UGA Football Information Thread for the Upcoming NCAA Football Season

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going to start posting Local Info on these 2 programs since they are in my back yard....things are starting to go on and Hopefully someone can use it and it will help




UGA FOOTBALL
Georgia QB battle could lead to transfers
Tereshinski wants all four to stay but expects some fallout

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/29/06
Everybody has been waiting for Mark Richt to make a decision on Georgia's starting quarterback.
The fans are ready to embrace whoever it might be. The team is ready to rally behind Joe Tereshinski, Blake Barnes, Joe Cox or Matthew Stafford.

Your Turn Who do you think will be the starting quarterback when the Dogs open their season in September? Blake Barnes Joe Cox Matthew Stafford Joe Tereshinski Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

But in all of the hype and excitement, what Richt must be ready to deal with is the fallout. One guy will get picked. Three will not.
"There is going to be a point where will have to narrow it down maybe to just one and it will be interesting to see how the young men react who aren't named the starter or in that top two," Richt said.
Tereshinski, the frontrunner to start the Sept. 2 opener against Western Kentucky, has a pretty good idea of how the losers in this quarterback battle might react.
"I would like for them all to stay," Tereshinski said when asked if he thought any might transfer. "But there are three quarterbacks back to back to back years [in college] and it would be hard, depending on what happens, for some of them to stay, I bet."
Barnes, Cox and Stafford all have multiple years of eligibility left. But Barnes and Cox have used their redshirt years.
Barnes, a sophomore, has said in the past he'd have a hard time leaving Georgia. Cox, a freshman, has said he'd have a hard time staying if he didn't get playing time.
The decision on the starting quarterback is expected to come in the latter stages of fall camp. That timeline would allow a player to transfer to another school before it started and not lose an extra semester.
Of course, they may all stay.
"You never know what is going to happen," Tereshinski said.

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Geathers story gathers drama

By Carter Strickland | Monday, June 26, 2006, 03:50 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Clifton Geathers’ saga continued this week and probably won’t be resolved for several more.
Geathers, if you don’t know, is an Army All-American with a strong lineage at Georgia who has the potential to be a standout defensive lineman. He also happens to not have the strongest academic background. Usually that is not that big a deal at Georgia. In the past, presidential admits have been liberally handed out to those players deemed worthy of the risk. And, quite frankly, once those players have made it in, many have done well. But remember they have tutors, are told when to go to class, checked on to make sure they did go to class and usually do not enroll in quantum physics. In return they make the university millions of dollars.
Anyway, back to Geathers. The defensive lineman has committed to Georgia. And now he says he has the grades to get in. He is not in yet because he does not have the stamp of approval of the university just yet. Geathers’ first hurdle is the NCAA accepting that he has a learning disability. This is done through the NCAA’s 504 plan. Dr. Macuilitis, a tutor who worked extensively with Geathers, said Geathers definitely qualifies as a student with a learning disability under the guidelines of the NCAA.
According to the NCAA: “A student with a disability must meet the same requirements as all other students but is provided certain accommodations to help meet these requirements. If you are a student with a diagnosed disability, you will need to let the NCAA know about your disability only if you plan on using core courses after your eighth semester of high school and you plan on attending a Division I college.’”
Geathers falls into this category and in fact recently took a core course and scored 87 percent, according to Dr. Mac. What is important to note is the NCAA may clear a prospective player, but then the university still has to admit him. So Geathers must jump a couple of hurdles to get in. The second one should be much easier to clear than the first given Georgia’s history.
Basically what it all comes down to is this: Geathers could not get into Georgia if he didn’t play football. But he does, so he should make it. He probably won’t play the first year. But he could play down the line, so the reward probably outweighs the risk.
Some critics would argue football porgrams use the disability clause in cases when it should not be used and admitting someone like Geathers devalues a Georgia sheepskin. The theory being if someone like Geathers could get in, how good could the school really be? This has long been a huge complain of the Drake Group, a collection of professors worried about the influence of college football on the academic institutions in America.
Others would argue it is a worthy investment, monetarily and in the human spirit. Maybe Georgia is the place where Geathers can turn his academic future around. It’s doubtful, but it has happened to other players at other places.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER
UGA preview: Lights, camera, action
You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll win the opener

