UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season

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Puppies in Dogs’ uniforms

By Mark Bradley | Saturday, October 21, 2006, 08:22 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Mark Bradley

• Falcons lack an identity
• Puppies in Dogs' uniforms
• Life in the fast lane
• Should Knapp's days be numbered?
• Something seriously wrong with Falcons

Athens — Fifteen days after carrying a No. 10 ranking into what was billed as a national showdown, unrated Georgia was playing in a game so unpalatable that no TV network deigned to carry it live. That tells us much about how far and how fast the Bulldogs have fallen, but this tells us more:
Eight days after losing to the worst program in the SEC East, the reigning conference champion nearly lost to the worst program in the SEC West.
On the off-chance anyone had failed to notice, Mark Richt admitted it flat-out: “We’re not as good as we’ve been.”
We on the periphery keep waiting for some switch to get flipped, some substitution made, and for Georgia to morph into the colossus it had become. Any such morphing, sorry to report, will have to be deferred until next season. At this moment, Georgia is Georgia in name only.
Bulldogs of recent vintage could win on bad days. These puppies did a lot of things right against Mississippi State on Saturday — “We did a good job on offense,” said quarterback Matthew Stafford — and still were in peril of being overtaken at the end by an opponent that had mustered one offensive touchdown in three previous conference games.
Georgia in general (five turnovers, nine penalties) and Stafford in particular (three interceptions) kept alternating nice moments with egregious ones and throwing the visitors lifelines in the process, and all of a sudden the clock was inside 20 seconds and State was staring at a 40-yard field goal to tie.
Being State, it never reached overtime. Being State, it got weirdly bold at the end, quarterback Michael Henig being divested of the ball by Charles Johnson. (This after the visitors had begun the day by punting — punting! — from the Georgia 30.) Was Johnson surprised at State not kicking with 12 seconds to play? “I was,” he said. “But they’d been driving the field so much.”
Think about that. Mississippi State, owner of the 110th-best offense in Division I-A, had been driving the field against a team that, until recently, had been built on defense. We can write off Georgia’s offensive spasms to youth and Richt’s dithering over personnel, but how do we explain away the dropoff in a defense that features nine starting upperclassmen?
“Maybe we’re in position and not making plays,” said Tra Battle, the astute safety.
To their credit, the Bulldogs made the play they had to make in the dying seconds, but few among them took this skinny victory as a signal that happy days were here again. “Afterward [Richt] told us, ‘We saw the good, the bad and the ugly,’ ” said linebacker Tony Taylor, who also said: “I’m sure it was a lot closer game than everyone hoped it would be.”
If it was, that should be the last time we allow these Bulldogs to fool us. Over its last five games Georgia has been outscored by 11 points — and only one of those games was on the road, only one against an opponent bearing a winning record. It isn’t that Georgia is playing down to mediocre competition; it’s that Georgia, its lofty pedigree and its banner recruiting classes aside, has itself become shockingly ordinary.
That will surely change next season, when these younger Bulldogs start to mature, but there probably won’t be much growth these next five weeks. Stafford is the future, yes, but he’s not yet the present. (On Saturday he kept both teams in the game, offering a case study in why coaches are loath to deploy a freshman at quarterback.) And the schedule, which has been ridiculously soft, is about to become untenable.
Georgia is 6-2, but the cold truth is that it’s lucky to have a winning record. The colder truth is that it’s hard to imagine this team winning twice more before it lands in the Music City Bowl. Or in Shreveport.
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Georgia Football Practice Notes - , October 24, 2006

Courtesy: UGA Sports Communications Release: 10/24/2006

Photo Credit: Georgia Sports Communications Athens, Ga. -- The Georgia Bulldogs (6-2, 3-2 SEC) practiced for just under two and half hours on Tuesday afternoon as they continue working toward this Saturday's annual showdown with Florida (6-1, 4-1 SEC) in Jacksonville, Fla. "Practice was pretty good today," head coach Mark Richt said. "We had a few more mistakes than I'd like to have on a Tuesday, but it is early in the week and we've got time to remedy that." For the second straight day the Bulldogs worked out under sunny skies and breezy conditions as temperatures dipped into the 40s by the end of the session. Richt talked about his team's preparations for the contest at length during the Bulldogs' weekly press session earlier on Tuesday afternoon. “It is nice to be here this week after a victory," Richt stated. "It was a close call at the end, but I’m very thankful we were able to get the win. It did us some good. The morale of the group is very good. Everyone excited about the opportunity ahead of us in Jacksonville. "We definitely have a tall order ahead of us, especially the way we have been playing as of late," Richt said. "We have to get a whole lot better in a hurry. We have start out by protecting the football a lot better than we have lately. If we keep turning it over the way we have, I don’t think we have much chance of beating anybody. We have to get better in a lot of areas.” Georgia is at No. 25 in the USA Today poll but unranked by the AP this week. Florida is at No. 8 in the coaches poll and No. 9 in the AP rankings. Kickoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, and the contest will be televised nationally on CBS. All Georgia games are broadcast live on the Bulldog Radio Network on AM 750 WSB in Atlanta and on both 106.1 FM and 960 The Ref in Athens. The radio audio also can be heard on georgiadogs.com, the official website of UGA Athletics.

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Coach Richt's Press Conference Quotes: Oct. 24

Courtesy: UGA Sports Communications Release: 10/24/2006

Article Videos 350k Football Press Conference: Oct. 24

Photo Credit: Rebecca Hay Coach Richt Press Conference Quotes, 10/24/06 Opening remarks: "It is nice to be here this week after a victory. It was a close call at the end but I'm very thankful we were able to get the win, it did us some good. The morale of the group is very good, everyone excited about the opportunity ahead of us in Jacksonville." On the Florida Offense: "It's going to be one heck of a challenge for us. They play a spread system and then run the ball out of the spread as good as anyone and then of course they have the big playmakers. They have got all kinds of weapons. At wide receiver Baker and Cornelius are seniors and Caldwell is a junior but has certainly been playing like a senior as of late. They also have a young kid named Harvin that can create all kinds of problems as receiver or a runner, they have nice little package for him. On the offensive line they lost most of their starters, their center Rissler is the only one back. Medder played a little bit for him last year, maybe a few others probably played some, but they've done a nice job up front of putting things together after a lot of change. Their running back is DeShawn Wynn, he is in a lot better shape than he was a year ago. You can see it in his stamina and his ability to make people miss and to break tackles. Billy Latsko is a tough, hard-nosed fullback, not unlike our Brannan Southerland. I think they are both outstanding football players. "They have a great one-two punch at quarterback. You have a veteran in Leak who has played an awful lot of football, four-year starter, two years in the system, excellent passer, then you have a guy who can come in with a completely different style of play with Tebow and his physical ability to run the ball. He is a very good passer too. He hasn't been given the opportunity to throw too many times but when he has, he has probably thrown a touchdown just about every time." On the Florida Defense: "On defense I don't know where to start. They are an outstanding bunch. They are all juniors and seniors, mostly seniors, and are very talented across the board. I think Marcus Thomas has probably gotten the most attention, he is a big, strong, physical player. Just looking at film from last year compared to this year, he looked a little bit too big last year but this year has trimmed down and is very agile. Then you have Cohen, McDonald and those guys in there, who are great football players. Moss is a little bit younger but doing a great job of putting pressure on the quarterback. Florida's linebacking corps is a veteran group. Seiler gets the most attention but they all are good runners and hitters, very physical and strong, and all of them are in the 235-pound range. Their defensive backs are all what I like to call ballhawks. They will make a play on the ball, they won't play soft and let people catch balls on them. They will get after it and take their shots at runners and receivers when they do catch the ball, but they will go for the ball and they have a lot of pickoffs to show for it. On the UF Special Teams: "On special teams, Hetland has struggled this year, but he was a second-team all-conference kicker last year. He is a very talented and capable kicker. They haven't had to use him a whole lot because they have been scoring a lot of touchdowns in the red zone. I think he is one-of-five if I'm not mistaken. Their kickoff man is Joey Ijjas. He does a nice job of kicking off for them, about 40% of his kicks are not returnable. Their punter, Wilbur, is a four-year starter averaging about 43 yards per punt. They do a great job with their punt team, I'm not sure they have ever lined up in the same formation twice. People are only averaging 3.4 yards/return so that is outstanding for their punt team. Their kick returners are very dangerous, James and Moore. They have both had a few long returns. It's about 50/50 with James and Reggie Nelson on the punt return, and again they have had a couple of long runs. Florida does a great job across the board, they have been clicking on all cylinders all year long." "We definitely have a tall order ahead of us, especially the way we have been playing as of late. We have to get a whole lot better in a hurry. We have start out by protecting the football a lot better than we have lately. If we keep turning it over the way we have, I don't think we have much chance of beating anybody. We have to get better in a lot of areas." Georgia Player Press Conference Quotes Matthew Stafford, freshman quarterback, on how he feels about his performance this season and about the upcoming matchup with Florida: "I think this year has had its ups and downs for me. I am learning a lot and the guys I play with are all great guys. I am just excited to get to play on another Saturday this week. Joe (Tereshinski III, who is the back-up quarterback) was talking to me yesterday about this game and he told me that this is the most fun you're going to have in a game. The crowd is really into this one and although it's still early in the week, I am already feeling a buzz around town. Every team is tired and going through what we're going through right now and I think a week like this should pump us back up. The Florida game should help people forget how tired they are." On Florida's Tim Tebow and Arkansas' Mitch Mustang, who are also both freshman quarterbacks in the SEC: "I am happy for those two guys, but I don't really try and compare all of us. I have not paid too much attention to how they are doing because we have been so busy, but I know Tim is doing a great job running and passing the ball and I am happy for him. I'm also pleased we have all gotten the call to play so early in our careers." Charles Johnson, junior defensive end, on Georgia playing the Gators: "It seems like this game is always a close one. If we have mistakes here and there, that won't do it against Florida. We have to be hitting on all cylinders for this one. I don't mind being the underdog going into this game, but mistakes can cost either team this game. Missed field goals, mistakes on special teams ­ we cannot have those this week. The key for us will be to not let them get in an offensive rhythm.. We have to put a lot of pressure on them and cannot let them run." Brannan Southerland, redshirt sophomore fullback, on his one-handed catch against Mississippi State: "I think it had a little to do with luck. I threw up a hand and tipped the ball and then concentrated on catching it. After I caught it, I tried to do something with it, but it was a lot of fun." On the keys to beating Florida on Saturday: "We have to cut out some of our mistakes. We have to play two halves of football like we played the first half of the Tennessee game and I think we will have a chance for some success." On the atmosphere in Jacksonville: "As a player, you notice it more as you riding on the bus to stadium. But it is pretty much like any other game after kick-off." Bryan Evans, redshirt freshman cornerback, on being from Jacksonville and his memories of this game: "I redshirted last year so I just hung around and tailgated with my family. But at the game, I was so nervous that I felt like I was in the game. Outside of the actual game, it is one of the biggest things you will see in Jacksonville each year. The fans are having fun and it is something very special down there." On slowing Florida's offense: "We are going to have to play better than we have been. To beat Florida, we will have to perform at our best in every aspect of the game. With them having Urban Meyer as a coach, you can never predict what they are going to do next. I really cannot pick out any weak links in their game." Tra Battle, senior rover, on the magnitude of this game: "This is a highly anticipated game for us because this game could change the outcome of the whole season and answer some of the critics we have out there." On Florida's offense: "They have a very smart quarterback in Chris Leak and he very seldom makes mistakes. Leak makes great decisions and can break down a defense ­ he's a game-changing quarterback. Their spread offense definitely poses a lot of problems." Kenneth Harris, redshirt sophomore wide receiver, on what this game means to a player: "I played in this game for the first time last year and was in the stands the year before while I was redshirting so I have seen this game from both sides. I cannot describe the feeling you get playing in this one. This week has been one of focus and of knowing that they want to beat you as much as you want to beat them. I look forward to the challenge because I think it makes it more fun out there." On Matthew Stafford's play through the first eight games: "Matthew has stepped up big for us. He's throwing the ball in great places and keeping us poised out there. I think he has also stepped up as a leader and now our receivers corps have to go out there catch balls and just have fun." Paul Oliver, junior cornerback, on what the Georgia-Florida game is like each season: "It is different every year. All of the hype, the players from both teams know each other. But when the game starts, it does down to who fights harder." On Florida quarterback Chris Leak: "Leak doesn't make too many mistakes and he usually finds the right place for the ball. They have so many weapons you have to pay attention to. Florida is definitely a difficult opponent."

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Georgia Hits The Road To Face Rival Florida

