crazy stuff."

Richt continued talking -- this time to his whole team. Following the incident, Brown said Georgia's coaches spoke to the players about closely monitoring what they write on social networking sites including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

From @dawgengineer: Is Prince Miller returning punts again this year and will he have any other special team responsibilities?

DH: Here's what Prince told me: "I think that's up to the coaches, but I plan to play the same rolls as I did last year."

Sound encouraging? Nah, I didn't think so either.

But while Miller may not be handling return duties this year, Branden Smith, Rantavious Wooten, Brandon Boykin and Carlton Thomas all have been doing this fall. I think all four could handle the job nicely.

From Old Dawg55: David, I have one comment/criticism to offer: get rid of the TV promos... you use up valuable column inches discussing (to most of us) inane TV scripts that we find meaningless. You're a football writer not a TV critic..make up your mind. You're a damn good sports writer so don't screw it up with the other drivel. GO DAWG!!

DH: Point taken, and I have no doubt that there are a hefty contingent of readers who don't care at all about "Lost" or various '80s pop culture. But I think the beauty of a blog is it gives me a chance to not just pass along UGA info, but also include a bit of my personality to the writing as well. I don't include much of it outside of my links posts, and, as this next email shows, you'd be surprised how many readers really enjoy the off-topic discussions.

From Jason: Your daily links are turning into a quasi-Drudge Report of sports/pop culture for me - and that's a huge compliment. Please don't lose the links to the non-Dawg stuff.

I would just advise good ol' boys like Mr. Old Dawg to ignore the stuff he doesn't like and mash away at the links that he does enjoy. Congrats on a great first year and I selfishly hope you stick around for awhile, with big annual merit increases/raises each year of course.

DH: Thanks, Jason. I'll keep posting the links as long as you guys keep reading them (and maybe even after that).

As far as your second point goes, however, as much as I appreciate the compliment, unfortunately the real world isn't quite so kind.

So, this is probably as good a time as any to let you know that the parent company of the Macon Telegraph is forcing employees to take mandatory one-week furloughs before December 6, 2009. These furloughs were just announced last week, which means I have no choice but to take it during football season.

While I hate to step away from our coverage during such an important time of the year, I'm also well aware that I'm hardly the only person suffering from the tough economic times we're living in, and that includes the good folks working at UGA.

So, the plan for now is for me to be away from the paper, the blog, Facebook and Twitter during Georgia's bye week. While I was not excited about leaving a week before things get heated up for Georgia-Florida, this seemed like the best possible option.

My hope is that this will be the last of these furloughs, and our coverage will continue uninterrupted beyond that. My concern, however, is obvious. As I've stated numerous times in this blog, the future of the newspaper as we know it is in serious doubt. I'm encouraged by the vast number of people who read this and other online sources of news, particularly the large following of younger readers that I have. The downside, however, is that until newspapers can find a way to generate the same revenue from an online product that they did from print, the future for people like myself and many other journalists far more talented than me, will remain in limbo.

OK, I can't end on such a downer, so let's do one more...

From @BPMackie: to Logan Gray: Would you rather beat the Gators this year or be able to see through women's clothing?

DH: I really considered asking Logan this, and if I'd had more time with him, I probably would have. But you know what's so great about this question? Georgia's hatred for Florida is so intense that people like Logan might actually have to think for a few minutes about the right answer.

OK, that'll do it. Remember, if you have questions, you can leave them in the comments, email me at dhale@macon.com or send me a message on Twitter at @Bulldogsblog.

Practice Notes: Geathers Makes the Grade

It took a little longer than expected, but Georgia's 2009 freshman class is finally complete.
Head coach Mark Richt confirmed Thursday that lineman Kwame Geathers was cleared by the NCAA and will be on campus when Georgia holds its fourth day of fall practice today.

Richt said he was informed Tuesday morning of the decision, but Geathers still won't be a full participant in the Bulldogs' practice sessions for a few more days. The NCAA mandates that players are given five days of acclimation time before participating in contact drills, which means Geathers will be in shorts today when his teammates are in shoulder pads, and he'll still be in shoulder pads when the team holds its first full-contact practice Monday.

Geathers brother, Robert, played at Georgia and is currently a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, and his uncle, James, played 13 years in the NFL as well, so Richt said he's confident Kwame Geathers will be in good shape upon arrival.

"He comes from a family that has a lot of football players," Richt said. "They know how to work."

DOWN AND OUT

Safety Reshad Jones injured his hamstring Wednesday and was held out of Thursday's practice. Although the injury is not serious, Richt said Jones will miss some time.