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/30/06 Tra Battle has been busy this summer watching films.
Not the blockbusters, but serious films. He watches them over and over and over again.
"So far it has been Western Kentucky and South Carolina," the Georgia safety said. "I've been watching them a lot.'"
OK, truth be told, more Gamecocks than Hilltoppers. In fact, Battle has watched cutups and outtakes of several dozen Steve Spurrier productions in preparation for what several teammates see as a measuring-stick game on Sept. 9.
With that in mind, here are a few previews and reviews of the teams hitting a football field near you this fall.
WESTERN KENTUCKY
• Rated: G
• Genre: Comedy
• Showing: Sept. 2, Athens
• Plot: It's "Waiting for Guffman" meets "Get Smart" in this smalltown, bumbling fun-for-all-Georgia-fans production. David Elson directs the Hilltoppers. And there are some talented pieces in his latest production. Leading man Justin Maddox has been the starting quarterback for three years. Lerron Moore rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season. Still, this is a I-AA cast.
SOUTH CAROLINA
• Rated: R
• Genre: Thriller
• Showing: Sept. 9, Columbia
• Plot: Darth Visor, college football's No. 1 villain, will be out to steal the show again. But the supporting cast has drawn Spurrier's ire.
"We've got some lazy guys that don't have the commitment necessary to be winners," Spurrier told reporters last week.
Quarterback Blake Mitchell has drawn praise for his work ethic. Syvelle Newton probably will try to reprise his role as offensive playmaker. An Achilles' tendon tear has slowed him, but Spurrier said he should be back and will play tailback and quarterback in the shotgun.
COLORADO
• Rated: PG-13
• Genre: Horror
• Showing: Sept. 16, Athens
• Plot: The "Old School" hijinks are supposed to be gone. But this production has been such a flop, it's already $8 million in the red. That was the amount the athletic department recently had to borrow from the school to get rid of one coach, Gary Barnett, and hire another Dan Hawkins from Boise State.
The cast has been waiting in the wings behind a group that struggled. Juniors Bernard Jackson and Brian White have battled to be the starting quarterback. White didn't take a snap last year after shoulder surgery. Jackson has never thrown a pass for CU.
UAB
• Rated: PG
• Genre: "Dramady"
• Showing: Sept 23, Athens
• Plot: Watson Brown is not Mack Brown. And UAB is not Texas. But the Blazers still put on a decent little show. Just ask Tennessee, which survived a scare with the Blazers a year ago. The show stealer is defensive end Larry McSwain, who last year had 53 total tackles and four sacks. And remember: Georgia is Kate Moss-thin at tackle.
OLE MISS
• Rated: PG
• Genre: Western
• Showing: Sept. 30, Oxford, Miss.
• Plot: Ed Orgeron was supposed to have gunslinging quarterback Brent Schaeffer in the fold early and working on the playbook. But Schaeffer's arrival, like his career, has been delayed. The junior college transfer is now scheduled to show up sometime this month after he finishes six hours of correspondence courses. The Rebels are pinning their hopes on Schaeffer. By Game 5, the former Tennessee QB should be adjusted and ready for a shootout.
TENNESSEE
• Rated: PG-13
• Genre: Mystery
• Showing: Oct. 7, Athens
• Plot: Can Phil Fulmer turn things around? Is David Cutcliffe the answer for quarterback Erik Ainge? Those questions and more should be answered soon. Until then Tennessee remains a mystery. The taskmaster Cutcliffe, back as the Vols' offensive coordinator, could be the perfect mentor for Ainge and help channel the junior's talent.
Things have been quieter off the field around Knoxville lately, and that's a good thing for the Vols. But an early loss to Cal or Florida could turn into another nightmare for Fulmer.
VANDERBILT
• Rated: G
• Genre: Comedy
• Showing: Oct. 14, Athens
• Plot: Vandy's understudy to All-SEC quarterback Jay Cutler, Chris Nickson, may still not get his shot. Arizona transfer Richard Kovalcheck is immediately eligible to play. He rarely played at Arizona, and Vanderbilt is about the same as the Wildcats record-wise, so he may never see the field for the Commodores.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
• Rated: G
• Genre: Cult film
• Showing: Oct 21, Athens
• Plot: You'd have to be in a cult to keep following Mississippi State. This team has done little of late and appears poised for a dud sequel. With Omarr Conner moving to receiver, the quarterback job belongs to Michael Henig. He was average to mediocre last year in the eight games he played (five interceptions against two touchdowns). Junior college transfer Tony Burks is supposed to give the Bulldogs a deep threat at receiver. But he has hamstring issues.
This sequel has the makings of another "Caddyshack 2."
FLORIDA
• Rated: R
• Genre: Tear jerker
• Showing: Oct. 28, Jacksonville (Cocktails optional)
• Plot: Lately, Georgia fans have rarely left this theater of the absurd satisfied. Critics are hailing Florida as the team to beat in the SEC East. Leading man Chris Leak is back. And director Urban Meyer, who does tear up on occasion (see: LSU), seems to know the landscape better this time around.
By the way, this is only the third time in 15 years the Florida coaching staff is the same in consecutive years.
KENTUCKY
• Rated: PG
• Genre: Love story
• Showing: Nov. 4, Lexington, Ky.
• Plot: How else to explain athletics director Mitch Barnhardt's decision to stick with coach Rich Brooks but love? The ill-fated pair will set off on another adventure this year.
The talent is minimal and didn't get any better in the spring. Andre Woodson and Chris Pulley are still battling for the quarterback spot. Woodson had six touchdowns and six picks in nine games last year. Pulley had 208 yards throwing and 149 rushing as the backup.
AUBURN
• Rated: NC-17
• Genre: Action/Adventure/Suspense
• Showing: Nov. 11, Auburn, Ala.
• Plot: The Tigers are hailed by many as the SEC's blockbuster team. Strong at quarterback (Brandon Cox), running back (Dacula's Kenny Irons) and offensive play-calling (Al Borges), Auburn could be a popcorn-munching thrill ride. Add in Tre Smith at tailback — he scored five times in four spring scrimmages — and the offense is a formidable one. The defense is also pretty good; it allowed just one TD in the spring game.
GEORGIA TECH
• Rated: PG-13
• Genre: Epic
• Showing: Nov. 25, Athens
• Plot: Offensive coordinator Patrick Nix is now calling the plays for the Yellow Jackets. That could change the roles of Reggie Ball and Calvin Johnson. These are the two who need to be center stage. Nix may have a more wide-open approach that allows for more freedom and interpretation. A season-opening win against Notre Dame would go a long way in building confidence in Nix's ability.

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Ely-Kelso Named To Ray Guy Award Pre-Season Watch List

Senior punter considered among nation's elite punters

	Printer-Friendly Format E-mail this article Gordon Ely-Kelso
	Football Home HEADLINES Ely-Kelso Named To Ray Guy Award Pre-Season Watch List Bulldogs Give Back To The Community Former Bulldog Standouts Reunite At "Countdown To Kickoff" RELATED LINKS • Follow all of the college football action at CollegeSports.com • Email this to a friend

June 28, 2006
ATHENS, Ga. --- University of Georgia senior punter Gordon Ely-Kelso has been named to the Ray Guy Award Pre-season watch list, announced the Greater Augusta Sports Council this week. The Ray Guy Award recognizes the top Division IA collegiate punter in the nation.
Ely-Kelso was a national semifinalist for the award in 2005. The Athens, Ga. native was a second-team All-SEC selection by the Associated Press and the SEC Coaches as he finished the season with a punting average of 42.9 yards/punt. His punts were downed inside the 20-yard line 23 times and he did not have a single punt blocked in 57 attempts. Ely-Kelso's best punt of the year sailed 60 yards. The Ray Guy Award winner is determined by a national selection committee made up of sports writers, college football coaches and sports information directors, former punters and members designated by the Greater Augusta Sports Council. Among the statistics used to identify the winner are total yardage punted, number of times a punt is downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponent's 20-yard line, net average, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned. It is also of importance for the award winner to display team leadership, self-discipline and to have a positive impact on the team's success. The winner will be announced on ESPN as part of the Home Depot College Football awards show.