Courtesy: UGA Sports Communications Release: 10/24/2006

Florida Game Notes (in PDF) Page 1 2 3 4

GAME 9: Georgia (6-2, 3-2) vs. Florida (6-1, 4-1) October 28, 2006, 3:30 p.m., at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. (84,000) Radio: Georgia Bulldog Radio Network National TV: CBS, TV Replay: CSS Sunday at 9:30pm, Tuesday at 1:00 / 7:00 p.m Internet Broadcast: GXtra on GeorgiaDogs.com Georgia-Florida Series The Georgia-Florida game features a 50/50 ticket split and is under contract in Jacksonville through 2010. The City of Jacksonville estimates the annual revenue generated by the game is between $25-30 million. The series moved on campus for two years (1994-95) while the Gator Bowl transformed into Alltel Stadium for the NFL’s Jaguars. Florida won both of those meetings. When Alltel first opened in August of 1995, capacity was listed as 73,000. Through the Jaguars’ good times and the playoffs, a total of 76,877 could fit in and in 2005 for Super Bowl XXXIX, the stadium filled to 78,125. Today, the capacity for an NFL game is 67,164. However for Georgia-Florida, temporary bleachers are brought in to the South End zone and 84,000 plus can view one of college football’s annual classics. An Alltel Stadium record crowd of 84,753 saw Georgia defeat Florida 31-24 in 2004. The Bulldogs hold a 46-36-2 edge in the series which dates back to 1904 including 39-33-1 in Jacksonville. From 1993-2003 and again last year, Florida had an open date prior to the Georgia game while the Bulldogs did not. The Gators went 11-1 in this stretch. In 2004, the Bulldogs had an open date prior to the game while the Gators did not, and Georgia won 31-24. Overall, Georgia is 3-2 coming off a bye week against the Gators while Florida is 13-4. The last four meetings have been decided by seven points or less, marking the first time that has happened since 1972-75. In these tight contests, Georgia is 15-16-2 including 1-3 of late. Costly Turnovers Before the Tennessee game, Georgia’s seven turnovers on the season had resulted in just three points. However, opponents have turned Georgia’s last 10 turnovers into 45 points. The resulting scoring drives after those turnovers covered 8, 12, 19, 25, 36, 44 and 51 yards, respectively. Georgia is 10th in the SEC in Turnover Margin at -3 while Florida ranks seventh at -1. Georgia also had two punts blocked that resulted in 10 points in games against Ole Miss and Tennessee. In yardage allowed, the Bulldogs remain one of the best defensive units in the nation. Georgia is ranked second in the SEC and 12th nationally by allowing 267.4 yards per game. The group is third in the league with just 97.5 yards rushing per game. Bulldog Bookends Applying Pressure Georgia’s defense, which ranks second in the SEC and 12th nationally in fewest yards allowed (267.4 yards/game), is led by a pair of veteran defensive ends in junior Charles Johnson and senior Quentin Moses. Last week, the duo had its best game with seven total tackles and three sacks. Moses has 23.5 sacks for his career, which ranks sixth all time. Former three-time All-America defensive end David Pollack holds the mark with 36 while Richard “Le Sack” Tardits is second with 29. Moses is the team leader with 17 quarterback pressures, and his two sacks last week against Mississippi State were his first since the season opener. Johnson is ranked first in the SEC and 10th nationally in tackles for loss with 12, including a team-high 4.5 sacks. Against Mississippi State, Johnson made a game-saving sack with :03 seconds on the clock, forcing and recovering a fumble. Stafford Under Center For Bulldogs Freshman Matthew Stafford of Highland Park, Texas, will get his fourth career start at quarterback this week, having led Georgia to a 3-0 record in his previous starts. Last week, he became the first Georgia QB this season to start and finish a game. He was 20 of 32 for 267 yards with 2 TDs and 3 INTs. His 32 pass attemtps, he said, were the second-most he’s had in one game, going back to his Highland Park High School days. Here’s a look at how other true freshmen starting QBs fared in the Georgia-Florida Classic: Johnny Rauch - 1945 8 of 16 passing for 127 yards Georgia won 34-0 Eric Zeier - 1991 18 of 35 passing for 195 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Florida won 45-13 Quincy Carter - 1998 33 of 49 passing for 368 yards, no TDs, 2 INTs Florida won 38-7 THE OFFENSE A Look at the QBs This season marks the first time since 1995 that Georgia has started three different QBs in the same season (Mike Bobo, Hines Ward, Brian Smith). True freshman Matthew Stafford started against UAB, Colorado and Mississippi State. After leading UGA to a 14-13 comeback against Colorado, redshirt freshman Joe Cox started at Ole Miss. Senior Joe Tereshinksi started the first two games of the year, and missed the next four with a high-ankle sprain before starting against Tennessee. Only Stafford has started and finished a game. Matthew Stafford (Fr.): • 3-0 as a starter (UAB, Colorado, Mississippi State). • Played all but the opening series at South Carolina in Georgia’s 18-0 win. • Led Georgia to 14-9 comeback win at Ole Miss. • First true freshman QB to start since Quincy Carter in 1998. First true freshman QB out of high school to start since Eric Zeier (1991). Joe Tereshinski (Sr.): • A three-year contributor; 5 career starts at QB (2-3) • Forced to an early exit against South Carolina with an ankle injury • Has seen playing time on special teams as the personal protector on the punt team in 2003-05 as well as long snapper. • The fourth Athens native to start at QB in a season opener joining Fran Tarkenton (1960), Andy Johnson (1971 and 73) and Jeff Pyburn (1977-79). Joe Cox (RFr.): • First career start came in Georgia’s win at Ole Miss. • Led Bulldogs to a fourth-quarter comeback against Colorado. • The Sporting News College Football Player of the Week and SEC Freshman of the Week following the win over Colorado. The Running Game For the second year in a row, Georgia’s running game featured a three-pronged attack at tailback in juniors Kregg Lumpkin, Thomas Brown and Danny Ware. However, on a second-half kickoff return against Vanderbilt (Oct. 14), Brown was lost for the year with a knee injury. At the time, he was having his best game of the season tallying 75 rushing yards on 11 carries. He was Georgia’s top threat as a kickoff returner, averaging 25.3 yards (3rd SEC). Now the Bulldogs will look to Lumpkin and Ware. Lumpkin has led the group in five of the last six games, highlighted by his first 100-yard effort in the win at Ole Miss. He had 13 carries for 101 yards. Last week against Mississippi State, he had 80 yards on 15 carries (5.3 yards/carry). Fullback Brannan Southerland leads the team with 42 points, rushing for five TDs and catching two. His seven TDs have come on 34 total touches this year (24 carries, 10 receptions). DID YOU KNOW? The last non-kicker to lead Georgia in scoring was Olandis Gary in 1998. The future Denver Broncos running back led the Bulldogs that season with 60 points coming on 10 TDs. Not since 1957 has a fullback led the Bulldogs in scoring, when All-SEC FB Theron Sapp led the club with 30 points on five touchdowns. DID YOU KNOW? The 2005 ground attack was the best ever in the Mark Richt era. 2001 1,878 yards: Leader: Verron Haynes (126 for 691 yds, 7 TDs); 8-4 final rec. 2002 1,954 yards: Leader: Musa Smith (260 for 1,324 yds, 8 TDs); 13-1 2003 1,889 yards: Leader: Michael Cooper (156 for 673 yards, 6 TDs); 11-3 2004 1,882 yards: Leader: Thomas Brown (172 for 875 yards, 8 TDs); 10-2 2005 2,108 yards: Leader: Thomas Brown (147 for 736 yards, 4 TDs); 10-3 O-Line Protecting the QBs Georgia has surrendered just nine sacks, which ranks third in the SEC. Last year, the group ranked second in the SEC in fewest sacks allowed (20 in 363 pass attempts). Senior Nick Jones (knee) managed to start his team-leading 27 consecutive game last week against Mississippi State. Senior OT Daniel Inman leads all current Bulldogs with 43 total starts. Senior tackle Ken Shackleford and junior guard/center Fernando Velasco have started every game this year. Chester Adams (ankle) started the first 7 games this year at guard, but missed last week with an ankle injury. Michael Turner started last week at split guard in place of Adams, giving him three starts on the year including two at tackle. Massaquoi Back on Top of Receiving Chart Three catches and a TD last week by sophomore Mohamed Massaquoi placed him atop the receiving list for the Bulldogs. Massaquoi leads the team with 15 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown. A year ago, he was second on the team behind NFL third-round pick Leonard Pope (39 for 541 yards, 4 TDs), who now suits up for the Arizona Cardinals. Second on the team is senior TE Martrez Milner (toe), who missed last week’s game. He also has 15 catches for 199 yards and two TDs. Milner’s first score this year was a game-winning catch against Colorado in Georgia’s 14-13 victory. He had a career-high six catches against Vanderbilt, including a 23-yard TD from Joe Tereshinski. Georgia’s running backs have been a welcome target for the quarterbacks, as Lumpkin, Southerland, Ware, Brown and Des Williams have combined for 39 catches and 2 TDs. THE DEFENSE Junkyard Dawgs Look to Finish the Drill Georgia is ranked second in the SEC and 12th nationally in total defense, allowing 267.4 yards per game. Willie Martinez is in his second year as the defensive coordinator and sixth overall on Mark Richt’s staff. Since 2001, a total of 22 former Bulldog defenders have moved on to the NFL (6 off the 2001 team, 4 from 2002, 3 from 2003, 4 from the 2004 and 5 from 2005). Year Scoring Def. NCAA Rank Total Def. NCAA Rank TO Margin NCAA Rank 2001 18.9 pts/game 17th 361.5 yards 49th +1 53rd 2002 15.1 pts/game 4th 303.5 yards 15th +8 32nd 2003 14.5 pts/game t-2nd 276.9 yards 4th +11 14th 2004 16.5 pts/game 9th 288.9 yards 8th -2 t-73rd 2005 16.4 pts/game 8th 313.5 yards 18th +11 14th 2006 16.6 pts/game 27th 267.4 yards 12th -3 t81st Pressuring the QBs Annually, Georgia replaces NFL-caliber defenders and 2006 is no exception. This year, Georgia is replacing five NFL players from last year’s team. Senior Tony Taylor (56 stops) leads the team in tackles. Junior Charles Johnson is the SEC’s leader with 12.0 TFLs. The defense ranks in a tie for third in the SEC with 19 sacks (LSU has 26 while Auburn has 21). Eleven different Bulldogs have a sack, led by Charles Johnson’s four-and-a-half. Johnson has been honored twice by the league this season for his performances in wins against South Carolina and Ole Miss. Senior Quentin Moses is a semifinalist for the Draddy Trophy (academic, community and athletic success) and Rotary Lombardi Award (top lineman) . He leads the squad in quarterback pressures. Moses was also named to the AFCA’s Good Works Team which honors players for their dedication and commitment to community service. Moses is the tenth Georgia player named to the team since 1992 which is second most of any school in the country behind Nebraska’s 11. Establishing A Presence Inside The starting tackles in the first five games were sophomore Jeff Owens and redshirt freshman Kade Weston, but senior Ray Gant and Owens started the last three. Owens leads the interior linemen with 16 tackles, including 12 quarterback pressures. Some of his highlights include forcing a fumble against South Carolina and recording a career-high four tackles against UAB. Gant had three tackles in his first start of the year against the Vols. True freshman Geno Atkins also had four stops in the UAB game. Weston has recorded seven quarterback pressures on the year and Dixson blocked a field goal against Colorado. Battling in the Secondary The lone returning member of the 2005 starting secondary is Tra Battle. A one-time walk-on and high school QB, he posted his finest season in 2005. This year, Battle led the team with eight tackles in the win over South Carolina. In each of the last two games, Battle made INTs in the Red Zone to thwart scoring threats. Against Mississippi State, the INT came at the UGA 7, while the one against Vandy came in the endzone. In the Western Kentucky game, he forced a fumble at the WKU 20, which Georgia converted into a touchdown. Each regular starter in the Bulldog secondary ranks among Georgia’s top 6 in total tackles: Kelin Johnson is 2nd with 44; Battle is third with 41; Ramarcus Brown is 5th with 29; Paul Oliver is 6th with 28. Against Mississippi State, redshirt freshman Bryan Evans made his first career start for the injured Brown (hamstring). Evans finished the day with a career-best seven tackles. One of the Bulldogs’ strengths last season was the ability of the secondary to create turnovers as its motto was “GTBB” (Get the Ball Back). After the Bulldogs had just 5 INTs in 2004 (the fewest in records going back to 1948), Georgia had 16 INTs in 2005 including 14 by the secondary. The secondary has created seven turnovers this season: Tra Battle (3): Forced fumble against Western Kentucky and had an INT in endzone against Vanderbilt, and an INT against Mississippi State. Paul Oliver (2): Forced Fumble against Colorado and game-clinching INT at Ole Miss Kelin Johnson (1): Interception against Western Kentucky Ramarcus Brown (1): Forced Fumble at South Carolina DID YOU KNOW? Two of Paul Oliver’s five career interceptions have come in the fourth quarter, helping to preserve tight wins. The first was at South Carolina in 2004 (20-16 win), and the most recent was at Ole Miss (14-9 win). Georgia was able to run out the clock both times. Veteran Linebackers In 2006, Georgia’s most experienced unit is the linebacking corps. Tony Taylor, Jarvis Jackson and Danny Verdun Wheeler have a combined 77 career starts, although a foot injury prevented Jackson from starting at Ole Miss. He did play, though, and recorded three tackles. Verdun Wheeler moved to MLB at Ole Miss and in the last four games Brandon Miller has stepped into the starting role at SLB. Miller has 11 tackles in the last four games. Taylor has 48 tackles in the last three weeks including 13 stops against Colorado, 11 at Ole Miss, nine against Tennessee eight against Vanderbilt and seven against MSU. He leads the team with 56 total tackles and has 4.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks. For the second week in a row, and third time this season, Taylor notched an INT against Mississippi State. He has six for his career and a team-leading three this year. More on Georgia’s Shutouts Georgia’s 18-0 win over South Carolina was the first SEC road shutout by the Bulldogs since 1982, a 44-0 win against Florida in Jacksonville. For South Carolina, it was the first time the Gamecocks had been shutout in 37 games and it was just the second time a Steve Spurrier-coached team did not score a point (Rutgers d. Duke, 1987). Against UAB, Georgia’s 34-0 win was the first shutout at home since 2000 (New Mexico State), and it marked the first back-to-back shutouts since 1980. It was the first time UAB did not score in 45 games. The last time Georgia had more than one shutout in a season was 1981, when the SEC Champion Bulldogs posted three. Hunkering Down on the Road A big reason Georgia is 21-2 in an opponent’s stadium since 2001 is the Bulldog defense. In those 23 games, Georgia has surrendered only 14.4 points per game. That includes two shutouts: against Clemson in the 2003 season opener and in the road game this year at South Carolina. The Bulldogs have allowed 10 or fewer points in seven of those games. SPECIAL TEAMS Bailey Moves into Starting Role With First-Team All-SEC kicker Brandon Coutu out the rest of the year with a torn hamstring, junior Andy Bailey returned to the Bulldog lineup for FG and PAT duties in the Tennessee game (Oct. 7). Bailey was Georgia’s leading kicker as a redshirt freshman in 2004 with 78 total points. He was voted to the Coaches All-SEC Freshman team. CAREER NUMBERS: 2004 PAT: 36x37, FG/FGA: 14/20, LONG: 46, TOTAL POINTS: 78 2005 No kicks 2006 PAT: 7x8, FG/FGA: 5/6, LONG: 34, TOTAL POINTS: 22 ACCURACY FROM... 10-19 yds: 0-0, 20-29 yds: 9-10, 30-39 yds: 6-9, 40-49 yds: 3-6, 50+ yds: 0-0 Electrifying Returns Georgia’s return units have provided their share of memorable moments this season including a punt and kickoff return in the same game against #13 Tennessee. It was the first time since the 1990 Kentucky game that the Bulldogs accomplished this feat. Sophomore Mikey Henderson, a Collegefootballnews.com mid-season All-American, fielded a punt and scampered 86 yards for a score against the Volunteers. It was the third punt return for a TD this season by the Bulldogs (tying a school record set in 1956) and second for Henderson. Then later in the contest, junior Thomas Brown tied a school record with a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Brown’s return equaled Lindsay Scott’s record dash against LSU in Baton Rouge in 1978. Henderson is on pace to own the Bulldog record for highest average punt return in a season. He ranks second in the SEC with a 17.5-yard average (19 ret. for 332 yards), trailing only LSU’s Craig Davis who is averaging 18.0 but has just six returns. 24 Blocks, 12 Special Teams TDs In The Richt Era Georgia has blocked 13 Punts, 9 Field Goals and 2 PATs since 2001 and converted them in to 88 points. 2006 (2): Blocked 1 Punt and 1 FG and turned them into 7 points. 2005 (2): Blocked 2 Punts and turned them in to 14 points. 2004 (2): Blocked 2 Punts and turned them in to 7 Points. 2003 (7): Blocked 4 FGs, 2 Punts,1 PAT and turned them in to 17 points. 2002 (9): Set School Rec.: Blocked 5 Punts, 4 FGs, turned them in to 40 points. 2001 (2): Blocked 1 Punt, 1 PAT and turned them in to 3 points. The Bulldogs have 12 Special Teams TDs plus a safety in the last six seasons There are four current Bulldogs who have a Special Teams TD: Thomas Brown: 99-yard kickoff return vs. #13 Tennessee in 2006 Thomas Flowers: 54-yard punt return at #8 Tennessee in 2005 Mikey Henderson: 67-yard punt return against Western Kentucky and 86-yard punt return vs. #13 Tennessee in 2006 CJ Byrd: 11-yard punt return against UAB in 2006 following a Prince Miller punt-block Ely-Kelso Booming for Four Years Punter Gordon Ely-Kelso, a native of Athens, Ga., is another Georgia special teams weapon. This year, he’s punted 29 times for a 41.6 average, ranking him first in the SEC. He has 3 punts of 50-yards or more including 10 inside the 20. Ely-Kelso’s Career: 205 punts, 8,370 yards, 40.8 avg., 66 Punts Inside 20 Georgia Career Punting Leaders: Most Punts in a Career 1. 205, Gordon Ely-Kelso (2003-06) 2. 194, Spike Jones (1967-69) Most Punting Yards in a Career 1. 8,370, Gordon Ely-Kelso (2003-06) 2. 8,043, Spike Jones (1967-69) Fielding the Punts and Kicks Georgia is second in the SEC and is fifth nationally in punt return average at 17.4 (27 for 471, 3 TDs). Mikey Henderson joins three other punt returners from around the nation with two TDs (Sammie Stroughter, Oregon St.; Jeremy Trimble, Army; DeSean Jackson, Cal). His 17.5 average per return is first in the SEC and fifth nationally. CJ Byrd scored once off a blocked punt. Henderson’s first score was a 67-yarder against Western Kentucky. Against Tennessee, he added an 86-yard return for a TD. In the kickoff return department, RB Thomas Brown tied a school record with a 99-yard TD against Tennessee. He has 15 returns for 379 yards (25.3 avg.) which was third in the SEC. As a team, Georgia ranks in a tie for fifth in the SEC at 21.6. Last season, the Bulldogs were 10th in the league in kickoff return average at 19.5. Brown will miss the remainder of the year with a knee injury. Freshman Asher Allen has taken over Brown’s spot at kick returner and had 98 yards on five returns in the win against Mississippi State. Henson Snapping, Ely-Kelso Holding Junior walk-on Jeff Henson earned the job as the Bulldogs’ long snapper while punter Gordon Ely-Kelso serves as the team’s holder this year. The Jeff Henson File: Born: Oct. 24, 1982...High School: West Hall (Gainesville, Ga.)...played four years of football, all spent on the defense and at snapper...named to the All-Area team as a senior and earned the Special Teams Award...high school teammate of current Bulldog senior tight end Martrez Milner. College: Attended Gainesville State College (no football team) from 2004-06 prior to arriving in Athens in the fall of ’06. http://www.georgiadogs.com/ViewArtic...PRINTABLE_PAGE=