"It's too bad because he was really practicing well and leading," Richt said. "He'll be healthy enough by the time the season starts and he has enough quality reps and playing time that I don't think it will be a huge deal, but he quite frankly had a lot of positive momentum coming into this camp."

Quintin Banks took reps with the first team in place of Jones on Thursday, with Baccari Rambo and Sanders Commings working with the second team.

SHOWING IMPROVEMENT

With Justin Houston suspended for two games and nearly every one of Georgia's other defensive ends coming off an injury, the start of fall practice figured to be rough at the position. Instead, Richt said the defensive ends have been among the most impressive groups in camp.

"(Demarcus) Dobbs is in great shape, (Rod) Battle's in great shape, Cornelius Washington, we're getting a chance to see him do some things," Richt said. "I see a lot of good."

BACK AND FORTH

Sophomore Nick Williams arrived as a safety, moved to linebacker midway through the season last year, then was switched back to safety this offseason when John Knox transferred. The changes didn't end there, however, and Williams is back to weakside linebacker yet again.

The change during the offseason was made to strengthen the numbers among the safeties, but now that Georgia's freshmen have arrived on campus, Richt said the coaches made the decision to move Williams where they thought he would have the biggest impact.

"You want as much speed on the field as you possibly can," Richt said. "We feel like he's one of the guys that's going to make an impact for us, and right now we're trying to find where he's best going to be able to do that. I don't want to give away too much of the game plan, but we think he can help us there."

MOVIN' ON UP

Richt wasn't sure how much Chris Davis would be able to practice before the team took the field for its first practice Tuesday afternoon, but by the end of the day, the junior offensive lineman was back with the first team.

Davis started all 13 games last year, but underwent hip surgery during the offseason and was slow to recover. After three days of practice, however, Richt said Davis is doing much better.

"I don't think it feels great, but he played with it last year, and he says its better than it was a year ago," Richt said. "He's fighting through it, and it doesn't seem to be slowing him down."

Davis joins Trinton Sturdivant, Ben Jones, Cordy Glenn and Clint Boling with the first-team offensive line, bumping senior Vince Vance to the second team. Vance is coming off ACL surgery, and while his knee is close to 100 percent, Richt said he still has a ways to go in terms of conditioning and mentally preparing for the grueling pace line coach Stacy Searels insists upon.

"Coach Searels has a way of getting guys to practice a certain way, and it takes a while to get there," Richt said. "I think he was at that point before he got hurt, but he was away from it a while, and now he's got to get back into that mode."

ODDS AND ENDS

-- Darryl Gamble recovered a fumble Thursday, marking the third straight practice in which he has come up with a turnover. "He's just making plays," Richt said.

-- The buzzword all offseason has been leadership, and while that has come naturally to a lot of Georgia's veterans, Richt has been particularly pleased with one senior who has had to work a bit harder at become a vocal leader. "Prince Miller has probably done one of the best jobs of getting out of his comfort zone and becoming more of a vocal leader."

-- Richt on who has impressed so far:

"It's so great to have Geno (Atkins), Jeffrey (Owens) and Kade (Weston) inside. Those three seniors know the ropes and they're doing a great job."

"A.J. Green, he just makes plays every day. A.J. is practicing very well."

"I do like how our running backs seem to be very focused and are competing very hard. I think they truly believe it is a wide-open competition, which it is."

-- Freshman tight end Arthur Lynch has been working as the long snapper on special teams for the past three days. Richt said Lynch is likely the third man on the depth chart at the position. Ty Frix is considered the front-runner for the job.

-- Logan Gray got another vote of confidence from his head coach, but Richt isn't setting anything regarding the No. 2 QB job in stone just yet. "I like how Logan's practicing. Today, in my opinion, he's still a very solid No. 2, but we'll continue to rep everybody and see."

The Dynamic Duo: Deleted Scenes

Due to a combination of laziness and various non-blog responsibilities, I don't have any links for you today, but I did want to point out a story I have in today's Telegraph on Bryan Evans and Prince Miller. For the past three seasons, they battled each other for position on the depth chart at corner, but this year, both expect to be starters and both have grown into much-needed leaders in the secondary.

You can read the full story HERE.

I had a handful of quotes that didn't make the story, too, so I'm going to post them here as well.

Bryan Evans on he and Miller's new role as leaders...
"I think we both stepped up, just to show the freshmen that it starts with us. If we go out flat, that's when they're going to go out flat. They've got to see a pep in our step and feed off us, so I've tried to take that and run with it."

Evans on Miller's improvement at cornerback...
"I think Prince can do nothing but get better going against A.J. Green, one of the best receivers in the country. You're not going to see too many receivers like A.J."