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Four Bulldogs Named To Pre-Season Watch Lists

Winners of Maxwell and Bednarik awards announced in December


June 16, 2006
ATHENS, Ga. --- The Maxwell Football Club recently announced that four Georgia football players were named to the pre-season watch lists for the Maxwell and Chuck Bednarik Awards.
Georgia junior RB Thomas Brown is one of 60 on the Maxwell list for the Collegiate Player of the Year.
Last season Brown became the first Georgia player to lead the team in rushing in back-to-back seasons since Robert Edwards in 1996-97. As a freshman and sophomore Brown combined for 1,611 yards and 12 rushing TDs.
Bulldog seniors Tra Battle (DB), Quentin Moses (DE) and Tony Taylor (LB) are among the 60 players named to the Bednarik Award watch list, which goes annually to the Outstanding Defensive Player of the Year.
Battle, a one-time walk-on, will be Georgia's lone returning starter in the defensive secondary. Moses has already been named to several pre-season All-SEC and All-America teams, and Taylor was sixth on the team in tackles a year ago in only nine games of action. Twelve semifinalists for each award will be announced in October and the field will be trimmed to three finalists in November. The winners of both awards will be announced at the Home Depot College Football Awards Show in December.

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UGA's football minicamp this weekend
300 high school players expected for drills

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/07/06 Offensive lineman Tyler Bowen is going to Georgia football minicamp this weekend to impress.
Linebacker Rennie Curran, who has a scholarship offer in hand, is going to recruit others.
Georgia's director of strength and conditioning, Dave Van Halanger, who is putting on the show for an estimated 250-300 high schoolers, is just going and going and going.
So goes another weekend in the "As the World Turns" world of recruiting. Only this weekend, the recruits will be coming to Georgia. Usually it's the other way around.
For 24 hours starting Friday evening, will-bes and wanna-bes will be on display for the Georgia coaching staff. They will be run through drills, measured against their peers and evaluated at every turn.
"It is a high-pressure deal," said Bowen, who is from Telfair County High. "Everybody has a bad day, but you just have to do the best you can within the 24-hour period and show the coaches how hard you are willing to work."
"Everybody is trying to go for the same thing," added Terence Edge, an offensive lineman from Tri-Cities High. "Everybody is trying their hardest to impress the coaches, so everybody is giving it everything they have. Everybody wants the scholarship."
Especially when you are in Bowen's spot. He's got offers from Maryland and Duke. But Georgia was the school he grew up with. So to get an offer from the Bulldogs "would be the ideal thing."
"That's what you want is to be walking out of there with an offer," he said.
And it happens.
"There is always that player that will jump out at you and then you have this whole senior year where you can sit and watch him," Van Halanger said.
Six of the seven players who have accepted offers from Georgia are expected to attend. Only linebacker Charles White had a conflict and likely won't make it.
For Brookwood's Curran, the camp represents a chance to see the coaches in action and work with some of the players who might be sitting on the fence.
"I tell them about coach (Mark) Richt, how he's family-orientated and loves the players and keeps the whole program like a family," Curran said. "It means a whole lot coming from one of (the fellow recruits)."
The player Curran wants to influence the most is Caleb King. The Parkview running back is at the top of just about every school's wish list. Curran said King will attend the camp this weekend and that he hopes to recruit him to Georgia.
If King attends, he might be one of the few high-profile prospects to do so.
"The great players, they don't come to camps because they have offers," Van Halanger said. "They don't need to come to camp and a lot of them won't."
The camp is open to everyone (NCAA rules prohibit restricting it). So that means players who have committed, prospects and others just trying to get a taste of Georgia will be there. While some register, invariably there are 50 or so players who walk up with the $65 fee in hand the day the camp begins.
"What's great about it is that it opens everybody's eyes," said Van Halanger, who started this camp at the start of Richt's tenure at Georgia. "They get to come in and perform against other players and see where they are."
While players will not don pads, they do run through a series a drills similar to those conducted every day during Georgia's practices. Every coach on staff will work those drills.
"It's a lot of competition," said Bowen, who camped at Georgia Tech earlier this summer. "You want to be able to show you can hold your own."
There are also academic meetings to help the players understand what they need to do if they want to make it to the Division I-A level.
As for the campers who don't have next-level skill, this is as close as they will get to Georgia football. The coaching staff understands this and tries to give them the full experience.
"You really want them to see what Georgia football is about and get the feel of Georgia football, the coaching staff, the stadium, the facilities, everything," Van Halanger said.

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Dogs have 12 on All-SEC teams

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/21/06 Even with the offseason distractions, Auburn remains the favorite in the SEC football race this season. One look at the coaches' preseason all-league team and it's easy to see why.
The Tigers led all schools with 14 players selected for the preseason All-SEC football team. Seven of those 14 players garnered first-team honors.

Brant Sanderlin / AJC (ENLARGE)

Louisiana Monroe quarterback Steven Jyles fumbles the ball after being hit by Georgia's Quentin Moses in last season's game. Moses is one of five Bulldogs to make the All-SEC first team.

Georgia, one year removed from winning the SEC, placed five players on this year's first team and had 12 overall selections.
On defense, Georgia end Quentin Moses and safety Tra Battle made the first team. On the other side of the ball, center Nick Jones and tackle Daniel Inman were selected. Kicker Brandon Coutu was named to the specialists' first team.
Bulldogs linebacker Tony Taylor and punter Gordon Ely-Kelso were second-team picks. Making the third team: tight end Martrez Milner, running back Thomas Brown, linebacker Jarvis Jackson, defensive back Paul Oliver and return specialist Thomas Flowers.
Ole Miss senior linebacker Patrick Willis was the only unanimous first-team choice among the coaches. Tennessee offensive lineman Arron Sears, LSU defensive back LaRon Landry and Auburn punter Kody Bliss were repeat first-team selections from a year ago.
Four other former Georgia high school stars who left the state also made the first team, including brothers Kenny and David Irons, Dacula natives and Auburn teammates.
Also honored: Auburn tight end Cole Bennett (Dalton) and Arkansas linebacker Sam Olajubutu (LaGrange).
Tar Heels lineman won't play this year
North Carolina defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell will not enroll at the school in the fall, though coach John Bunting said the rising junior would have a chance to rejoin the team at a later date.
Bunting would not say why Mitchell would not play, but said Mitchell would have an opportunity to return at a later date. Also, Tar Heels tailback Antwain Carey has decided to forego his remaining eligibility and compete with the university's track team.
West Virginia not seeking Williams
Contrary to published reports, West Virginia is not interested in former Miami linebacker Willie Williams, who is transferring. "He called and inquired and we said, 'Thanks, but no thanks,' " Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez told the Charleston (W.V.) Gazette. Louisville is another possibility. ... Zack Asack's dismissal on plagiarism charges leaves Duke with two scholarship quarterbacks — sophomore Marcus Jones and freshman Thaddeus Lewis. But coach Ted Roof said Thursday he isn't using pessimistic predictions to get the Blue Devils fired up: "There are a lot of [other] things to motivate us than where sportswriters project us."
— Journal-Constitution wire services contributed to this article.