[dirty]

Buzz missing for Georgia-Florida

By Jeff Schultz | Wednesday, October 25, 2006, 07:12 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Jeff Schultz

• Buzz missing for Georgia-Florida
• Braves should reclaim Glavine
• Jackets' aspirations run aground
• Iron logic: Steelers win Sunday
• Shame on Tyson, "The U." and the Yankees

Athens — It turns out there is an upside to losing to Vanderbilt. There is an upside to finding Colorado’s pulse and spreading hope in Starkville.
There is an upside to an illogical quarterback rotation going from Joe to Matthew to the other Joe back to the first Joe and back to Matthew. (Greene-Shockley was so much simpler.)
Because when it seems so obvious that Georgia can’t beat Florida this week, nobody sits back and laments that Georgia can’t beat Florida any week. Feel better now?
Question: Has there ever been such a lack of buzz for a game in Jacksonville?
The biggest story line this week hasn’t been about the fact that the Gators have won 14 of 16 since 1990, when Steve Spurrier took over and Athens fell like Pompeii. Rather, this week has been highlighted by the ill-fated attempt of two school presidents to remove any association this game might possibly have with drinking and debauchery, as evidenced by the fact that everybody in Jacksonville looks like an olive swimming in a martini glass.
Had expectations been met this season, Georgia would be 8-0 going into this game with a chance to lock down another SEC title-game appearance. But the Bulldogs are 6-2, with one less division loss than Kentucky.
Nobody is talking about Florida or rankings or the BCS. They’re thinking, “Oh, yea, Chick-fil-A.” Fear the nugget.
Coach Mark Richt started a news conference this week with: “It is nice to be here the week after a victory.” Rich Brooks may sue for copyright.
When a football team has played at least five bad games consecutively, logic dictates it’s not underachieving. It’s merely ‘chieving. But even between all of the woe-is-us ramblings this week, Richt said this team should be better. You decide if that’s a good thing.
“I definitely know we’re not playing up to our potential,” he said. “But potential just means you haven’t done anything yet.
“It’s been more of a consistency thing than anything else. At times you can take any one of our receivers and say, ‘Wow, look at that play.’ Or a safety makes a tackle, or a linebacker. But it hasn’t been there on a consistent basis to be a legitimate contender in this league. Statistically we’re not out of the race by any means. But this week is pivotal.”
Well, not really. For Georgia to become relevant again in the SEC East, Florida and Tennessee would have to collapse. That isn’t likely.
But think of how this is setting up: After all of those years of Spurrier spilling grape juice on the nice clean rug, imagine the irony if the Bulldogs dump on Florida’s season. Michael Adams might even host a cocktail party.
Said Richt, “We’ve gone into every game since I’ve been here believing we can win, and I don’t think that’s gonna change.”
In truth, Georgia’s best hope rests with quarterback Matthew Stafford. He has both the arm and the needed ignorance. His talent this season has been punctured by freshman mistakes and by Richt’s weekly changes at the position. Had Stafford been starting from the outset this season, his development probably would be further along by now. That said, he obviously has the ability and performed in a pressure situation at South Carolina early this season.
Stafford also has the lack of history on his side. It’s good to be a dumb freshman sometimes. To Stafford, Florida might as well be South Carolina. The other day, he was asked when he first became aware that Florida had won 14 of the past 16 meetings with Georgia.
“Just now,” he said.
So you never heard anything about Florida’s dominance in this rivalry?
“Not really.”
Can that help?
“Sure it can. We talk about that stuff all the time. It doesn’t matter what happened last year.”
Or this year? Don’t tell that to oddsmakers. Florida is on the fat side of a 14-point spread. That would explain the lack of buildup, and maybe the reason to drink.
Permalink | Comments (28) | Post your comment | Categories: Jeff Schultz, UGA / SEC

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Tebow's the newest golden Gator
Florida faithful hope freshman QB Tim is no false idol

By BILL SANDERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/25/06
It's been almost a miracle how nicely things have gone this year for Florida freshman quarterback Tim Tebow.
Maybe miracle is too strong, seeing as how he has prepared for this for a lifetime.

STEVEN M. DOWELL / Orlando Sentinel (ENLARGE)

Tim Tebow has thrown only 14 passes, but he has completed 10, including this one for one of his two touchdowns.

RELATED STORIES Slaying sobers up 'party'-goers Henderson small, but special Atlanta may host Big East-SEC event • More UGA coverage

How about divine? Or celestial?
Whatever it is, the 2006 Tim Tebow Show has been a religious experience to the Gator Nation.
The home-schooled son of a full-time evangelical missionary is the hottest thing to come to Gainesville since chest-pounding, wild-haired basketball superstar Joakim Noah.
With every would-be tackler the freshman runs over, fans pour forth hero-worshiping adulation that's rooted as much in future expectations as present performance.
"I realize that God gave me the physical ability to play football," Tebow said. "That doesn't make me any more special than someone else. That's how I keep things in perspective."
The hype and over-the-top attention he's gotten have all been a little much, his father said.
"The Lord's given him a lot of grace," Bob Tebow said. "I can't explain it. It was that way in high school to an extent, but not to this level. I hear there's Tebow-mania on the Internet. I don't keep up with it. I know Tim's a sweet, humble guy who wants to play football as long as he can. That might be one more game, it might be a long time."
Pacing the freshman
Thus far, about all Tim Tebow hasn't done is walk on the salty marsh water around Gainesville.
He has rushed for 252 yards and four touchdowns and is 10-for-14 passing for 152 yards and two scores.
"If you look at him, he looks like a middle linebacker lined up at the quarterback position," Gators offensive coordinator Dan Mullen said of his 6-foot-3, 229-pound quarterback from the Jacksonville area.
Football fans around these parts have been known to jump on a player's bandwagon from time to time. And it's often the freshman, the would-be savior, the latest greatest that gets this kind of attention.
When Georgia and Florida meet Saturday, Georgia's freshman quarterback, Matthew Stafford, will start. Tebow won't.
While Stafford is getting schooled in what it's like to be a freshman quarterback in the SEC, Tebow is spelling starter Chris Leak just enough to keep defenses guessing and fans enthralled.
"It's like, instead of having to fight through it, he comes in and you see the consistency he brings," said Adam Garner, a sophomore student at Florida. "His passion in everything he does gets people excited. A lot of us students think Leak is the guy to take us to the championship, but the future is definitely promising with Tebow."
A man of faith
As is clear, the Tim Tebow tale can't be told without talking about his faith.
That he talks openly about his faith isn't that unusual. Thousands of Christians have played college and professional sports over the years. Even more mention a higher power when someone sticks a microphone in front of his or her face.
Few have a background like Tebow's, though.
Until last year, his summers were spent in the mission fields, where he would teach the Gospel to anyone who would listen. He'd go to prisons, schools, hospitals. Wherever he was allowed, he would go and preach.
"These trips were life-changing," he said. "You'd see people in Dad's orphanage who had nothing, no material things at all, yet they were so happy to see you. That'll keep you humble."
Tebow's dad, who travels to all of Florida's games, is probably the biggest Tim Tebow fan of them all.
He was easy to pick out of the crowd a couple of weeks ago at Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium. First, visiting players' families sit about a million miles up in the corner of the north stands. Second, he was the only one wearing a straw hat and sitting next to perhaps the best-dressed woman in the crowd, his wife, Pam.
The man talks for a living. He's a missionary to the Philippines — not the type that builds buildings, but the kind that preaches about Jesus.
But when it comes to talking about his son, the professional talker guards his tongue like the Good Book warns. There's a wariness that he takes with him in public that's rooted in his desire to distance himself from any perceived quarterback controversy at his alma mater.
"People want to create a controversy," he said. "I won't talk about it. People keep trying to get me to talk about it, but it's not my job. I don't decide who plays when or when someone goes in. I have no control over it."
Biding his time
As for Leak, he has been nothing but supportive of Tebow, everyone says publicly. Still, there has been talk that neither quarterback is thrilled with his playing time.
But Mullen said the two have a good relationship.
"Chris Leak is our starting quarterback. Tim, he's just a fun kid," Mullen said. "He and Chris, the relationship they have is what makes them an awful lot of fun to coach. People aren't around, but they're joking with each other in the meeting room all the time."
Florida coach Urban Meyer said Tebow has gotten better every game and vows to play him more this week against Georgia.
"He's much improved." Meyer said. "We probably didn't play him enough [in the loss at Auburn]; we only played him four or five plays. We don't go into a game saying that we'll play him so much. ... He's definitely improved over the year, and we'll make a concentrated effort to get him in more. He adds another dimension to our game."
Tebow can't wait to add that dimension Saturday. Growing up 20 minutes from the Gator Bowl, playing in this game was at the top of his list when he allowed himself to drift into fantasy land.
"Definitely, this was the one," he said. "I tried not to think too specifically about what I'd do — I didn't want to set myself up for failure — but I'd dream about this one."

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GEORGIA
Henderson small, but special

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/26/06
Athens — Mikey Henderson can't run a straight line.
Or maybe he's just smart enough not to.

RELATED STORIES Slaying sobers up 'party'-goers Henderson small, but special Atlanta may host Big East-SEC event • More UGA coverage

That's what happens when you're south of 165 pounds in a game where most everyone coming at you is north of 240. It's also what you come to understand when you've been zig-zagging down a crooked path for years with one goal in mind.
"I know where I need to be," Henderson said.
There's no place this mercurial, squirrel-in-traffic return specialist would rather be than at Georgia.
Sure, that makes him like plenty of other guys. But Henderson's tale isn't like that of many of his former high school All-American teammates.
College football, at least at this level, never entered his mind.
"I never thought about going to college because I realized I was a small guy," said Henderson, who goes 5 feet 10, 163 pounds. "It didn't look like weight was coming on. And then I got an opportunity ..."
At Central Michigan. A Chippewas coach saw him at a Georgia camp and offered him a scholarship. Henderson was ready to go.
"They were going to pay for it," he said. "So I was going to go up there."
A few weeks later, after the Bulldogs' senior day for recruits, Henderson's next and final offer came. It was from Georgia. He accepted on the spot and found his role as a defensive back.
The adopted son, who never won a game until the eighth grade, quit football twice in the ninth grade before leading Buford to a 43-2 record and two state title games, had found his place in the world.
Soon after, his mother was taken from it. In May 2005, Louise Henderson's heart gave out, maybe because she gave so much. She was a single mother who worked three jobs to support her son and his sister, Kimberly. She taught her children what it meant to work hard, to sacrifice and be part of something that was bigger than yourself.
Henderson, now a junior, never forgot those lessons. He has gone where he has been needed, before he was even asked, on the Georgia team. From defensive back to wide receiver, from the relative safety of sideline routes to right over the middle, Henderson has been willing and more than able.
"I don't try to back down," said Henderson, who had the first four catches of his college career in last week's win against Mississippi State. "If I am out there to catch a pass, I am going to catch a pass. If I am going out there to try and block, I am going to do it. I want to be a guy that can be put out there all the time.
"Me being the smallest guy, the coaches know. They know I can't be expected every down to try and ear-hole a linebacker, but I think they also know that I will try it."
Which is why Henderson was given a try at punt returns. He took his first one, in the opener against Western Kentucky, to the goal line, then fumbled after he tried to get cute. With his hamstring tightening, Henderson begged for another chance. On the next WKU punt, he went 67 yards, held onto the ball and scored.
He also went 86 yards for a touchdown against Tennessee and now ranks fifth nationally in punt returns (17.5 yards per attempt).
Given his success, there was a brief but fleeting thought about trying Henderson on kickoff returns.
"Could he be a kickoff return man?" coach Mark Richt asked. "I think he could, but that position gets hit a little bit harder than you do on punt returns. If there is a crease, there is no guy I would rather have than Mikey."
Said linebacker Danny Verdun Wheeler: "He's a hard-nosed little joker."

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GEORGIA REPORT
Dogs know they must pressure Leak

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/26/06
Athens — Florida will line up its offensive players anywhere and everywhere and run anything and everything out of those sets. And likely be successful a vast majority of the time.
Here's why:

RELATED STORIES Slaying sobers up 'party'-goers Henderson small, but special Atlanta may host Big East-SEC event • More UGA coverage

"It is all confusing," Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses said of the Gators' offense. "I don't know a better way to put it than just confusing. I just know you have got to stick by your keys and go sideline to sideline."
Moses also knows he must get some of the pressure on Chris Leak that he has not gotten on any other quarterback this season.
"There is no way you can be successful [if you don't]," Moses said. "Not only getting pressure on him, but making those big plays on him. You have got to make big plays on him if you want to stay in the game."
Moses, a preseason All-American, has just three sacks this season. He got to Leak once in last year's loss, which did little to disrupt the quarterback. Leak has thrown 35 career interceptions but has never been picked off by Georgia.
Leak has kept an eye on the Bulldogs. The senior was in Athens this past weekend to watch the game against Mississippi State. An intrepid fan snapped his photo with a cellphone camera, then posted the evidence on the Internet.
"I never would have expected that," Moses said. "But he has that off week and he is getting ready to go out and execute against us."
New rules limiting snaps
The NCAA's new time-saving rules continue to affect Georgia's offense. The Bulldogs have averaged 4.9 fewer plays a game than last season and the game times have gone from an average of 3:24 to 3:09.
Florida had just 45 offensive snaps in its last game, a loss at Auburn. Georgia's low for snaps this season is 52 (Western Kentucky and Vanderbilt).


DID YOU KNOW?
• There are 67 players on Florida's roster who have never trailed in a game against Georgia or Florida State.
• Matthew Stafford will become the fourth Georgia true freshman to start at quarterback against Florida. How the others' teams have fared: Johnny Rauch (34-0 win in 1945), Eric Zeier (45-13 loss in 1991) and Quincy Carter (38-7 loss in 1998).
• Gators coach Urban Meyer (right) will try Saturday to avoid just the second two-game losing streak of his head coaching career. The other came when he was at Bowling Green and dropped consecutive 2002 games against Northern Illinois and South Florida.

[dirty]

GEORGIA REPORT
Goodman shows good hands

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/25/06
Athens — Demiko Goodman has always had the speed. This year, he has proven he has the hands to match.
Now, Georgia's 6-foot-2 sophomore receiver gets a chance to put them both together in his first college start.