Prince Miller on Evans' move to safety...
"I knew he wouldn't have a hard transition with knowing the defense. Just going from corner to safety, he knew where he was supposed to be. I just wanted to be there to help him with the transition. If he has an up day or a down day, I just wanted to be there for him like a friend is supposed to be."

Miller on what he expects from Evans this year...
"He's going to have an All-American season. You don't want to use potential, but that's what it is, and I believe he's going to do a lot of good things."

Brandon Boykin on Miller and Evans' relationship on the field...
"It's fun out there with them, but you can tell they have a good relationship. They take that relationship to all the DBs, and I think we're really becoming a family."

Boykin on the leadership Miller and Evans have provided...
"They have taken on that leadership role. When we're on the field, they're running to the ball, and that rubs off on the other guys. They see them doing it, and they want to follow that and not be the one standing out."

Boykin on how much Miller has helped him, specifically...
"He's helped me a lot, in the film room, on the field, even last year on special teams he was giving me tips on how to get past defenders and things like that."

Willie Martinez on Evans' development on the field...
"He's been very consistent. It's amazing how he's really come along as far as understanding our scheme. He's done a really good job of being consistent in executing the defense. Bryan has done a really good job of being positive and each and every day he's getting better and better and better with understanding it."

A Pick to Click

Last year, Asher Allen opined that someone must have spiked the team's Powerade supply. He suggested Super Glue for the players' gloves. He slammed his fist against the turf every time he missed yet another shot at an interception.

While defensive end Demarcus Dobbs picked off two passes during the season and proudly proclaimed he had the best hands on the team, Georgia's defensive backs were left shaking their heads.

The Bulldogs intercepted only 11 passes in 2008, and just five came in the secondary -- all by safety Reshad Jones. For the rest of Georgia's DBs, it was a frustrating season filled with missed opportunities -- a problem they hope to rectify before taking the field in 2009.

"We know we didn't get the job done last year," senior cornerback Prince Miller said. "But I think we started off the spring at a good pace. We're getting batted balls, catching interceptions."

Well, not necessarily.

While the coaching staff has been generally pleased with the productivity of Georgia's secondary this spring -- from Miller's consistency to Bryan Evans' leadership to Brandon Boykin's emergence -- those missed opportunities have still been a problem.

In Georgia's first scrimmage of the season, the defense picked off two early passes, but ended up handing the ball back to the offense both times after fumbling the football.

A few days later, the DBs got their hands on four passes, but didn't come down with an interception on any of them.

It has become a significant source of consternation for Mark Richt and his staff.

"Defense has got to take as much of a serious attitude toward ball security and turnovers as the offense does," Richt said. "I've tried to make a bit point that how are we going to win – if four balls hit our hands in a game and we catch them, we're going to win."

Capitalizing on the offense's mistakes will be crucial this season for a secondary that lost its leader in Allen, who departed for the NFL a year early, and its most experienced safety in CJ Byrd, who graduated after handling the starting duties for the past two seasons.

But for all Allen and Byrd brought to the defense a year ago, neither managed a single interception, and Evans said that can't be the case this season. When a defender has a chance at a turnover, they have to make the play. If they don't, it affects the whole team.

And that's where this spring's newest bit of motivation comes in to play.

In years past, if a defensive back dropped a pick, he did 10 push-ups. This year, everyone does them.

"We're trying to cut dropping picks out completely, so now as a team, as many picks as we drop, that's the pushups we have to do after practice," Evans said. "To know that we're together, one pick affects the whole team. If you drop a pick, the next play they can score a touchdown. So that's how we look at it."

It's a plan Richt has gotten behind. The first step toward fixing the problem, he said, is changing the mind-set.

Richt said that too often the defensive players have been satisfied with simply disrupting a pass or knocking the ball out of a receiver's hands because they haven't been trained to go after a pass the same way an offensive player would.

"A lot of those defensive kids, they didn't catch when they were kids," Richt said. "They can't be satisfied with just saying, well I'm not supposed to catch it. They're getting all excited about a ball disruption, but no -- catch the ball."

It's a learning process, Boykin admits. Without Allen and Byrd, there isn't much experience in Georgia's secondary. Only Evans, Miller and Jones have taken significant snaps in their careers, and Evans is now playing at a new position. But the message is getting through, Boykin said, and by fall, he hopes Georgia's secondary will be back in the business turning opportunities into turnovers.

"That's what the spring is for," Boykin said. "We had young guys out there who haven't really played in a game, so we're going to make mistakes. But we'll see who can build on it, and that's how we get better as a team."