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Dogs' Milner has huge role

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/23/06 Martrez Milner still sometimes finds himself thinking about the could-have-beens from last season.
Like a certain huge game with a first-time starting quarterback whose first pass was a perfect spiral right into his hands. And that perfect pass, in that crucial game was ... dropped by Milner.

Brant Sanderlin / AJC (ENLARGE)

It takes a lot of teamwork for Georgia coach Mark Richt and Ladarius Taylor in a three-legged race Saturday at Piedmont Park. The race was part of the HERO for a Day event in which more than a dozen current and former Bulldog players participated in activities with children with HIV and AIDS and their families.

"I watch that game back on film, and I think about it," the Georgia tight end said of last year's Florida loss. "What if I would have caught that ball? Could that have been the difference in the game?"
It's those what-ifs that have fueled a few what-will-be proclamations for Milner.
First and foremost among those is that he's a senior now. A leader. There is no more Leonard Pope and his 6-foot-7 shadow. There is no known commodity at quarterback. No veteran receiving corps.
"This year is my chance," Milner said. "It's all on my watch now."
And he essentially is all alone at the tight end spot.
"The biggest thing that he gives us out there is experience," tight ends coach Dave Johnson said. "We're young at that position [and have] a new quarterback, some young wide receivers. This gives us a guy that has been in those big games and has a tremendous role on our teams."
The role Milner played prior to last season was that of an understudy. As a younger player, there were complaints his ability was being wasted, that his competitiveness wasn't there. Milner heard them. And responded to them.
In the first game against Boise State, it was Milner, not Pope, who turned the most heads at tight end with three catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.
"In camp, I was making diving catches, and I had my confidence and knew that I could make plays," Milner said. "Then, after that first game, I knew that my coaches believed in me. So it was up to me to perform."
He finished the season with 14 catches and 291 yards and two touchdowns. Milner has bigger numbers in mind in 2006. In fact, he doesn't even care who the quarterback is.
"I just want the ball," he said.
The manner in which he gets it will be slightly different than the way Pope used to. Pope, because of his height, was more of a vertical threat, Johnson said.
"[Milner] can be a different type of weapon," Johnson said. "As far as matchup problems and giving a defense problems, whether they go nickel or they stay base, I think he does give you those kind of problems.
"Martrez is probably, as far as being a route runner, a little bit better than Leonard. Martrez is a little bit better underneath because he can get in and out of breaks and those kinds of things. He causes a different problem than what Leonard caused."
When the Bulldogs go to two-tight-end sets, look for sophomore Tripp Chandler on the other side of Milner.
"[Chandler] is exceptional with his hands," Johnson said. "He is just young."
Same goes for true freshman NaDerris Ward.
"There are going to be a lot of things we do scheme-wise and system-wise that is going to be foreign to him," Johnson said. "But he has the physical skill and size we are looking for."
But really what everybody's looking for is for Milner to produce where Pope left off.
"There is no doubt he has the physical tools to do it," Johnson said. "... You look at him physically he has got all the talent in the world."

[pags11]

great UGA info. here...thanks...

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Pressure is building on Moses
Dogs defensive end is at center of preseason hype

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/25/06 Athens — These days, when Quentin Moses picks up the phone and the pitch begins, the Georgia defensive end finds an opening and gets right to the point.
"If I only get three sacks next year, are you going to be interested in me then?"
If there's even a pause, Moses knows he's brought down another one of the 71 sports agents registered in Georgia. Moses also knows there will be another that soon calls with the same pitch.
The one-time recruit who was more potential than promise has turned himself into a top pro prospect a few years later. And at the same time, Moses has become the face of Georgia football this season.
Without a clear No. 1 quarterback and no other big-name stars — such as David Greene, David Pollack and D.J. Shockley — returning, the burden now falls on the guy who piled up 11 1/2 sacks as a junior. Depending on how he handles himself, Moses could be the eye of the storm that surrounds him.
"Be humble," Shockley has told his friend and former Bulldogs teammate over and over again.
"I told him just try to stay grounded," said Shockley, last year's starting quarterback in Athens. "Right now, it is all a lot of preseason stuff, it's all a lot of people talking about you. But then if you go out there and you make just one or two sacks, you're overrated and all that. Just play like you always played and let things take care of themselves."
That's a well-thought-out plan. Just one problem: This is college football, where irrational behavior has been elevated to an art form. Players aren't just admired. They're drooled over. They're the subject of blind affection from the masses, who couldn't even pick them out in a crowd if they weren't wearing their number.
And it isn't just fans who pile on the praise. The media does it too. Every publication has a watch list or a preseason list. Moses is on just about all of them.
"It is hard kind of hard sometimes when you look on TV or pick up a magazine or play a video game and see yourself in all those different things that we do," Moses said. "Me, coming from a redshirt to not really playing that much to now ... sometimes, it is kind of like, 'Whoa.' "
That whoa might turn to wow today as hundreds of media will hang on Moses' every word at SEC media days. Moses, along with center Nick Jones and coach Mark Richt, will represent Georgia.
With more than 600 media issued credentials for the event, it will be the biggest press corps Moses has ever encountered. And barring a Super Bowl appearance down the road, he may never have this many microphones in his face again.
"When you are dealing with the media, it can add that extra stress and anxiety," said Kyle Ott, a two-time NCAA wrestling runner-up at Illinois who published a paper entitled "Does Media Impact Athletic Performance?" that appeared in The Sports Journal.
"And then it diverts their focus away from there goal," Ott said. "Instead of working toward their athletic goal, they are stressing about how people are perceiving them."
Perception can be a big thing at age 22. Especially when perception can affect the pot of gold — the NFL draft — at the end of the college football season. A bad game, sniping on message boards, a negative comment here or there and who knows, you might feel as if your stock is falling.
"It can be to where you are a little stressed," Shockley said. "But all you have to do is keep it in perspective."
To date, Moses has done just that.
"I know all this preseason stuff is good but it doesn't matter until after the season," Moses said. "I just try and move forward through that.
"If you really look at it, we really aren't as good as people say we are anyway."
PRO-TENTIAL
ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. ranks his top five seniors in next year's NFL draft:
1. Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
2. Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin
3. Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson
4. Quentin Moses, DE, Georgia
5. Drew Stanton, QB, Michigan State