RELATED STORIES Slaying sobers up 'party'-goers Henderson small, but special Atlanta may host Big East-SEC event • More UGA coverage

"He has gotten progressively better," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said of the Newnan native. "[In recruiting] we loved his skills. He could run. He had good hands. He had good agility for a big, ol', long kid."
Goodman will replace Mohamed Massaquoi in the starting lineup Saturday against Florida. Massaquoi was sent to the bench after dropping two passes and fumbling once in last week's win against Mississippi State.
"That was part of it," Richt said of the move.
The other part was Goodman's play as of late. He had three catches Saturday, giving him 12 for the season.
"He has gotten progressively better," Richt said.
A few of Goodman's grabs against MSU were made right in front of Richt on the sideline. Goodman, Richt said, made it look easy.
subhead goes right here
Punter Gordon Ely-Kelso has moved into the emergency backup kicker role due to a knee injury sustained by Ben Wilson.
Tuesday, Ely-Kelso looked as if he were ready to take over the starting position. The senior nailed kicks from every distance, including a 50-yarder into the wind. Starter Andy Bailey did not fare as well, missing 3-of-4, including 40- and 50-yarders.
Ely-Kelso has not kicked field goals since high school. Bailey, who got the starting job after an injury to Brandon Coutu, is 5-of-6 on field goals and 7-of-8 on point-after tries.
Injury update
Tight end Martrez Milner (toe) and guard Chester Adams (ankle) have still not been able to participate in practice. Cornerback Ramarcus Brown (hamstring) is questionable. Center Nick Jones (knee) should be ready by Saturday.
Two touchdowns?
Oddsmakers installed Florida as a 14-point favorite over Georgia. We asked Georgia players Tuesday: Is that fair?
Cornerback Bryan Evans: "That is just how people are going to see it because of how we performed the last three weeks. This game is going to bring a lot of emotion so you never know how it is going to go."
Tight end Tripp Chandler: "It might be deserved considering the losses that we have and that they were both at home and that we were leading both at halftime. We're just going to work hard and hopefully that two-touchdown underdog thing might not be a factor."
Cornerback Paul Oliver: "Outside looking in, I guess you would say it is deserved. ... At the same time, we are the defending SEC champs and we have got a lot of good players here and, believe it or not, we are still playing hard."
Fullback Brannan Southerland: "With some of our play the last couple of weeks, I would say it is deserved. Being an underdog makes it easy. The pressure is all on Florida."

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Future is now

Freshmen have provided a bigger impact for florida so far this season

Story Photos - Click to Enlarge

Freshman Asher Allen (2), one of six freshmen who have played this season for Georgia, has been an integral part of Bulldogs' kick and punt return units.
Diane Cebula / Staff
Click thumbnails to view


By Marc Weiszer | marc.weiszer@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 10:32 AM on Wednesday, October 25, 2006
On the first Wednesday of February every year, college football coaches nationwide are sure to do two things: Praise their new recruiting classes and insist the true measure of their quality won't be known until three or four years later.
The early read on Florida and Georgia's 2006 classes, ranked No. 2 and 4 respectively by the two leading recruiting services, shows the Gators' freshmen making the bigger splash.
Florida is playing 13 freshmen, including two of the nation's biggest impact newcomers in quarterback Tim Tebow and receiver Percy Harvin. Georgia is playing six, headlined by starting quarterback Matthew Stafford.
"Florida, with their new offense, it just so happens that a lot of these guys are quick and fast and are a very good fit for what Urban Meyer wants to do," said Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell. "It's necessary for Florida to play more guys because of their complete change in philosophy. They had a lot of guys built for Ron Zook's offense."
Farrell said Georgia will see a payoff next year, when New Jersey product Knowshon Moreno, a top 10 tailback, comes off a redshirt season, and Georgia's lineman-heavy class has had a chance to get bigger and stronger.
"It's a little surprising at the skill positions that some guys haven't made more of an impact," Farrell said.
Georgia chose to redshirt top-rated safety Reshad Jones and fellow safety Quintin Banks, who are the Bulldogs' hardest hitting defensive backs in practice. Speedy linebacker Akeem Hebron also was a top 100 recruit but is redshirting.
"We could have played more guys, and maybe should have played more guys, I don't know," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "We're struggling with depth right now on special teams. It might have been better served to play these guys. Hopefully on the tail end, we'll be glad that we didn't."
At 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds, Tebow has been an effective weapon with his feet in the red zone and short-yardage situations. He is Florida's second leading rusher with 246 yards on 44 carries with a team-high four touchdowns and has completed 10 of 14 passes with two touchdowns and an interception.
"He's a special cat right now," Richt said.
Harvin has 10 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown but has proven to be just as dangerous as a runner. He has 158 yards on 14 carries, sometimes lining up at tailback.
"I've seen them a couple of times give it to him on stretch plays and giving him the ball and letting him be an athlete," Stafford said. "Obviously, Tebow is stepping into what looks like a pretty complex offense over there, running with the ball a lot and being tough and smart with the football when he throws it."
Freshman receiver Jared Fayson also is getting touches as a ballcarrier with 49 rushing yards. Five-foot-6 Brandon James returns kickoffs and punts.
"In reality, I don't see Texas and probably USC playing that many freshmen at this point, and maybe Ohio State," Meyer said. "You shouldn't have to do that (play a lot of freshmen). We've had a lot of transition, we've had issues, we've had things happen. You should play five or six premier players (freshmen) and get them involved."
Besides Stafford, Georgia has received contributions from five freshmen: Receiver Kris Durham (four catches), returner Asher Allen (21.9-yard kickoff return average), defensive tackle Geno Atkins, linebacker Darius Dewberry (six tackles each) and cornerback Prince Miller (five tackles, blocked punt).
"Florida had a bigger and better class on paper last year, so it's not surprising to see some of those highly rated freshmen living up to billing this early," Scout.com recruiting analyst Scott Kennedy said. "By contrast, Georgia went heavy on offensive linemen last year, and those guys usually take a little more time to develop than the skill position players."
Ultimately, Kennedy said the recruiting classes may be judged by how the marquee quarterbacks pan out.
Florida and Georgia are already neck-and-neck in the race to land the top talent for 2007. More than three months before signing day, Rivals has Florida No. 2 and Georgia No. 3.
"They had a great recruiting class, and they're definitely going to be a really tough to beat down the road, and a tough team to beat, for sure, right now," Stafford said. "Their young guys are stepping in and hitting it full stride."
Young guns
Georgia has played six freshmen thisseason.
Asher Allen, DB/KR
Geno Atkins, DT
Darius Dewberry, LB
Kris Durham, WR
Prince Miller, CB
Matthew Stafford, QB
Saturday: Georgia vs. No. 9 Florida 3:30 p.m. Alltel Stadium (CBS)


Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 102506

[dirty]

Streak not in forefront this time

Notebook

By Marc Weiszer | marc.weiszer@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 10:32 AM on Wednesday, October 25, 2006
This is a rare Georgia-Florida rivalry week in Athens.
Instead of hearing constant chirping and question after question about why the Bulldogs struggle mightily against Florida - they've lost 14 of the past 16 - folks are mostly wondering if Georgia has a chance to keep the game close.
"This year the record hasn't been much of a discussion point, as far as I know," Georgia coach Mark Richt said Tuesday. "The discussion point is, 'Can we come off the mat and play good enough to win this ballgame?' "
The reason is Georgia's past three games: Back-to-back home losses to Tennessee and Vanderbilt and a three-point victory over Mississippi State, the only SEC team without a conference win.
"It's kind of obvious we haven't played up to what we can with the amount of talent we have on this team," quarterback Matthew Stafford said.
Florida is a 14-point favorite.
"I don't care about no point spread or anything like that," safety Kelin Johnson said. "As long as we keep playing Georgia ball, and I play for my teammates, that's all that matters. You can't go into a game worrying about what everybody else says."

Alternative cocktail names suggested
The presidents at Georgia and Florida, along with the SEC, asked CBS and ESPN to stop calling the annual game "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" in the school's efforts to cut down on binge and underage drinking.
Some of ESPN's on-air personalities have offered alternative suggestions.
"College GameDay" host Chris Fowler suggested on the Saturday morning program earlier this month calling it the "All-American Outdoor Non-Alcoholic Picnic Game."
ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd had three alternative names on his program on Tuesday: "The annual Georgia meltdown in Jacksonville." "The World's Most Lopsided College Football Rivalry." And "Florida's Yearly Guaranteed Beatdown of the Bulldogs."

Ely-Kelso 'insurance' kicker this week
Punter Gordon Ely-Kelso, an all-state kicker his senior season at Clarke Central, is working behind Andy Bailey at kicker.
Ben Wilson continues to be sidelined with a knee injury.
"It's called insurance," assistant coach David Johnson said. "It's called backup, just in case something happens."
Ely-Kelso converted two long field goals, including one from about 50 yards, on Tuesday.
Bailey, who took over when Brandon Coutu tore a hamstring, missed an extra point against Mississippi State and a 38-yard field goal against Vanderbilt. He is 5 of 6 on field goals and 7 of 8 on extra points.

This and that
Joe Cox would have gone in for Matthew Stafford at quarterback against Mississippi State if needed ahead of Joe Tereshinski, Richt said, because Tereshinski was bothered by ankle and shoulder injuries. The backup this week? "We'll have to play it out the rest of the week to see," Richt said. ... Demiko Goodman has replaced Mohamed Massaquoi at split end, but Massaquoi remains in the plans. "He's going to continue to play," Richt said. "We're not just going to keep him out of the lineup." Richt said that flanker A.J. Bryant (groin) is less than 100 percent and that Kenneth Harris earned more playing time after a career-high 106 receiving yards on four catches. ... Tight end Martrez Milner (toe) practiced in a green non-contact jersey. Cornerback Ramarcus Brown (hamstring) also was in green but "practiced good and should be ready to go," defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. Guard Chester Adams (ankle) and receiver Mikey Henderson (hamstring) also practiced in green.


Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 102506

[dirty]

Leak scouts Georgia in person

Florida notebook

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Florida's Chris Leak, who has thrown for 590 yards and four TDs against Georgia, visited Athens for Saturday's game against Mississippi State.
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| Morris News Service | Story updated at 10:32 AM on Wednesday, October 25, 2006
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Maybe there is a reason Florida quarterback Chris Leak has been so effective against Georgia.
Leak has thrown for 590 yards and four touchdowns against the Bulldogs in his career. He also hasn't thrown an interception.
The senior said Tuesday that he traveled to Athens last weekend to catch up with some of his high school teammates and to watch Georgia play in person.
"Yeah, I go there every year," Leak said. "I have a bunch of old teammates from high school that go there. I love seeing them play - seeing how they're doing, seeing how their families are doing. I've done that every year."
Leak played at Independence High School in Charlotte, N.C., with Georgia senior receiver Mario Raley, sophomore receiver Mohamed Massaquoi and redshirt freshman quarterback Joe Cox.
And although Leak benefitted by seeing this week's opponent in person, he doesn't think it adds to his preparation.
"You see everything on film," Leak said. "The main preparation comes from what you do in the film room and making sure that you know your game plan. You know it's going to be a great game every year. The main thing you have got to do is you have got to come ready to play."
Leak said he tries to keep in touch with his former teammates, but it's sometimes tough because of their busy schedules.
He said he didn't notice if any fans recognized him in Athens.
Meyer happy with D
It's hard not to use the "bend-but-don't-break" cliché to describe Florida's defense this season.
But the phrase works perfectly, considering the Gators are among the nation's worst teams when it comes to stopping opponents on third down but are among the best in scoring defense.
Opponents are converting 39.4 percent of third downs (72nd nationally) but are scoring just 12.0 points per game. The defense has allowed five touchdowns all season, best in the nation.
The offense is responsible for two fumble returns for touchdowns, and the Gators also have had a blocked punt returned for a touchdown.
"Our defense has given up five touchdowns all year," Gators coach Urban Meyer said. "That's not good - that's terrific.
"We're not going to change what we do. We're playing good on defense. ... If you had to evaluate and say we're really good on third down but we've given up a bunch of scores, you'd rather say we're keeping them out of the end zone."
Tennessee is the only team to score more than one touchdown on Florida's defense, and the Gators have given up two touchdowns and six field goals in the past four games. Opponents have scored one touchdown on their last nine trips inside the red zone.
Georgia not down
Despite losing to Vanderbilt, allowing 51 points to Tennessee and close calls against Mississippi State and Colorado, Meyer said this is not a down year for Georgia.
Meyer said he thinks the rest of the teams in the SEC are improving.
"I don't think it's Georgia," Meyer said. "I think it's these other teams are decent teams. Vanderbilt took us to overtime (last year). Vanderbilt is a pretty good team. I think Mississippi State is getting better."


Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 102506

[dirty]

End made fast break to Gators¹ sack star

Harvey ranked second in conference

By Michael DiRocco | michael.dirocco@jacksonville.com | Story updated at 10:32 AM on Wednesday, October 25, 2006
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The SEC's second-leading sacker had his beginnings on a high school basketball court in Maryland.
That's where Eleanor Roosevelt High football coach Rich Houchens first spotted Derrick Harvey in 2002. Houchens watched the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Harvey grab a rebound and dunk, then saw him push a player who had taunted him with a chest bump to the floor.
"Come play football," Houchens told Harvey after the game.
"OK," Harvey replied.
That quick conversation began Harvey's journey from basketball player to one of the best pass rushers in the SEC. It has been a quick and fruitful journey.
At first shy in the weight room, Harvey soon blossomed into one of the Raiders' hardest workers.
He was a starter at tight end and defensive end as a junior, and Houchens began telling scouts and recruiters that Harvey was someone they should come see.
Harvey provided the proof in the first game of his senior season against neighboring Severna Park High School.
"He had a coming-out party," Houchens remembered. "He had four, maybe five sacks, and I don't know how the quarterback survived it. It looked like (Michael) Strahan coming off the edge. He just came off the edge so quick. His first step was so quick and explosive."
That game came several days after Harvey told Houchens he was going break the Maryland record for sacks.
"It wasn't an egotistical thing," Houchens said. "It was a desire to be the best. It's a fine line. I've seen some kids get full of themselves. He was so humble. It was him striving to be the best."
Said Harvey: "It was just a goal I set. I thought I could do it."
He did.
Harvey had 31 sacks as a senior, and ended up being rated as one of the top three defensive ends and one of the top five recruits overall by several recruiting services.
Florida won out over Ohio State, Maryland and Tennessee, and Harvey arrived in 2004.
There wasn't the same kind of instant success, though, because as dominant as Harvey was in high school, the SEC is another level.
He needed a redshirt year to adjust to the speed of the game and gain weight and strength.
"I needed to learn, to get better," Harvey said. "Everybody helped me out a lot, the (defensive) linemen. The OL, too."
Harvey needed to learn how to practice, too, linebacker Brandon Siler said.
"There were times in the middle of practice where he wasn't going as hard as he needed to," Siler said. "Eventually he got that down and got better."
Harvey had six tackles and one sack as a redshirt freshman in 2005, and he started slowly this season. Until the Kentucky game.
He had two sacks against the Wildcats, one against Alabama and LSU, and two against Auburn.
With six sacks, he's one behind Auburn's Quentin Groves' SEC-leading seven.
"He's going to be good," co-defensive coordinator Charlie Strong said. "Good. Very good. Good."
Thanks in part to his discovery on a basketball court.


Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 102506

[dirty]

Bulldogs fans yearn for the glory years

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/27/06 Athens — John Barnett bowed his head to pray but never closed his eyes.
While everyone else around the table was there to say grace, Barnett, a big Georgia Bulldogs fan from Thomson, had a different prayer in his heart. Only his eyes, tuned to the TV in the next room, could tell if it came true.

AP (ENLARGE)

Running back Robert Edwards celebrates with fans after Georgia's 37-17 victory over Florida in 1997. The Bulldogs have won only once in the series since.

Your Turn Does it feel like Georgia-Florida week to you? Oh yes it does. How can you not get up for the Gators? Not really. I've got a bad feeling about this one. Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

RELATED STORIES Bulldogs fans yearn for the glory years New foe needed for 2007 opener Dogs dedicate season to Brophy • More UGA coverage

A few solemn beats into the blessing of the food, Barnett was blessed with a David Greene-to-Fred Gibson touchdown and a 31-21 Georgia lead over Florida. It was Oct. 30, 2004, and the losing streak to those hated Gators was finally about to end.
"Miracles do happen in that game," Barnett said.
During the past 16 years, Georgia fans' prayers have gone unanswered 14 times when it comes to the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Florida, in a streak started by Steve Spurrier in 1990, has taken control of a series that used to be a vacation for Georgia fans and players. Saturday in Jacksonville, the Gators are two-touchdown favorites against a Georgia team that has two losses and is in a precarious spot in the SEC East race.
Still, this isn't just any other game to Bulldog Nation. It's become part of life in the SEC and part of so many of the lives for those who follow Georgia football.
It's tradition. It's atmosphere. It's remembering the past. It's hoping for the future.
Series shifts dramatically
It's waking up the Sunday morning after another loss to your biggest rival and not wanting to get out of bed.
"I'd exchange any of our six wins — or more — for a victory against Florida, and I feel that way every year," Georgia fan Nick Smith said. "What makes losing so bad is that you know there will be 364 days until you get another shot at it — and Florida fans will let you hear about it the entire year."
It's the hope for another miracle, like the one 26 years ago, replayed over and over by Larry Munson's "Run, Lindsay, run" radio call.
"I can remember Lindsay Scott running straight at me," said Charles Seiler, handler of Uga VI, recalling Scott's famous catch-and-run in a 26-21 win. "I was in school at Georgia back then and I was down on the field in the old Gator Bowl. And when you are on the field, your perspective is different. It was kind of late in the afternoon. You're tired. The ball is way down there.
"And then all of a sudden, the crowd starts going crazy. I look up and I just remember seeing him run straight at me. Then I almost got hit in the back of the head with a liquor bottle. I heard it whistle right past my ear. The fans were going crazy."
It's revenge for Spurrier, who lost his chance at an SEC title as a player when his Gators stumbled against Georgia, but more than made up for it as a coach, beating the Bulldogs in 10 of 11 tries at Florida.
"We were always trying to change history and trying to catch up," Spurrier said. "Georgia had beaten us so many times, we wanted to even things up with them. That was the only sense of satisfaction I got out of the deal. Then when the game was over, we put it behind us."
It's wanting to put the past decade and a half behind you for Greg Talley. The quarterback was part of the last UGA class that strung together a winning streak against the Gators — and also part of the class that started the current
2-for-16 drought.
"Florida always had a ton of talent, especially on defense, but we had that attitude back then that no matter what happened, no matter what the circumstances were, we always felt like we are going to get them in that game," Talley said. "In 1990, things changed. I never envisioned [the current trend]. Now, Florida has that mentality. It didn't happen overnight. They got two convincing wins and the programs started to change. I would like to see Georgia get the mentality back that, no matter what, we are going to win."
Wins bring satisfaction
It's youth being served for Rusty Gunn, a lifelong Bulldogs fan whose grandfather helped build Sanford Stadium.
"My most vivid memory is from the 1976 game," Gunn said of a 41-27 Georgia win. "I was in law school [at UGA] and had a bet with a law school classmate: The winner got $5 and the right to kick the loser in the rear at the next student bar association meeting. We were down by 14 points at the half. During halftime, who should I run into in the men's room but my classmate? He rubbed it in pretty good.
"In the second half, the Gators went for it on fourth down and didn't make it, the infamous 'fourth-and-dumb' call. We came back and won, of course, and went on to win the SEC [title] and meet Pittsburgh in the Sugar Bowl. I have never enjoyed collecting on a bet quite as much as that one."
It's another lost weekend for Joel Brandt, a West Coast Georgia fan whose first game at Sanford Stadium was the 1975 opener against Pitt and Tony Dorsett.
"I've got to be honest: This is not a rivalry to me. This is a weekend of depression," Brandt said. "I live in Los Angeles, and in 2000 took 10 friends of mine for my bachelor party. They loved it. Never saw anything like it, and we should have won. In 2002, my son is born that night, so I am euphoric. And then I see we lose, which cost us a shot at the national championship. ... And now Saturday, this is going to be a long day. [Mark] Richt goes 1-5 [against Florida], which is a joke. What rivalry?"
It's losing your head — and sometimes a few other things — for Ric Cobb, a member of the Georgia G-Club.
"My favorite story from all the many Georgia-Florida games I have attended was from the game in 1997 when we actually won 37-17," Cobb said. "Before the game, a young married couple was parked directly behind us in the lot adjacent to the baseball field by the Gator Bowl. She was a Florida grad and he was a Georgia grad. The bet they made before the game was that the loser had to do a striptease to the winner's fight song in the parking lot after the game and the winner had 15 minutes to round up a crowd.
"Florida had won seven in a row at that point and the young lady was feeling pretty confident to make that daring a bet. After the game, as we all enjoyed a cold beverage, the husband and several of his UGA friends rounded up what had to be several hundred people to clap and cheer as his very attractive young wife stripped to 'Glory, glory to old Georgia.' It was a sight to behold."
Losses are always painful
It's growing up quickly for Bulldogs freshman quarterback Matthew Stafford, who has been alive for only four Georgia wins.
"Nobody has to tell me anything about this game," Stafford said. "There is a buzz around campus that is pretty cool. It is one of those games where it has a lot of national implications and a lot of SEC implications. It means almost everything."
It's being able to go home again for Andrew Dill, a Georgia senior from Jacksonville who'll take in his 15th consecutive cocktail party Saturday.
"The worst loss I have seen is in 2002. I was a freshman at UGA and we clearly had the better team going into the game," Dill said. "We were also undefeated and ranked in the top five, but some missed field goals and a key interception by D.J. Shockley cost us a perfect season. That was my first game back in Jacksonville as a student at Georgia, and I couldn't even handle being around my friends, who were UF students.
"As always, this year I will take 20 fellow Bulldogs to my house in Jacksonville hoping for a win. If we can beat UF this year, it would mean so much to this campus that no one would care about the loss to Vanderbilt. A win over the Gators can truly save what has been a tough season."
It's being part of something bigger for Matthew Suber, Georgia's student body vice president.
"You go down and you are plugged into that atmosphere, you are one with the Bulldog Nation," Suber said. "It is just electric to feel that. And that you are part of this university and you are part of this football game."

[dirty]

New foe needed for 2007 opener

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/27/06 Athens — Oregon State backed out of what would have been a three-game series starting next season, leaving Georgia without an opening-game opponent for 2007.

RELATED STORIES Bulldogs fans yearn for the glory years New foe needed for 2007 opener Dogs dedicate season to Brophy • More UGA coverage

As of now, coach Mark Richt said just about anything could happen.
What would the Georgia players like to do? We asked a few:
• Defensive tackle Jeff Owens: "I want to play whoever the No. 1 team in the nation is. That gives you respect. That is when you are most fresh the first game of the season. It's the most hyped. You are going crazy, and your mind can't wait for it to start."
• Safety Kelin Johnson: "It would be nice to open up with somebody big to get us going and going and going. That first game can set the tone for the rest of the season, so it would be cool to open with somebody big."
• Quarterback Joe Cox: "N.C. State. I would love to play a team from North Carolina because that is where I am from [Charlotte] and I know a lot of the guys, so that would be cool."
Punter ready to kick
Punter Gordon Ely-Kelso continues to work out at place-kicker. Coaches continue to say he's only an emergency backup.
But if Georgia gets in a situation where it needs a long field goal, Ely-Kelso might have the best leg. The senior said 65 yards is within his range. Current starter Andy Bailey is 3-for-6 from 40 to 49 yards since taking over for injured Brandon Coutu.
"I am getting more comfortable," Ely-Kelso said of his new backup status. "The last time I kicked was in high school. But it has been a long time since I kicked with a rush and everything."
The longest field goal Ely-Kelso made in high school was 48 yards.
Milner should contribute
Tight end Martrez Milner is still moving gingerly on his injured toe, but Richt is confident the senior will be able to contribute against Florida. If Milner doesn't start, sophomore Tripp Chandler will get the call. Georgia might also go to the four-wide receiver set it used last week against Mississippi State.
Cornerback Ramarcus Brown was in a non-contact jersey with a hamstring problem. Bryan Evans will get the nod if Brown can't go.

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Florida's recent dominance in series perplexing to Georgia

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Chris Clemons (48), in 2001, and the Georgia Bulldogs have been forced to watch Florida celebrate many times in the past 16 years. In 2003, Florida's Steven Harris planted the Gators' flag following a victory.

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By John Kaltefleiter | Staff Writer | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
Some things defy logic in the college football world. There is Georgia Tech's 222-0 win over Cumberland University in 1916.
How about Michigan State melting down a month ago against Notre Dame only to turn around and pull off the biggest comeback in Division I-A history against Northwestern last week? Or what about Auburn posting its first non-probation, unblemished season in 47 years and not playing for the national title?
Somewhere on that list of oddities resides Florida's sustained success against Georgia, a program that was in complete control of the rivalry until Steve Spurrier returned to coach the Gators in 1990.
Florida is 14-2 against the Bulldogs since then. The Gators won mostly by blowouts during Spurrier's reign. Their only slip-up came in 1997 on a day when Robert Edwards gouged Florida's defense for 126 yards and four touchdowns.
Spurrier didn't lose again to Georgia before moving to the NFL after the 2001 season. With a fresh coach in Mark Richt and Spurrier's departure, Georgia's faithful believed the pendulum was set to swing the other way, returning to where it hung during the 1940s, 1970s and 1980s.
The opposite occurred.
Florida fell on mediocre times under coach Ron Zook, but the Gators never loosened their grasp in the series.
During the past four seasons, the Bulldogs were ranked in the top seven and Florida was either unranked or ranked outside the top 15. Three times they stumbled against the Gators, winning just once (2004).
"To think about us kind of turning the tables on them and being able to dominate them for about a decade and a half now, it's one of those things that would've been hard to believe if someone told you that 16 years ago," said former Gators receiver Chris Doering, the SEC's career touchdown receptions leader who was part of Florida wins from 1993-95. "It's really tough to believe."
Saturday marks the first time since Spurrier's final year that Georgia heads into this rivalry as a double-digit underdog. Florida was favored by 19 in 2001.
Georgia linebacker Tony Taylor has played in three Georgia-Florida games, but has yet to experience a win. In 2004, when Georgia ended a five-game skid to Florida, Taylor missed the season with an injury. He's hoping for a different outcome on his final trip to Jacksonville wearing a Georgia uniform.
"I can't speak for everybody, but for me, what's in the past is in the past; you just have to get over it," he said. "This is a totally new year and a totally different game."
Bill Stanfill was raised near the Florida-Georgia border. He remembers when the rivalry was as lopsided as it is now, except the Bulldogs were on the other side.
Georgia's former All-American defensive tackle and Outland Trophy winner remembers when Georgia won nine of 10 games in the 1940s and when the Bulldogs took five of nine from 1964-1972. He was part of three Georgia teams that went 2-1 against the Gators, including the 1968 team that handed Florida a 51-0 defeat, the Gators' third-worst loss in the series.
"You take the big five opponents, (South) Carolina we played three times, we played Clemson twice, (Georgia) Tech three times, Auburn three times and Florida three times," he said. "And we only lost one game and that was to Florida in '67 and that was by one point. Really, Georgia's got to get back to winning that Florida game, plain and simple."
Even after he left Georgia for an eight-year career with the Miami Dolphins and following his professional career, Stanfill saw Georgia take control of the series. From 1971 until 1989, the year after Vince Dooley's coaching career ended, Georgia went 15-4 and didn't lose consecutive games to the Gators.
As a kid, Doering, a Gainesville, Fla., native, had vivid memories of Lindsay Scott's catch-and-run for the game-winner in 1980 and Herschel Walker running for 219 yards and three touchdowns in a 44-0 Georgia win two years later.
"Having grown up as a Gator fan and having gone to some of those games in Jacksonville and always going home miserable after Georgia would find a way to squeak one out or blow us out of the ballgame every year, that's one of the things I really relished a lot more than a lot of guys that weren't necessarily Gator fans growing up," the Gainesville, Fla. native said. "It felt good to get it turned around against them."
Georgia's 14 losses in 16 years are littered with what-ifs.
What if Anthone Lott's timeout in 1993 fell on deaf ears and Eric Zeier's last-second touchdown counted?
What if Garrison Hearst ever got going in 1992?
What if Martrez Milner caught Joe Tereshinski's first pass attempt last season, or Brandon Coutu's two second-half field goal attempts were good?
"There's been too many of 'em," Stanfill said.
But Georgia's plight against a chief rival isn't the only exercise in futility across the nation.
The "Third Saturday in October" has been a nightmare for Alabama the past 12 years. With this past Saturday's victory, Tennessee clinched its 10th win in that span over the Crimson Tide. Like Georgia, one of Alabama's wins was by blowout and the other was a squeaker. At one point, Tennessee won seven in a row in the series.
Alabama won 10 of 11 against Auburn from 1971-81, until the Tigers, thanks in large part to coach Pat Dye, reversed their fortunes. Since 1982, Auburn is 14-10 against the Crimson Tide and is seeking its fifth straight win this November.
Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, a former Florida assistant, stumped Texas for five straight years. The Longhorns finally ended the streak last season and won their second in a row over the Sooners earlier this month. But Stoops' 2000 team, which won the national title, still holds claim to the most points scored in the series. Oklahoma won 63-14.
Florida hasn't broken the 60-point barrier against the Bulldogs, but the Gators have been close. Florida scored a Sanford Stadium record 52 points in 1995, and reached 52 the year before in Gainesville. At Alltel Stadium, they've scored 30 points or more seven times since 1990.
Since Spurrier left Florida in 2001, the games have been closer. The results have remained the same.
Florida's average margin of victory from 1990-2001 (23.3 points) has dwindled to 4.6 from 2002-05. Besides last season, when Georgia was without injured starting quarterback D.J. Shockley, the Bulldogs were favored for three straight years.
Only once in the past 16 years has Florida been favored by so much and come up short against Georgia.
In 1997, the Gators were 20-point favorites but three different quarterbacks combined to throw four interceptions and Robert Edwards rushed for four touchdowns in the 37-17 win.
Nine years later, Taylor said the Bulldogs don't mind being overwhelming underdogs.
"Any team doesn't want the light shining down on it," he said. "You just go in and try to prove something to yourself, your team and to the outside world that you can get the job done and you're not to be underestimated.
"There are always games on your schedule you can't wait to get to just because of the past hype or because the relationship the two teams have. For us, it's Florida."
Georgia is a two-loss team heading into today's game for the first time since 1996, and two top 20 teams - Auburn and Georgia Tech - loom in the Bulldogs' future. Still, Stanfill sees opportunity for his former team.
"Even though with Georgia's plight the last month, if they go to Jacksonville and beat Florida that will make their season in a lot of folks' minds," he said.
And it would give the Bulldogs two wins in three years and a sliver of sustained success.
During the 2-14 stretch ...
GEORGIA HAS
• Had three 100-yard rushers (Frank Harvey, Robert Edwards and Musa Smith)
• Been the first team to score three times
• Won the turnover battle three times
• Reached the red zone 45 times
• Scored a red zone touchdown 17 times
• Kicked 15 field goals
• Been limited to one touchdown or less seven times
• Allowed three or more touchdowns 10 times
• Had nine quarterbacks with a completion percentage of at least 50 percent
WORTH NOTING
• Average margin of Florida win: 17.4 points (442-198)
• Average margin of Georgia win: 15 points (68-38)
• Georgia's series advantage in 1989: 44-22-2
• Georgia's series advantage in 2006: 46-36-2
A recap of Georgia's recent skid
2005 : Florida 14, Georgia 10
Georgia backup quarterback Joe Tereshinski was 9 of 22 passing with an interception, and kicker Brandon Coutu missed field goal attempts of 39 and 52 yards. The Gators scored on their first two possessions.
2004 : Georgia 31, Florida 24
Danny Ware rushed for 103 yards and the Bulldogs sacked Chris Leak four times, including on Florida's final drive when the Gators were facing a third-and-12 from Georgia's 32. David Greene sealed the win with a 15-yard touchdown to Fred Gibson with 8:37 left.
2003 : Florida 16, Georgia 13
Florida was 1 of 12 on third down, but Georgia went 1-for-4 in converting red zone trips into touchdowns. The Bulldogs had first-and-goal from the 8-yard line but picked up just 4 yards on the next three plays and settled for a game-tying field goal. Florida drove 66 yards in 3:16 and won it with a 33-yard kick.
2002 : Florida 20, Georgia 13
Terrence Edwards shouldered most of the blame for dropping a wide-open pass down the middle late in the fourth quarter. But Georgia going 0-for-13 on third down was devastating, and the Bulldogs saw their bid for an undefeated season slip away.
2001 : Florida 24, Georgia 10
Trailing 17-10 early in the fourth quarter, Georgia went for it on fourth-and-13 from the Gators' 36 and came up 1 yard short on David Greene's pass to Fred Gibson. Rex Grossman retaliated on Florida's next possession with a 76-yard touchdown drive.
2000 : Florida 31, Georgia 23
Quincy Carter was intercepted three times and fumbled once. Three of Carter''s turnovers came the second half, and his fumble with about five minutes left nixed any chances of a Georgia comeback.
1999 : Florida 30, Georgia 14
Quincy Carter completed just six passes for 76 yards, fumbled and was intercepted once. Down 16-14, Jasper Sanks fumbled on Florida's 13-yard line with 12:55 left. The Gators scored two touchdowns in the final eight minutes.
1998 : Florida 38, Georgia 7
Florida's Doug Johnson threw a pair of touchdown passes before Georgia recorded its initial first down late in the first quarter. Quincy Carter was intercepted twice and receiver Tony Small fumbled at the Gators' 6-yard line just before halftime with Florida leading 21-7.
1997 : Georgia 37, Florida 14
Robert Edwards rushed for 124 yards and four touchdowns which led to Georgia having almost 10 minutes more time of possession than Florida. Though Mike Bobo threw three interceptions, Florida's quarterbacks threw four.
1996 : Florida 47, Georgia 7
Georgia had three turnovers in the first half and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel threw four touchdown passes before halftime.
1995 : Florida 52, Georgia 17
Florida scored four touchdowns in the first 15 minutes as receiver Chris Doering caught three touchdowns. Georgia had a turnover inside its 20 its first two possessions of the game, and Florida set the opponent record for the most points scored in Sanford Stadium history.
1994 : Florida 52, Georgia 14
Florida turned five Georgia turnovers into three touchdowns. The Bulldogs had just 31 rushing yards during their first visit to The Swamp in 63 years.
1993 : Florida 33, Georgia 26
Errict Rhett rushed a school-record 41 times for 183 yards and two touchdowns. Eric Zeier threw what could've been a game-tying touchdown with five seconds left, but Florida's Anthone Lott called timeout just before the snap and the apparent score was negated.
1992 : Florida 26, Georgia 24
Florida ruined Garrison Hearst's Heisman Trophy chances by limiting him to just 41 yards, and the Gators kept him out of the end zone for the first time that season. Florida scored three first-half touchdowns in less than 10 minutes.
1991 : Florida 45, Georgia 13
Florida scored three touchdowns in the first 12 minutes of the second quarter and took a 28-3 lead into halftime.
1990 : Florida 38, Georgia 7
Following Greg Talley's touchdown pass to Andre Hastings late in the first quarter, Georgia went the next 21/2 quarters without a first down. The Bulldogs completed just eight passes, while Florida quarterback Shane Matthews threw for 344 yards and three scores.

Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 102606

[dirty]

Plenty of options for Gators

'Tricky guy' hopes to spread Georgia's defense thin

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Chris Leak, who has not thrown an interception in three games against Georgia, has plenty of options in Urban Meyer's complicated offense.
Associated Press Photo
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By Marc Weiszer | marc.weiszer@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
Georgia cornerback Bryan Evans paid Urban Meyer the ultimate compliment when he called the Florida coach a "tricky guy."
Evans and his defensive teammates are trying to get a handle on how to stop the Gators' spread option offense, which Evans said, "has a lot of different styles that they can use to distract the defense. You can never tell what they're going to do."
Georgia expects to see an assortment of formations and wrinkles: Wide receivers lining up as tailbacks, option pitches, end arounds and a backup quarterback with the size of a fullback who can run like a tailback.
"It's all confusing," defensive end Quentin Moses said. "I don't know of a better way to put it than it's just confusing, like, the whole offense. You don't know if it's run or pass. We just have to go out there and stick to our fundamentals, stick to our keys and try to make the right decisions."
Bulldogs safety Tra Battle said look beyond all the formations and shifts and you'll find base plays.
"As long as you can find the tendency of when and where teams run certain plays, then the shifts and motions are just all a façade," he said. "Once you can get past the façade, you can get down to the basics of playing football."
Georgia's defense, of course, hasn't done a great job of doing that in recent weeks.
The Bulldogs have fallen from No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense to 27th after giving up 51 points to Tennessee and 24 to both Vanderbilt and Mississippi State the past three weeks.
Georgia has given up an average of 230.7 passing yards the past three games after allowing 133.6 the first five. That's even going up against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt, rated 85th and 99th in passing nationally.
"We're not that good right now," safety Kelin Johnson said. "We need to tackle better. We need to run harder. We need to hit harder. That's just facts. That's what we're going to continue to keep working on in practice every day."
Florida quarterback Chris Leak has fared well in three starts against Georgia, going 50 of 77 for 590 yards with four touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. He hasn't thrown an interception against the Bulldogs.
"We've either got to cover better or get in his face better," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "Maybe he'll just let the ball slip one time and we'll have a chance."
From Year 1 to Year 2, Meyer's offense showed rapid improvement at his previous two stops, Bowling Green and Utah. The progress hasn't been as great at Florida, but the Gators have jumped from 61st to 25th (394.1 yards) in total offense and from 49th to 38th in scoring (27.29) the past two years.
Auburn dealt Florida a first loss 27-17 on Oct. 14 in a game in which the Tigers had possession for nearly 37 minutes. Florida was held to a season low 45 plays, the lowest in Meyer's six seasons as coach.
The Gators are 30th in the nation in passing (236.4 yards per game) and 43rd in rushing (157.7).
"As sad as it sounds, because they're throwing the ball very well, you've got to stop their run," Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. "Their running game is exceptional, and they hurt us last year with it."
DeShawn Wynn rushed for 109 of Florida's 153 yards in a 14-10 victory over Georgia last season. This year, 6-foot-3, 229-pound freshman quarterback Tim Tebow, who has 246 yards, is the second leading rusher behind Wynn. Receivers Percy Harvin and Andre Caldwell have combined to rush for 219 yards.
"They've got a lot more weapons," Martinez said. "They've got more depth and the older guys have more experience in the system. You can see that in the amount of new things they do and how well they've been doing it."
Saturday: Georgia vs. No. 9 Florida Alltel Stadium 3:30 p.m. (CBS)

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'Ballhawks' shine for Gators

Notebook

Story Photos - Click to Enlarge

Florida safety Reggie Nelson, tackling Georgia's Mohamed Massaquoi in last year's game, has four interceptions this season.
Diane Cebula / Staff
Click thumbnails to view


By Marc Weiszer | marc.weiszer@onlineathens.com | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
A season after Urban Meyer made the move from Utah to Florida, Ryan Smith reunited with his former coach in Gainesville.
If SEC football coaches weren't against the new NCAA rule that allows a player who graduates with eligibility remaining to transfer without sitting out a year, Smith has given them a reason to hate it.
The junior cornerback has teamed with safety Reggie Nelson to give the Gators a formidable secondary duo. Smith and Nelson each have four interceptions.
"I like to call them ballhawks," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "They will make a play on the ball. They just won't sit there and let people catch balls on them by playing soft. They will get after it. They will take their shots at the runners and receivers when they catch the ball, but they will go after the ball, and they have a lot of picks to show for it."
That's something that Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford will have to pay special attention to on Saturday. Stafford threw three interceptions in Georgia's 27-24 victory against Mississippi State.
His seven interceptions in the SEC are behind only the eight of Erik Ainge, Brent Schaeffer and Chris Nickson, who each have at least 39 more total attempts.
"I definitely have to be aware of it, just to help keep the team in it," Stafford said. "Turnovers. We can't have those."
Stafford said Smith and Nelson "get deep and they try to make plays on the ball all over the field. They're a special group of guys, and they've got good guys up front to put pressure on the quarterback. It makes for a great defensive scheme really."

Tired Dogs get a break
The timing of fall break, which begins today, couldn't be any better for Georgia, which is about to play its ninth straight game without a bye.
"I can't sit here and say we're a fresh football team right now, because we're not," Richt said this week. "We're going to do the best we can to give them the rest when we can."
Richt has noticed fatigue in practice and mounting injuries haven't helped.
"Hopefully, that will give them a little juice at the end," Richt said. "Adrenaline's going to play a big part in this game."
The fall break will allow players to get more sleep today before the team arrives in the afternoon for weightlifting sessions and meetings. The Bulldogs will hold their final practice of the week at Sanford Stadium today.
"With a big rivalry like that, it gives everybody a lot extra energy out there on the practice field, and definitely during game time," Stafford said.

Positions still uncertain
Kickoff returner Asher Allen is slowed by a hip injury, which means that role could go to Ramarcus Brown, Bryan Evans, Danny Ware or Prince Miller, assistant coach Tony Ball said.
"If (Asher) can get some reps (today), that will be great," Ball said.
Richt said Michael Turner will remain at guard this week if Chester Adams (ankle) isn't healthy enough to play the entire game. Adams and Turner could rotate.
"It might be wise to do that some," Richt said. "I don't know if Chester can play the whole game, full speed, even if he's in there."

Moses on Bednarik list
Senior defensive end Quentin Moses was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nation's top defensive player and one of 17 quarterfinalists for the Lott Trophy, a defensive award that takes into consideration such things as academics and community service. Moses has three sacks, nine tackles for loss and 25 tackles.

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Meyer: Just get him the ball

Florida / Percy Harvin

Story Photos - Click to Enlarge

Florida's Percy Harvin (8), scoring a touchdown on a 58-yard reception against Central Florida, has 321 total yards of offense this season. Florida coaches want to get him the ball more often - as a running back or receiver.
Associated Press Photo
Click thumbnails to view


By Michael DiRocco | michael.dirocco@jacksonville.com | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Freshman Percy Harvin will spend the rest of his Florida career at wide receiver.
And running back.
And quarterback.
Harvin will line up at all those spots - just like Southern California's Reggie Bush did - at one time or another in the next two-plus years as the coaching staff tries to take advantage of his speed and play-making ability. He's already provided a glimpse of his potential this season.
"He's going to be a slash guy," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "You see a lot of people doing that across the country. USC did it with that Reggie Bush guy. (Harvin) is good with the ball in his hands. He will carry the ball more."
Harvin has carried the ball 14 times for 158 yards, with some of those carries coming when he was lined up at tailback. He had a runs of 20 and 35 yards from the backfield in Florida's 27-17 loss to Auburn.
He has caught 10 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown, giving him 321 yards of total offense. He's gaining 13.4 yards each time he touches the ball.
"(Harvin has) the X-factor, and that's speed," running backs coach Stan Drayton said. "The kid is flat-out fast. He's got tremendous instincts, things that you don't coach. You don't coach speed, you don't coach the instincts. All you do is give them landmarks, you give them the footwork, and a playmaker like that, you give him the football and he does all the rest and makes a coach look good."
Harvin has done that nearly every time he has touched the ball - with the exception of a 6-yard loss on a rush against Auburn - but Meyer believes that he's not touching the ball enough. Harvin had five carries for 66 yards in the first half against Auburn, but failed to see the ball in the second half.
"He's going to do that more," Meyer said. "You need big plays in this conference. To think you're going to sit there, drive it, drive it, drive it (down the field) - it's not going to happen."
Harvin could end up spending more time in the backfield than at receiver. He was a running back in his first two seasons at Landstown High School in Virginia Beach, Va., before moving to receiver as a junior.
He still ran for 1,230 yards and 23 touchdowns in his final two seasons, seeing spot duty at running back and quarterback.
Harvin would be OK with that move.
"I knew it was a chance (he'd end up playing more running back) because I did a lot of that in high school," Harvin said. "They came to a couple of my games when I was at quarterback and at running back, so I wasn't surprised.
"They just said they were going to do whatever to get the ball in my hands."
Harvin certainly is faster and more elusive than any of Florida's running backs. DeShawn Wynn is a between-the-tackles runner, and Kestahn Moore hasn't impressed the coaches enough to become more than a backup.
Freshmen Chevon Walker and Mon Williams are redshirting.
"If he's our best running back, then we'll find a way to get him the football in the backfield," Drayton said. "... He has the ability to make people miss, and that's a dimension we've been trying to get out of that backfield for the last couple of years.
"It's a different ball game between those tackles, but probably a year from now when he gets that weight on him and he starts getting that functional strength about him, no question he can be that guy."
Bush proved to be that guy for the Trojans in 2004 and 2005. He gained 3,635 yards and scored 31 touchdowns rushing and receiving, averaging 8.6 yards every time he touched the ball.
He also averaged 16 offensive touches per game, a number that Harvin would have a tough time duplicating.
"The ball isn't always going to come my way," Harvin said. "Hopefully, (Saturday) I'll get more touches, but if not, it's a team game, so whatever happens, happens."
Bush light
Florida plans to use Percy Harvin in the same way Southern California used Reggie Bush the past two seasons. Here's how Harvin's stats stack up against Bush's stats from 2004 and 2005:
Harvin in the same way Southern California used Reggie Bush the past two seasons. Here's how Harvin's stats stack up against Bush's stats from 2004 and 2005:
Harvin
2006
Rushing: 14 carries, 158 yards, 0 touchdowns
Receiving: 10 catches, 163 yards, 1 touchdown
Totals: 24 touches, 321 yards, 1 touchdown
Average per touch: 13.4 yards
Bush
2005
Rushing: 200 carries, 1,740 yards, 16 touchdowns
Receiving: 37 catches, 478 yards, 2 touchdowns
Totals: 237 touches, 2,218 yards, 18 touchdowns
Average per touch: 9.4 yards
2004
Rushing: 143 carries, 908 yards, 6 touchdowns
Receiving: 43 catches, 509 yards, 7 touchdowns
Totals: 186 touches, 1,417 yards, 13 touchdowns
Average per touch: 7.6 yards

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Thomas back with a bang

Defense tackle has been dominant since return from suspension

Story Photos - Click to Enlarge

Florida defensive tackle Marcus Thomas (44) has 18 tackles, one sack and one pass break up since returning from a drug-related suspension.
Associated Press Photo
Click thumbnails to view


By Michael DiRocco | michael.dirocco@jacksonville.com | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
GAINESVILLE - The only thing that has been able to stop Florida defensive tackle Marcus Thomas the past month was his two-game drug suspension.
Since the senior returned from missing those games, he has played perhaps the best two games of his career.
"Ever since we've been here, we've talked about us being dominant, taking over games," fifth-year senior defensive end Ray McDonald said. "These past two games that he's been back, he's been a real force."
That's one way to describe the 18 tackles, one sack, and one pass breakup the 6-foot-3, 296-pound senior had in games against LSU and Auburn.
McDonald, who is one of Thomas' closest friends, also calls it a bit of retribution for getting suspended for two games because of a second failed drug test for marijuana.
"Marcus realized that he had messed up and he was trying to make up for it, trying to show everybody he could play," McDonald said.
"He put so much into the season and for him to miss those games, he was like, 'Man, I made a silly mistake, and I'm not going to be out there with you guys. I kind of let y'all down.' "
Thomas - who has 156 tackles and 14 sacks in his career - has been unavailable for comment since he returned from his suspension. He has not returned phone calls, and he leaves the practice field through an alternate exit and separately from his teammates. He has not been made available to reporters by Florida's sports information department.
Co-defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who coaches the defensive line, said Thomas' performance the past two games isn't necessarily linked to an epiphany during his time off.
"That's what we expected out of Marcus coming into his senior year," Mattison said. "He's trained extremely hard all summer, and he had a good offseason, and that's just what you'd expect. He's playing some pretty good competition and playing against some good football teams, and I think great players really try to step it up in those games."
In his first game back, Thomas had eight tackles and broke up a pass in the Gators' 23-10 victory over LSU at Florida Field. The following week against Auburn, he made a career-high 10 tackles and sacked Tigers quarterback Brandon Cox for a 7-yard loss.
That didn't surprise McDonald, who said Thomas has been more committed to football since his return.
"He worked a lot harder (after returning to the practice field before the LSU game)," McDonald said. "He was focused before, but it was like he was really tuned in. His whole body and mind was at practice. Wherever he was in the football stadium, his mind was on football."
Mattison said Thomas can play even better than he has the past two games, and he's going to try and ensure that by giving Thomas more of a rest against Georgia.
"The thing we talked about with Marcus is being more consistent throughout the game," Mattison said. "A little bit of that is my fault. I needed to rotate him a little more (during games). He was in a game where he was getting (double teamed) and a lot of things were coming at him, and he hadn't had as many reps as other kids had had.
"I think if I probably would have gotten him out of there, you would have seen him playing a little more the way we expect him to play."