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Geathers won't be in Dogs' '06 class

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/03/06 Athens — Star recruit Clifton Geathers, who gave Georgia a commitment in March, will not be part of the Bulldogs' 2006 recruiting class.
The offensive lineman from Carvers Bay High in Georgetown, S.C., did not sign a letter of intent with the Bulldogs, according to an open records request filed by the Journal-Constitution. Geathers is still an eligible recruit, so the Georgia coaching staff cannot comment on him.
The 6-foot-7, 280-pound Geathers, who could not be reached for comment, had been working with a New Jersey-based academic counselor to try to become eligible. In June, Dr. Jean D'Arcy Maculaitis of MAC Testing and Consulting said the player had made "tremendous progress."
Aside from Geathers, whose plans for this fall are not known, Georgia will be without two offensive linemen who signed with the school. Irwin County's Justin Anderson, the top line prospect in the class, said he is headed to Hargrave Military Academy after falling short academically. He'll be joined at the Virginia prep school by Perry's Ben Harden.
Anderson and Geathers were both members of the AJC's Super Southern 100.

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FSU's loss is UGA's gain
Columbus OT switches from Seminoles to Dogs

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/02/06 Athens — Antwane Greenlee found out what it was to be a Georgia Bulldog Wednesday.
That day he lost to West Virginia. What's more it was a West Virginia controlled by Georgia senior Nick Jones.
"He's pretty good," Greenlee said.
So is Greenlee, which is why in between trash talking and play calling that accompanied every match of EA Sports 2007 NCAA Football, he made an audible and decided to commit to Georgia. The real one. Not the computer version.
"I have been coming up here for a while and this is just where I felt like I fit," said the Hardaway High offensive tackle.
At first Greenlee though Florida State would be the best fit for him. He gave the Seminoles a soft commitment back in the spring. The four-star prospect then had second thoughts and opened his recruiting back up again.
"That was hard,'" he said. "But I new what to expect (when he decommitted to FSU). Now I think I have made a great decision."
One that Greenlee said he would stick with until signing day Feb. 7, 2007.
"I think it is pretty solid," he said. "I am going to go to a couple of games (around the conference). Just to watch and see what it is like."
Greenlee is the 13th commitment of the 2007 class. He is the fourth offensive lineman to commit to Georgia.
"Coming in as a freshman first thing you want is to play," he said. "And you want a coach who is going to play the best five. I think that weighed in a lot."

[Jimmy Hoffa]

Which dog are they on down there now?

UGA 3, 4, 5,6?

Rumor is the last one pissed on the hedges and was shown the door...

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Originally Posted by Jimmy Hoffa

Which dog are they on down there now?

UGA 3, 4, 5,6?

Rumor is the last one pissed on the hedges and was shown the door...

UGA VI....sadly he is about at the end....they don't last more than 6-7 years on the sidelines usually as English Bulldogs Lifespans are 10 years Max usually...



OnlineAthens: DogBytes: Uga VI next in prestigious lineage

[Jimmy Hoffa]

Good work Dirt.

Detailed trend alalysis shows that in odd numbered years with even numbered male UGAs, the team is slightly over 67% ATS. With females that falls to 64% but still a very respectable trend line. I've still got work to do on breakdowns of neutered vs. spayed UGAs but I'll keep you in the loop...

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Great Info Hoffer

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Key Bulldog Flowers suspended 2 games

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/06/06 Athens — Thomas Flowers has been suspended for Georgia's first two games for violating unspecified team rules, Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the Journal-Constitution Saturday night.
Flowers was listed as a first-team cornerback. He is also the Bulldogs' top punt returner.
Behind him on the depth chart at corner is a true freshman, Asher Allen. Mikey Henderson and Allen are also listed as backup punt returners.
"Some of the freshman are going to have to step up," senior defensive back Tra Battle said.
Flowers, a junior from Pebblebrook High in Austell, was moved into the starting lineup after the departure of senior cornerbacks DeMario Minter and Tim Jennings. He has played in 24 games, with no starts, and has 10 tackles and one interception.
Richt did not announce the suspension but seemed lukewarm toward Flowers when his name came up during media day earlier.
"He has got a lot of great competition," Richt said. "It will be very interesting to see where everybody lands. He is an outstanding punt returner, there is no doubt about it. But even that position is one that will be competed for.
"It is not that we don?t have confidence in him, but we want to show what these others guy can do also. He has got competition all-around."
Flowers broke open last season's win over Tennessee with a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Flowers is one of four UGA players who will start the season on suspensions. Offensive linemen Daniel Inman and Ian Smith are also out two games (Western Kentucky, South Carolina).
Linebacker Dannell Ellerbe will sit out those contests, plus the UAB game.

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Richt best at creating best QB

By Terence Moore | Saturday, August 5, 2006, 08:20 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Terence Moore

• Richt best at creating best QB
• Cheap approach to kickers will be costly
• Richt's new contract a puzzle
• Cox, Braves will never quit
• McKay the commish? No way.