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Ace QBs keep united front, lead Florida to the top of SEC East

Story Photos - Click to Enlarge

Tim Tebow (15)
Associated Press Photo
Senior Chris Leak (12)
Associated Press Photo
Click thumbnails to view


By Michael DiRocco | | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Oh, it could be ugly. The team could be divided. The starting quarterback could be angry, popping off to the media about being pulled for a freshman. The backup could be talking about wanting to start.
Practices and meetings could be strained, because the quarterbacks don't like each other and don't want to spend any more time together than the bare minimum demanded by the coach.
It could be a nasty quarterback controversy at Florida between Chris Leak, Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer.
But it isn't.
It's sunshine and daisies and tweeting birds. Peace, love and happiness. It's a giant orange-and-blue commune, and standing in front of the crowd holding hands are Leak, Tebow and Meyer.
No quarterback controversy. A quarterback alliance, united to achieve team harmony - and a SEC title, too.
The Gators are 6-1, 4-1 in the SEC, ranked ninth in the Associated Press poll and sitting in the SEC title hunt because Leak and Tebow are accepting of, and flourishing in, Meyer's quarterback rotation.
"I think we're both just worried about winning and trying to help the team out," Tebow said. "The coaches do a great job of just explaining what we have to do as far as the game plan that week. We both try to go out there and play the best we can.
"I'm happy for him when he does (well), and it's vice versa, too. We're just trying to win."
Meyer's approach has critics. They say it hurts Leak's confidence when he's replaced inside the 10-yard line or that it's costing the senior any chance at the Heisman Trophy. They question the wisdom of replacing a four-year starter with a freshman who, with the exception of garbage time in Florida's 42-0 rout of Central Florida in September, hadn't thrown a meaningful pass until three weeks ago.
But they can't argue that it hasn't worked.
The rotation gave the Gators a critical fourth-down conversion that set up the game-winning touchdown pass against Tennessee and two touchdown passes against LSU because the defense was thinking run-first. It also gives Florida another option in the running game.
"You have to keep the defense off-balance," said Leak, who has thrown for 1,503 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.
Tebow is the power runner - he's the Gators' second-leading rusher (246 yards) - but he crossed up LSU's defense three weeks ago by faking two runs and throwing two touchdown passes.
In both instances - and just before he scored on a 1-yard run in the first quarter - Tebow entered the game during a drive that Leak started.
"(Switching quarterbacks) creates a lot of problems, because it's like game-planning for two whole different teams because you got two totally different styles that complement one another," said Florida middle linebacker Brandon Siler, who deals with it daily in practice. "It's real hard on defenses, I can tell you that."
But it's not hard on the Gators, because Leak and Tebow are mature enough to handle it, Meyer said.
Even though Leak and Tebow both were high school stars and highly sought-after recruits, they don't mind sharing playing time, Meyer said.
"They're both high-character people," he said. "I've heard stories, and I've actually been around some people where it wouldn't have worked because they're selfish, they're an I-before-team mentality."
Not that people could blame Leak if he did complain. He already holds three career passing records at Florida and is on pace to set two others. He's a senior who hadn't played in the same offensive system for consecutive seasons until now, and he has led the Gators to big wins at LSU, Tennessee and Florida State during his career.
Not a peep, though.
"He hasn't said anything," Tebow said. "He's so professional about everything. He's trying to go out there and win a game. He's not on the sideline that many plays, and when he goes off (the field), he's just focused on what he's got to do when he goes back in there."
At a school known for former coach Steve Spurrier's antics with rotating quarterbacks, this is a unique situation. Spurrier changed quarterbacks because they weren't playing well, not to give the defense a different look.
He rotated Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise on every play against Florida State in 1997 because neither was effective in the previous weeks.
Tebow was on the field for 14 plays against LSU, the most he has played in an SEC game this season.
"Chris knows (Tebow's playing time) has nothing to do with him - it's not like, 'If you don't play well, we're pulling you out,' " Meyer said. "Same thing with Tim. Even if he's making great plays, the intent is to keep the defense off-balance, not to have the quarterback looking over his shoulder."

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Keys to a Georgia win

| | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
1: Protect, secure
Matthew Stafford has already thrown three interceptions in two games. If Georgia is going to have a chance to beat Florida, the Bulldogs can't afford to give away possessions with turnovers. Georgia is tied for 81st in the nation in turnover margin. The good thing for the Bulldogs is Florida isn't much better at 70th.
2: Pressure Leak
Chris Leak is 28-12 as a starting quarterback, but his last outing showed that if a defense can get to Florida's senior quarterback, miscues could be coming. In the final 10 minutes against Auburn, Leak had a fumble on third down at the Auburn 6, when he had the ball knocked away, and he also threw an interception.
3: Stay alert
Twenty one of Florida's 38 rushing plays of 10 yards or more have come from a quarterback or receiver. The Bulldogs will need to be alert for the run anytime backup quarterback Tim Tebow is in the game and be ready for reverses to receivers Percy Harvin, who sometimes lines up in the backfield, or Andre Caldwell.
4: Be special
Calling Mikey Henderson. Georgia's lightning bolt has returned two punts for touchdowns this season has had the plug pulled on him the past two games, averaging a mere 8.9 yards per return. Auburn saw how valuable a big special teams play could be when it beat Florida two weeks ago, blocking a punt for a touchdown.

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Game breakdown

Story Photos - Click to Enlarge

Georgia defensive end Charles Johnson, putting pressure on Colorado's Bernard Jackson, must be a force on Saturday.
Diane Cebula / Staff
Click thumbnails to view


By Marc Weiszer | Staff Writer | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
Offense : Edge: Florida
Florida is 25th in the nation in total offense (394.14 yards per game) despite going up against an SEC schedule that has included LSU, Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama. Senior receiver Dallas Baker is second in the SEC with six touchdown catches and third with 79.4 receiving yards per game. Georgia has committed 10 turnovers in its past three games but has also averaged 26.3 points a game during that stretch.
Defense : Edge: Florida
Georgia has taken a nosedive in the past three weeks defensively, falling from tops in the nation in scoring defense (16.6) to 27th after allowing 51 points to Tennessee, 24 to Vanderbilt and 24 to Mississippi State. Georgia could have matchup problems against Florida's stable of wideouts, so it will need ends Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson to apply the pressure. Florida has yielded just five touchdowns all season, the fewest in the nation. The Gators allow an SEC-low 67.7 yards per game rushing but are ninth in the SEC in pass defense at nearly 200 yards per game.
Special teams : Edge: Georgia
Georgia has struggled on kickoff returns the past two weeks (a 17.4 average) as Asher Allen had replaced the injured Thomas Brown. In a series that has been decided by a touchdown or less the past four games, Mikey Henderson's big-play potential could be a game-changer. Florida kicker Chris Hetland is 1 for 5 on field goals. The Gators are 83rd in punt returns (7.32 average) and 87th in kickoff returns (18.7).
Coaching : Edge: Florida
Florida coach Urban Meyer has done a good job of juggling an established senior starting quarterback (Chris Leak) with a talented freshman (Tim Tebow). The Gators are 6-1 against a schedule that includes three ranked opponents. Georgia's Mark Richt is 1-4 against Florida. It's the one hole in his accomplished five-plus seasons with the Bulldogs
Intangibles : Edge: Georgia
Georgia is playing its ninth straight game without a bye. Florida is coming off an open date and has won its last seven games, and Urban Meyer-coached teams have won their past seven games after a bye week. What could work in Georgia's favor is that they are heavy underdogs (two touchdowns at midweek) and have been written off by many in the SEC East race. Another Florida loss puts an end to any national title hopes and makes the division race very interesting.
Overall : Edge: Florida
Georgia lost to Vanderbilt at home and needed a last-second big play on defense to hold off Mississippi State. That doesn't bode well for being able to turn the tide in its annual showdown with Florida. The Gators have too many offensive weapons for Georgia's defense to handle and too much incentive. Florida will move closer to the SEC East title, probably with a double-digit win.
- All text by Marc Weiszer

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Georgia players to watch

| | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
WR Mohamed Massaquoi
The sophomore wide receiver was demoted for the second time this season after more drops and a fumble. Georgia still figures to need Massaquoi as a playmaker if it's going to beat Florida.
DE Quentin Moses
The senior end finally came alive against Mississippi State. Moses had two sacks to increase his total to three. Georgia needs Moses to continue to get to the quarterback with a four-man rush.
QB Matthew Stafford
The Bulldogs mustered just 108 passing yards last year against Florida when Mark Richt used a conservative gameplan for Joe Tereshinski's first collegiate start. That won't be the case Saturday with Stafford.

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Georgia by the numbers

| | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
0: Number of career starts for split end Demiko Goodman, who is slated to start for Georgia on Saturday.
6 :Victories in 13 neutral site games for Georgia coach Mark Richt at Georgia. He is 52-8 in games at home and in opponents' stadiums.
10: Number of years since Georgia last played Florida as an unranked team in the Associated Press poll.
45: Points Georgia opponents have scored off of the past 10 Bulldogs turnover
50: Percent of tickets Georgia fans get for Saturday's game in a split with Florida.

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Georgia fast facts

| | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
The Georgia-Florida game is under contract in Jacksonville through 2010. The city of Jacksonville estimates the annual revenue generated by the game is between $25-30 million.
With one more victory, Georgia will become the 11th program in Division I-A with 700 all-time wins. The top 10 are: Michigan (857), Notre Dame (817), Texas (807), Nebraska (800), Ohio State (782), Alabama (779), Penn State (776), Oklahoma (762), Tennessee (757) and Southern California (738). The Bulldogs have played 1,130 total games since 1892, the sixth most in Division I-A.
The last time Georgia was held to less than 100 yards passing was against Florida in 1999. Quincy Carter threw for 76 yards in a 30-14 loss.
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Florida players to watch

| | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
DE Derrick Harvey
The redshirt sophomore has emerged as a pass rushing force after a quiet freshman season. He is third in the SEC with six sacks, including two in the Gators' last game against Auburn.
WR Percy Harvin
With DeShawn Wynn and Kestahn Moore dealing with injuries, the versatile freshman could get more carries at tailback. Harvin leads Florida with a team-best 11.3 yards per carry average.
QB Chris Leak
The buzz surrounds Tim Tebow, but most snaps still belong to Leak, who has thrown 35 career picks but none against Georgia. He is 50 of 77 for 590 yards and four TDs against Georgia.

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Florida by the numbers

| | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
2: Teams that have more than one player with four interceptions this season. Florida's Ryan Smith and Reggie Nelson each have four. Alabama's Simeon Castille (five) and Lionel Mitchell (four) are the other duo.
3: Tim Tebow's national rank in yards per carry (5.6) for quarterbacks, behind only West Virginia's Pat White and Northwestern's Mike Kafka.
3: Urban Meyer's place among active coaches with five or more years in winning percentage (.818). He's behind only USC's Pete Carroll and Miami's Larry Coker.
10: Victories after a loss for Meyer's teams in 11 games. Florida is coming off a 27-17 loss to Auburn.
19: Florida's ranking nationally for penalties per game. The Gators are worst in the nation, averaging nine penalties for 63 yards.
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Florida fast facts

| | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
Florida senior Chris Leak is first in career passing touchdowns among active quarterbacks with 80. Leak is third in career passing yards with 9,774. He's behind only Houston's Kevin Kolb (11,458) and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn (10,274).
According to the NCAA, Florida has the second-toughest schedule in the nation sorted on past opposition. Boston College has the toughest.
Florida has won five straight over Tennessee, Georgia and Florida State. The streak over the three is tied for the longest in school history, matching a stretch from 1995-96.



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Two for one

| | Story updated at 10:52 AM on Thursday, October 26, 2006
Here's a piece-by-piece analysis of which player is stronger in which area, although when put together, they give Florida a formidable duo.
Head, eyes : Leak
Leak is a four-year starter in the SEC, and that kind of experience is invaluable. He has proved during his career that he can read a defense and make the correct throw. His 61.2 career completion percentage is second all-time at Florida, and he had the lowest interception percentage in school history entering the season (2.65 percent).
Mouth : Tebow
Gators coach Urban Meyer has been critical of Leak's leadership skills, saying the senior needed to be more vocal. Leak has improved, but Tebow is clearly the vocal, emotional leader that Meyer wants. That has influenced Leak to be more effusive - just look at the hopping around he did after his 45-yard run against Alabama earlier this season. "They're rubbing off on each other," Meyer said.
Hands : Leak
Both players have strong arms, but Leak has better touch on the ball. During preseason practices, Tebow threw an 8-yard curl the same way he threw a 20-yard in. He has improved, but Leak knows when to zip a pass and when to drop one in.
Shoulders : Tebow
It's third-and-5 late in a game that your team is trailing by six points. Your team's quarterback takes off running. There's a tackler ahead, but he's several yards beyond the first-down marker. You want your quarterback to lower his shoulders and make sure he gets the first down. Leak didn't against Tennessee, sliding 1 yard shy of the first down. Tebow came in and gained 2 yards to convert on fourth down.
Legs : Tebow
Florida's offense needs a quarterback who can run the ball. Tebow certainly can do that - he's the Gators' second-leading rusher (246 yards, 5.6 per carry) - but what makes him special is that he's a 6-foot-3, 229-pound power runner. Tebow plowed through several tacklers - including LSU strong safety Jessie Daniels, who met the freshman at the Tigers' 10 and ended up on his back at the 4 - for a 15-yard run.
Feet : Leak
Tebow is a strong runner, but sometimes a quarterback needs to skip around in the pocket to create more time for a receiver to pop open. Leak is pretty good at that, and he throws the ball well on the run.
- By Michael DiRocco

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[mofome]

has anyone in this thread mentioned the fact that georgia stinks at tackle football? if not, thats certainly some information we should take into consideration when making our plays this weekend

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Updated Thursday, October 26 at 10:08 PM

Richt says Milner, Brown, Adams to play ATHENS, Ga. - Three injured Georgia starters should return for Saturday's game against Florida, according to coach Mark Richt. Richt said Thursday that cornerback Ramarcus Brown (hamstring), offensive guard Chester Adams (ankle) and tight end Martrez Milner (toe) will play in the game. ``The thing for Chester, Martrez and Ramarcus is they could fatigue as the game goes on,'' Richt said. ``We'll have to keep an eye on that.'' Freshman quarterback Matthew Stafford will start for the second straight week, but Richt said he has not picked a backup for the game. Richt said Joe Tereshinski and Joe Cox have received equal practice time behind Stafford this week. Stafford played the full game in last Saturday's win over Mississippi State.

©Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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UGA will find credibility; Tech will find a win

By Mark Bradley | Friday, October 27, 2006, 08:43 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Mark Bradley

• Let's give La Russa his props
• Falcons lack an identity
• Puppies in Dogs' uniforms
• Life in the fast lane
• Should Knapp's days be numbered?