Athens — Forget about Blake Barnes, Joe Cox and Matthew Stafford. The toughest opponent for Joe Tereshinski regarding the starting quarterback job at the University of Georgia involves those shadows larger than Sanford Stadium.
Those shadows belong to David Greene and D.J. Shockley, the dynamic duo along the way to becoming solo sensations during the Bulldogs’ past. Those shadows only will lengthen during the Bulldogs’ future for Tereshinski or whoever becomes their successor. That’s because, in case you haven’t been paying attention during the Mark Richt era, those shadows have Georgia going from Tailback U. to the College of Runners and Passers.
We’re talking about great passers with brilliant leadership skills, exemplified by Greene, who became the winningest quarterback in NCAA Division I-A history, and by Shockley, who was an SEC legend after his only season as a starter.
“Of course, so much of it depends on Mark Richt, which is why you’re getting such excellent quarterback play, and why they want to come here,” said Vince Dooley, the Georgia icon, who knows a little something about gifted players and coaches. Five years ago, before Dooley became the Bulldogs’ athletics director emeritus, he hired Richt from Florida State, where six of his quarterbacks as the Seminoles’ offensive coordinator reached the NFL.
Added Dooley, speaking on Saturday before Georgia’s first practice of the summer, “Regarding the desire of quarterbacks to play here, we just saw an example of it with the player coming from Dallas [Stafford, considered by some recruiting gurus as the nation’s top high school quarterback]. And then you had Shockley, who could have left — and maybe should have under all rights — but didn’t. And he didn’t, I think, because of Mark Richt.”
It’s all about Mark Richt, entering his sixth year of easing Georgia away from becoming only significant regionally. The Bulldogs are starting to bark nationally, partly because of Richt’s wisdom regarding quarterbacks. Upon arriving at Georgia, he had to choose between the capable Cory Phillips, who started five games the season before, or the promising Greene, and you know the rest of that story. Then Richt did the correct thing for Georgia by selecting Greene over Shockley, but it was the wrong thing for Shockley, who blew years of his football life by not transferring.
The point is, you just know Richt will get it right again, despite an inexperienced senior (Tereshinski), despite a sophomore who has thrown just three passes (Barnes), despite a redshirt freshman (Cox), despite a true freshman (Stafford) and despite those shadows of Greene and Shockley.
Said Richt on Saturday during his news conference, “I talked to the QBs just a little bit today and said basically the same thing that I’ve been saying to the media and our fan base. That is, we do not practice in front of 93,000. We don’t practice on national television. We don’t let our guys get hit in scrimmages right now. So a lot of things that decide whether a guy can handle the job or not won’t be seen until you play a game or two. So even though two guys are battling out, and if that guy at No. 3 might think he’s out of the picture, he might not be, depending on how the other guys react in those games to starting.”
Most likely, Tereshinski will be one of Georgia’s primary guys. Not only has he played in more SEC competition than the others, but Richt says he is the leading candidate to start.
For now. As for later, Tereshinski’s longevity will depend on his ability to conquer opponents along with those shadows. He has a plan for the latter, and that involves embracing those shadows instead of shunning them.
“Well, D.J. was a very vocal leader, and he found a way to rally the team around him and get them geared toward a common goal,” Tereshinski said. “If I can find the common themes with this team and gear them toward that goal, I feel like I’ve accomplished something. And David Greene, he was in competition his whole career, and throughout that time he remained cool. He remained confident and calm and was able to take the team to the SEC championship a couple of times. If I can be as poised as him, then I feel like, personally, I have an advantage.”
Here’s the biggest advantage for Tereshinski, Stafford, Barnes, Cox or even Uga VI, if he becomes the Bulldogs’ quarterback: Mark Richt.
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment | Categories: Terence Moore, UGA / SEC

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Dogs' tight end breaks finger

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/06/06 Tight end Martrez Milner went through the first practice with his left middle finger heavily taped after a weight room accident Saturday morning.
Milner said a weight fell and broke the tip of his finger. He went through passing drills and is expected to be 100 percent healthy by the opener.
Tailback order set, with Brown on top
While the pecking order at quarterback might be a little muddled, it's not at tailback. Richt named a clear 1-2-3 Saturday in Thomas Brown, Kregg Lumpkin and Danny Ware — in that order.
"That's not to say there's a huge separation between the three, but I think we have them in the right pecking order," he said.
With a new starter behind center, the running backs might have to carry the load more this year than last.
"Do I think they'll have a bigger role than last year? More than likely," said Richt, who added that Ware will cross-train at fullback.
Coach comfortable with kicking game
One area Richt doesn't have to worry about this season: the kicking game. "I can't think of any program that might have as good of a tandem as we have," he said of placekicker Brandon Coutu and punter Gordon Ely-Kelso.
Coutu led the SEC in scoring and field goals last year. Ely-Kelso was second in punting. Both were walk-ons.
Freshman moves around at practice
Freshman Geno Atkins, recruited as a defensive end, worked out at tackle. ... Former UGA coach Ray Goff will be the radio color commentator for Prince Avenue Christian School's games this fall. The team's quarterback? Richt's son, Jon.
— Staff writer Chip Towers contributed to this article.

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Waiting game for Dogs freshmen
This year's class gets rave reviews, but some must sit

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/06/06 Athens — You always remember the first time.
For Nick Jones, he was 18, unsure of what he was doing and thrown into the mix at Clemson.

JOHN AMIS / Special (ENLARGE)

Freshman cornerback Asher Allen set weight-room records this year, and some say this class seems 'ready to go.'

JOHN AMIS / Special (ENLARGE)

Quarterback Matthew Stafford is one of few freshman expected to play this season.

"The first play, I might have stepped wrong or blocked the wrong guy," Georgia's senior center said. "It's going so fast. Then I almost got a late hit. I was so excited to be in the game, I just wanted to hit somebody."
Then it hit him. Jones was a freshman playing at Georgia. He was one of the few recruits from his class to avoid the redshirt year of waiting and wondering "what if?"
Now Jones' senior season is upon him and a bunch of which-way-do-we-go freshmen are around him, wondering what he used to: "Will I play this year?"
"I could see it," Jones said. "Some of them will. I don't count any of them out."
He might be overly optimistic about the maturity level of the 25 newcomers on Georgia's roster. Still, freshmen will play early. And maybe often, whether they want to or not.
"Sometimes you have got to play guys, whether they are ready or not, simply based on your depth," Georgia coach Mark Richt said.
Usually, a higher number of freshmen who play equals a lower number of victories. Southern Cal might be the exception. Mississippi State, on the other hand, proved to be the rule last season.
"We were playing freshmen guys that never played," MSU coach Sylvester Croom said. "I never forget standing on the sideline in the LSU game and Anthony Dunning is out there playing [on the offensive line]. I was just waiting, worried somebody was going to come arrest me for putting that guy out there.
"I mean, this kid played on a high school team with 17 players, and then the third or fourth game of the year, he's starting against LSU. That's not fair."
Fair or not, sometimes it's a reality, one that could hit Georgia's offensive line early this season. Due to suspensions and attrition, Kevin Perez could play. If things get really bad, John Miller, who's still recovering from shoulder surgery, could see action.
"At offensive line, we might have to play some guys before they are ready," Richt said. "I'd just as soon redshirt every offseason lineman if we could. I don't know if we could."
Fernando Velasco is a prime example. Richt regrets not redshirting him as a freshman and finally got around to doing it his junior season.
This season, evaluations won't be made for another few weeks.
"After about 14, 15, 16 practices, we will have a real good feel about who is ready to help us this year," Richt said.
The feeling now, a day into camp, is that cornerback Asher Allen, defensive lineman Ricardo Crawford and quarterback Matthew Stafford could see time. Allen and freshman cornerback Prince Miller set weight-room records this summer, according to senior Tra Battle.
"[The freshmen] get better and better every year," Battle said. "They are bigger, they are faster and they are stronger. ... Sometimes I am shocked at what they can do."
"It's amazing how they are developed," said Dave Van Halanger, Georgia's director of strength and conditioning. "This freshman class we had just seemed more mentally ready to go."
That mental acuity and edge is paramount in being prepared to play.
"It's a lot more difficult than most people think," Bulldogs running back Thomas Brown said. "A lot of people think they can come in and play, but even if you are one of the most talented guys you have got to learn that system."
And that system is not the same for everybody. Cornerbacks, for instance, are more apt to play as freshmen than safeties. That's just the nature of the Bulldogs' defense.
"The big thing is you try not to overload them too much," defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. "Give them something they can hold onto each day."
Then eventually, those freshmen can let go and stand on their own two feet.
"The one thing I take from Asher Allen is that it didn't matter to him what the situation was. He just went full speed," Martinez said. "He has a very good mentality about going 100 percent, even if he makes a mistake. Guys like that, they have a better chance of playing right away."

[canabiz]

Thanks D

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GEORGIA FOOTBALL
Jones brings intensity to inexperienced line

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/08/06 Athens — When the pads come on Thursday and the thermometer hits 95, Ray Gant is going to have a hard time stopping himself from giggling.
"It will be like, 'All right, Nick, go ahead. Do your thing,'" said Gant, a senior defensive tackle at Georgia.

BRANT SANDERLIN//AJC (ENLARGE)

Georgia center Nick Jones points out blocking assignments to his fellow offensive linemen during practice.

The Nick he is referring to is Bulldogs senior center Nick Jones. Jones' "thing" is terrorizing young defensive linemen.
"He's a monster," Gant said. "Nick is going to claw and grab and do whatever he has to do to get it done."
And Gant is going to laugh and laugh and laugh some more.
"Nobody warned me about him," Gant said. "[The freshmen] are going to find out the hard way. They've got to get their head right anyway, and he will be the guy to do it."
What is hard to get your head wrapped around is that Jones can do all this damage in the first place. The Bulldogs' starting center has hands that still fit in a Little League glove and a frame that is more picket fence than the brick walls surrounding him along the line.
"His hands are too small. He's too short. He's too everything," Gant said. "He plays too hard. That's what it is."
Jones, who is listed at 6 feet 3, 296 pounds, will have to play a little harder this season. He has moved positions, from guard to center, and he is the cornerstone of an offensive line many think might be poorly constructed.
No other starters from last season return for the team's first two games, against Western Kentucky and South Carolina, because of tackle Daniel Inman is suspended for those games. The four other offensive linemen — Fernando Velasco, Michael Turner, Ken Shackleford and Chester Adams — have experience, but all of it is in backup roles.
So until they start to prove themselves, there will be, fairly or unfairly, questions from outsiders.
"I'm as confident in this offensive line as I was in last season's," said Inman, who joined Jones on the preseason All-SEC line. "But like anything, we are going to have to go through some growing pains with some of the younger guys."
That means Jones will have most of the burden placed on him.
"They are falling in line, for the most part," Jones said of the other linemen. "They are listening. They're reacting. They are fighting hard. They get a little sluggish sometimes, but who wouldn't in this heat? Sometimes the body is stronger than the mind."
Over the years, plenty of minds have told their bodies Jones wasn't a problem. Snap judgments are made about the Bowdon High product.
Then they have to go up against the guy.
"People characterize me as small and ain't the O-line type," Jones said. "But look at my track record. Look at how I started. It shows I can handle my own. I can play to a top level."
And get respect there, too.
"I always say, 'He is my inspiration,' " Inman said. "When the going gets tough, you know he is going to be right there beside you. I always tell him, 'Tell me something positive.' And he always has something positive to say.
"He is everything you want to be and everything you want to work to be."

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Gant’s take on the line

By Carter Strickland | Monday, August 7, 2006, 03:55 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ray Gant has been anointed as the best talker on this Georgia team. It just seems whatever you ask him, he always has an entertaining and informative answer.
Here are a few of Ray’s takes on fellow offensive lineman Nick Jones and some of the younger defensive linemen:
On Jones: “He is a little Tasmanian devil. He is definitely not the biggest guy on the field. I definitely would say he has one of the biggest hearts. He is a great person. He is well-respected by everyone on our team. He plays above what you see. You see Nick Jones you see an undersized offensive lineman and from day one he has outworked everybody and he doesn’t quit. That goes a lot farther than having a lot of natural stuff sometimes.
“You see guys like the big guy from Auburn, Tommy Jackson, the big guys from Florida and LSU and they have just as hard a time with Nick as with anyone else, if not a harder time because he is not going to quit. Nick isn’t going to let you go he is going to keep going until he gets the best of you.”
On Georgia’s defensive linemen: “I see a lot of effort. Guys just like myself when I came in, technique was terrible. Coach [Rodney] Garner wouldn’t trust me as far as he could throw me. But the key thing is effort. As long as you are playing hard and giving it everything you got, nobody can say anything. [Sunday] I saw a lot out of pass rush with Ricardo [Crawford] and Geno [Atkins]. Compared to [Saturday] it was day and night. It is like those kids went home went last night and figured out what they needed to do.
“Geno is a guy like I was. A guy that needs to find himself in college. He might be undersized but his strength is up there with ours. I think he could definitely play this year. I hope he does play this year because as everybody knows D-tackle at Georgia we need depth. I think he has the ability to play. He’s got to sit at home instead of watching TV, he’s got to learn plays. If he gets it mentally, he’s going to get it done.
“Kade [Weston] is a grown man. He will get a lot of playing time. The effort is there. [With] the strength and size all the intangibles he has, he is going to see a lot of field this year.”
Permalink | Comments (9) | Post your comment |