Two teams from Georgia play two teams from Florida Saturday with the leads in two divisions of two conferences on the line. Tangible goals notwithstanding, the Georgia-based teams enter this significant Saturday with another aim, this one even more personal.
They seek credibility.
Georgia headed to Jacksonville off the most deflating homestand of the Mark Richt era. In the course of eight days the Bulldogs dropped from No. 10 in the nation to unranked for the first time since 2001. They yielded 51 points to Tennessee, which is hard to do, and lost to Vanderbilt, which is harder still. (Then they nearly lost to Mississippi State, which is the hardest of all.)
Georgia Tech returned from Clemson a chastened team. The Jackets were pierced for 321 rushing yards and saw their rushing defense fall from No. 9 nationally to No. 32. Tech is still in the Top 25 of both polls, but with a loss Saturday it won’t be.
And yet …
Tech can essentially clinch the Coastal Division of the ACC by beating Miami (which has had, as we know, issues of its own). As embarrassing as the prime-time Clemson loss was, it was nonetheless a lesser game in the grand scheme. Said Chan Gailey: “[Players] understand that this is a division game, and what you’re trying to do is win your division to get to the [conference] championship game.”
Georgia has won the SEC East three times in four years, and mathematically the Bulldogs could do it again. They’d have to beat No. 9 Florida to have a chance, and few believe this flailing team has that capability. Even before the hated Gators had been made a two-touchdown favorite, tailback Danny Ware sounded the alert: “They always think they’re going to run over us, and they’re going to be more cocky than ever when they see the way we’ve been struggling.”
Still, there’s something to be said for a brand-name team that’s given little chance in a rivalry game. Georgia didn’t stay ranked for five calendar years by wilting under duress. It won at Auburn in 2002 after trailing 14-3 at the half. It beat LSU in the Georgia Dome last December despite being a clear underdog. Current events notwithstanding, this remains a proud program peopled by proud players.
“We’re not playing for the fans or the accolades,” said safety Tra Battle. “We’re not playing for the polls. We’re playing for ourselves, and we always believe in ourselves.”
Tech had begun to believe in a way it hadn’t under Gailey. It chased Notre Dame to the wire and overwhelmed Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and suddenly the program that has been stuck on seven wins seemed capable of winning 10 or 11 this time. The Clemson loss put a halt, perhaps only temporary, in the grand march to the ACC title.
“Last Saturday was kind of shocking, how [the Tigers] could be so successful,” said linebacker Philip Wheeler. “We were in wonder. … They wanted it a little more.”
At issue now is whether one forlorn evening in Death Valley represents the new norm or a raging aberration. Wheeler again: “We can’t get our confidence down. We’re a good football team that had a bad night.”
The expectation here is that both Georgia-based teams will play their best games in a month. That should be enough for Tech to handle Miami, which hasn’t beaten anybody of consequence and has disgraced itself en route. Playing in Atlanta, the Jackets will win the game that should enable them to play in Jacksonville come Dec. 2.
Georgia plays in Jacksonville Saturdayday with the hope — not to say the absolute expectation — of playing in Atlanta on Dec. 2. It’s hard to imagine the Bulldogs being overwhelmed by Florida, which really hasn’t blown anybody out, and it’s tempting to pick one of those boats-against-the-current upsets that can happen in college football.
“Fans may boo us, but we’re never going to boo ourselves,” Battle said, “No matter what, we’re going to leave it all on the field.”
Look for Georgia to give its fans cause to cheer — for three quarters. Look for superior Gator forces to prevail in the end, but not before the Bulldogs remind us that, even in their weakened state, they’re Bulldogs still.
Two Georgia teams will play today in search of lost luster. Both will find a measure of it. Tech will find a bit more.
Permalink | Comments (25) | Post your comment | Categories: Mark Bradley, Tech / ACC, UGA / SEC

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GEORGIA (6-2, 3-2 SEC) AT NO. 9 FLORIDA (6-1, 4-1 SEC) • 3:30 P.M. • CBS • 750 AM
Dogs to spread out for Stafford

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/28/06
Matthew Stafford doesn't remember tuning into this game until he was a sophomore in high school. The Texan's formative years were spent in Big 12 country, where the Red River Shootout was the rivalry to be revered.
He went to those games, so Stafford knows the drill — half the stadium pulling for one team, the other half another.

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"These games are probably really similar," Georgia's freshman quarterback said. "It is one of those games with an atmosphere you can't really duplicate."
To put Stafford in a more familiar surrounding, Georgia might choose once again to start the game with a four-receiver set.
"That is what we did in high school," Stafford said. "I hardly took any snaps under center. We were four and five wide receivers, throwing the ball around."
Last week against Mississippi State, Stafford threw the ball 32 times to nine different receivers. It was the most passes he had attempted in a game since his junior year of high school at Dallas' Highland Park.
Today, that number might inch higher considering Florida's porous pass defense (199.9 passing yards allowed a game) and the SEC's top rushing defense (67.7.)
Florida likely will try to confuse the freshman by throwing different defensive looks his way.
"He's a freshman, and we'll go after him at the right time," defensive coordinator Charlie Strong told the Gainesville (Fla.) Sun. "We'll mix things up and try to keep the pressure on him."

A true freshman test
Stafford will become just the fourth true freshman to start at quarterback against Florida. How the others have fared:
Johnny Rauch, 1945. The only freshman to beat UF (34-0), he was 8-for-16 for 127 yards.
Eric Zeier, 1991.
18-for-35 for 195 yards with a touchdown and a pick in 45-13 loss.
Quincy Carter (right), 1998. 33-for-49 for 368
yards with two picks in 38-7 loss.

Turnovers suddenly costly
Georgia had seven turnovers in the first five games. The opponents, none of which had much offensive firepower, turned those turnovers into three points.
In the past three games, Georgia has had 10 turnovers. The opponents — Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Mississippi State — have turned those into 45 points.
And now here comes Florida. The Gators have 14 takeaways, including 11 interceptions.
"They are very physical and fast," Georgia wide receiver Kenneth Harris said. "They are a great, great defense. I look at the defensive backs, and their safeties and corners are physical and they will come up and hit you. We are going to have to go up and secure the ball on the way down and not let them strip the ball. We have to go up there and be physical right with them."
In last week's 27-24 win over Mississippi State, the blame was spread to quarterback Matthew Stafford and receivers Mikey Henderson and Mohamed Massaquoi, who each fumbled. Their mistakes led to 17 points and a near loss against MSU.
Stafford was responsible for the most turnovers with three interceptions. The freshman now has seven.
"Just help keep the team in it," Stafford said of his mind-set today. "[Florida defensive backs Reggie Nelson and Tony Joiner] are ball hawks. They get deep and they try to make plays on the ball."
Georgia's turnovers have come from plenty of places others than Stafford and the receivers. Running back Kregg Lumpkin fumbled on Georgia's opening second-half series against Vanderbilt. The other top option at tailback, Danny Ware, fumbled against Colorado in a situation that could have cost Georgia the game.
Both went to the bench immediately following their fumbles. Ware didn't resurface for a full game. Lumpkin sat out two series before returning in the fourth quarter.
"It doesn't take me 30 seconds to get over [a fumble]," Ware said. "But coaches, I think, it makes them lose a little bit of trust in you. But you have got to just keep gaining and keep gaining and keep gaining until they know, 'OK, things like that are going to happen. He is out there running hard. He is out there trying to make plays. He is trying separate himself from those other people.' "

Falling down in the third
In the past three games, Georgia has gone into halftime with a lead. In two of those games — against Vanderbilt and Tennessee — the lead didn't last the first five minutes of the second half. Against Mississippi State, that lead got cut considerably in the first five minutes.
"I can't sit here and say that we have done anything differently in the third quarter than we were trying to accomplish in the first or second quarter," coach Mark Richt said. "I would have to say it is more of a coincidence than anything else."
Two things that haven't been a coincidence are starting field position in the third quarter and turnovers. Due to a penalty or an ill-advised return, Georgia has started inside its own 20-yard line in all three games. It has either had a turnover after that field position or gone four-and-out.
Florida, by the way, has outscored its opponents 45-14 in the third quarter. Georgia players are more than aware of their failings and Florida's success in the third.
"For some reason, we have just had these mistakes that happen right there in that one spot," fullback Brannan Southerland said. "I've been in the locker room the last three years and I feel like the focus is there. I just feel like for some reason that we have just had some bad moments in that time span. I believe that we are pretty focused coming out at halftime."
The third quarter has become such a problem that Richt might make a move like Clemson's Tommy Bowden and put his offense on the field to start the game if he were to win the coin toss. The past three weeks, Georgia has won the toss and deferred.
"If we lost the coin toss and they deferred, it wouldn't bother me," Richt said. "You're hoping to gain momentum by having the ball in the third quarter. We have done nothing but lose it."
'He will hit you'
Tim Tebow touched the ball four times against Auburn, and Florida lost its first game of the season. Maybe Tebow's lack of touches wasn't the reason for the loss, but it didn't help Florida's cause.
Knowing that, Georgia is expecting to have to defend many varying packages featuring the freshman quarterback.
"You got to be ready for him," Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses said. "And be more aggressive for him. If you don't hit him, he will hit you."
Tebow has made his reputation as a runner, whether it's between the tackles or around the edge. But he can throw, too. Two of his 14 passes have been for touchdowns. He has a 71 percent completion rate.
"He's a very accurate passer, and he's probably also our best runner at this time," Gators coach Urban Meyer said.
"The impressive thing is the kid himself," Georgia's Mark Richt added. "He is very physical. You can tell he loves to play the game. ... Some guys might say my redshirt year was used to run a couple of red-zone plays and some guys might not think that is worthy of being used. But he seems to have embraced that role."

Is Georgia dog-tired?
Georgia hasn't had a bye week before the Florida game since 1991. Florida was off last week. Urban Meyer is 11-1 coming off bye weeks.
So guess who might have the advantage today?
"I can't sit here and say we are a fresh football team this season because we are not," Richt said. "I have detected fatigue in practice. I can see that we are tired. I see guys are doing their best to suck it up."
Richt was hopeful the fall break, which was Thursday and Friday, would take some strain off the players and allow them to rest. But even that brief break isn't enough.
"We are going to have to have a lot of adrenaline," he said.
Georgia tentatively has an open date scheduled before next year's Florida game. But that could change because the Bulldogs are having a hard time filling out the 2007 schedule. If an opponent can't be found for the opener, a team might have to slide into the open date before Florida.
"We have had open dates against teams and I could say it has made a big difference," Richt said.
Sometimes, that is.
"There have been some where we decided to put too much in and maybe stray off the path too far," Richt said. "Before you know it, you are putting in too much. But I would much rather have an open date."

Harvin dazzles with speed
Speed thrills — and Percy Harvin has plenty of it.
Florida's freshman wide receiver might be the most explosive player on the field today.
"If he ain't, you could make an argument for it," Georgia cornerback Paul Oliver said.
Harvin is fourth on the Gators in all-purpose yards (158 rushing, 163 receiving). He can be used out of the backfield in the flat or on reverses.
"[The varied positions] cause you to pay more attention," Bulldogs safety Tra Battle said. "You have to realize what the offense is trying to do because they are not going to do it if it doesn't help a player do something in a different way. So you have to figure out the reason and the mental process of why they put this player in this position and then think of the certain plays they can run from it."
The difficulty with preparing for Florida is it has more than one person it can put in a different position to make a play. Urban Meyer has used wide receivers Andre Caldwell and Jarrod Fayson on reverses.
Twenty-one of Florida's 38 rushing plays that have gone for 10 or more yards have come from a quarterback or a receiver.
"Every week, we play a different offensive threat," Oliver said. "It seems like Florida [has] three or four that can do that. There are a lot of things to defend with the Florida offense."
And Georgia is expecting plenty of changes in that offense.
"With this much time to plan, I don't think there is any doubt they will have an outstanding plan for Harvin and [Tim] Tebow," Richt said.

Defense goes soft
In the past three weeks, Georgia's defense has given up 88 points, two crucial fourth-and-5s and a reputation as one of the SEC's finest.
One reason for the decline: Georgia hasn't changed with the times.
"I think certain downs and distances, we have had a high tendency to play certain coverages, which has helped people plan," Richt said.
The defense has been blitzing to try to get to the quarterback, but it hasn't brought many all-out blitzes, Richt said. Still, last week against Mississippi State, Georgia had six tackles for loss, three sacks and a critical strip in the backfield.
So there was some improvement.
But that was MSU, the SEC's 11th-ranked offense. Florida is the third-best offense in the conference.
Richt is not ready to give up on his defense just yet.
"When we were winning, we had two shutouts in a row and didn't hear many complaints," he said. "And we haven't changed."

Flashback: Dogs' latest loss in series painful
• Last game: Oct. 29, 2005, Jacksonville
• Score: Florida 14, Georgia 10
• Star of the game: Gators quarterback Chris Leak, who was 35 percent in his three previous games, was given extra protection and with the resulting extra time was 15 of 20 for 108 yards. He threw for one score and ran for another.
• Stat that matters: Georgia was held to one touchdown — and an odd one at that. Joe Tereshinski, making his first start at quarterback in place of an injured D.J. Shockley, hauled in a scoring pass thrown by tailback Thomas Brown.
• It's history: Georgia has lost 14 of its past 16 games to Florida. The past four games have been decided by seven points or less. The Bulldogs have a 46-36-2 series edge.
• Coachspeak: "We're all hurting right now. There is no doubt about that. No one is excited, but we have bunch of first-class kids and they gave it all we have." — Georgia coach Mark Richt
• They said it: "It hurts. It's hard to explain. ... You have hopes of winning the national championship and now it is my senior year. This was the closest I was going to get to it. You think of a team like Florida, a team that we're capable of beating and we just can't win it. It really hurts right now." — Defensive tackle Gerald Anderson

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Johnston: Add this to the list of Florida victories



| | Story updated at 3:16 AM on Saturday, October 28, 2006

Andy Johnston more Johnston columns

We all have lists.
From grocery lists to lists of our favorite foods. We list our top movies, our top songs, our best-sellers. Music has its weekly top 40, sports has its top 25 and David Letterman has his nightly top 10. Husbands have honey do lists and Georgia's governor has a Sonny Do list. I've even seen a book that promotes itself as the list of lists.
With that in mind, I made a list of what Georgia has to do to defeat Florida today. It's hefty and lengthy, but considering how the Bulldogs have played this year, they have plenty to accomplish to win this game.
Feel free to keep it handy and check off the items as the game progresses.
Cocktail cooler. Spike Florida's Gatorade. Forget the PC police. It's still the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
Pregame precision. Don't win the toss. The Bulldogs can't catch a pass, but they know how to call heads or tails. They've won it seven straight times, so change it up. Take the ball to start the game for a change.
Special guest. Invite Ron Zook to the game. Have him stand on the Gators' sideline. They might think he's coaching them again.
Huddle awareness. Tell offensive tackle Daniel Inman the snap count. He had three false starts last week. At home. Against Mississippi State.
Sticky, sticky. Don't forget the Super Glue. Georgia had 10 turnovers the past three games, leading to 45 points. The Bulldogs need some help holding onto the ball.
Road rules challenge. Pretend its a real road game. Might as well. Under coach Mark Richt, Georgia is 21-2 in opponents' stadiums, 6-7 at neutral sites.
Grow legs. That's code for establishing a running game. Give Kregg Lumpkin 15 or 20 carries and see if he can control the clock. If not, the Bulldogs could be in for a long day.
Turn up the heat. Keep the pressure on Florida quarterback Chris Leak, which means that ends Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson must spend all day in the backfield.
Undermine Urban. Steal Florida coach Urban Meyer's playbook and use it. I doubt there are any draw plays to the fullback from the shotgun in that one.
Street subterfuge. Change all the road signs between Florida's hotel and the stadium and hope the Gators take a wrong turn and lose their way to the game.
T-bone Tebow. When Leak gives way to freshman Tim Tebow, the Bulldogs must keep him from busting big plays.
Special delivery. Put the special back in special teams. They were the Bulldogs' strength early in the season, but they've fallen on tough times. Make extra points, protect the punter, cover kicks and don't be penalized on kickoff returns.
Undefeated, undercover. Don't look now, but Georgia freshman quarterback Matthew Stafford is unbeaten (4-0) as a starter. The opponents: UAB, Ole Miss, Colorado and Mississippi State. He'll need to overcome his toughest test to keep his streak alive. That means no interceptions.
So there's the list. I don't think Georgia will be able to accomplish everything to win, giving Florida its 13th victory in 15 years. Florida 28, Georgia 16


Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 102806