[dirty]

NOTEBOOK
Move to offensive line disturbs Dixson

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/08/06 Athens — Dale Dixson walked off the field in a different colored uniform and with a different feeling.
He wasn't sure about either.
The former defensive lineman was moved to center/guard because of a recurring shoulder injury to Zeb McKinzey.
"I worked five years to get where I am at right now, so [the move] was kind of a shocking thing," Dixson said. "It was kind of a shock at first."
It appeared from Dixson's demeanor the shock hadn't completely worn off after he made the move Monday.
"Right now, I don't know what I feel," Dixson said. "This is the best shape [I've been in]. I stayed healthy two years. I was really focused about potentially starting at D-tackle. It kind of hurts. But you have to do what is best for the team.
"I would like to play D-tackle, but if the team needs a guard and I am the best guy, I have to give it a shot and step in. They asked me to give it a try for a week and if other guys stepped up, other freshmen stepped up, I might be moved back to tackle. But if nobody steps up and I play well at guard, they are going to keep me there."
Defensive line coach Rodney Garner said there's a serious possibility that Dixson could play both ways.
"He's smart enough that he can do it, too," Garner said.
Georgia lacks experienced depth on the defensive line as well as the offensive line, and Garner said no one is playing like a starter right now. The freshmen playing inside — Geno Atkins and Ricardo Crawford — aren't exhibiting the work ethic needed to be considered for playing time, Garner said.
In fact, Dixson was as close to being a starter as anyone on the defensive line, Garner said.
The rush to get him ready for offense is because the
No. 2 center is freshman Kevin Perez. Coach Mark Richt said he would feel more comfortable with Dixson's size and experience at center if Nick Jones were to go down.
"It's tough on Dale, though, because Dale has really worked hard to be where he was," Richt said. "We plan on playing Dale a lot, whichever side of the ball he ends up on finally."
Safety Coates injured at practice
Safety Antavious Coates went down with a left knee injury early in Monday's practice. Richt didn't know the extent of the injury.
Coates took a medical redshirt as a freshman last season because of a right knee injury. He entered camp last weekend as a backup, but because of his size
(6 feet 4, 200 pounds) and ability, he had found his way onto Richt's radar.

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MEET THE 2006 GEORGIA SIGNEES

2006 UGA football signees | ajc.com

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GEORGIA FOOTBALL
Dogs have safeties in numbers

By CHIP TOWERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/09/06 Athens — Southern Cal has had the trademark on "Tailback U" since the days of O.J. Simpson and Marcus Allen.
Jack Ham and Shane Conlan helped give Penn State the patent on "Linebacker U."

Brant Sanderlin/BRANT SANDERLIN / Staff (ENLARGE)

Junior Kelin Johnson sits atop Georgia's depth chart at free safety, but he will be pushed by a bevy of talented young players.

With a few more All-Americans at the position, Georgia will join the college football moniker club as "Safety U."
The Bulldogs have produced award-winning safeties each of the past three seasons: Greg Blue, Thomas Davis and Sean Jones. It's a trend the current crop of players is familiar with.
"Oh, I'm fully aware of that," junior Kelin Johnson of Daytona Beach, Fla., said. "Sean Jones, Thomas Davis, Greg Blue, they were a big reason I came seven hours from home to be in this system. I wanted a piece of it. I want to be that guy."
Less than a week into camp, Johnson, who wowed as a special-teams gunner the past two seasons, is the top guy on the depth chart. But there's a lengthy queue of former blue-chip prospects lined up behind him, each raring to carry on the tradition.
"Coach reminds us of that pretty often," said sophomore CJ Byrd, who's No. 2 on the depth chart. "We're all trying to fill the shoes of those in front of us. Everyone here is trying to be an All-American. I want to be next."
They have some tough acts to follow. Blue and Davis, the Bulldogs' past two free safeties, were unusually big players for the position who garnered reputations as head-hunters. Jones was an equally adept tackler but made his name as a playmaker. All three made it to the NFL.
All-star safety play at Georgia is no accident.
The philosophy of defensive coordinator Willie Martinez and predecessor Brian VanGorder is to move up the safeties in run support and occasionally send them in to blitz the quarterback.
As a result, free safeties have led the Bulldogs in tackles the past three seasons. When Jones moved to "rover," or strong safety, to accommodate Davis' switch to free safety in 2003, he finished second to Davis with 121 tackles.
"We've all seen what the other guys have done here," Johnson said. "Those guys set the standard. This is a safety system. We're the leaders on the defense. So why wouldn't you want to come to this school when you see all the All-Americans?"
Johnson, generously listed at 6 feet 1, 194 pounds, doesn't possess the imposing physical presence of his predecessors. He and senior rover Tra Battle are slated to man the posts in the defense's deep third. Like Johnson, Battle (5-11, 176) doesn't have the body of a prototypical safety.
Does that mean the Bulldogs will be less inclined to send their safeties on head-hunting missions?
"Will we do things differently? Right now it's too early to say," Martinez said.
"I would say Kelin is a big hitter. He may not be 215 or 220 pounds, but we've been playing with a bunch of freak-of-nature guys the past few years, so we've been spoiled. Tra's not the biggest guy in the world, but he plays fast and he plays hard and plays bigger than his size.
"Now we've got some young guys that fit those molds."

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GEORGIA REPORT
Defensive lineman Elmore injured

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/10/06 Athens — Georgia's already-thin defensive line was two men down Wednesday.
Senior tackle Marquis Elmore watched practice on crutches. The severity of his injury is not known.
"It's a matter [of] if we have bone bruise issue or if we have got a chip of a bone or something," coach Mark Richt said. "The upper part of the leg and the lower part of the leg just kind of slammed together."
Freshman lineman Ricardo Crawford also missed practice due to a family emergency, line coach Rodney Garner said.
All that made for a tired line.
"They're not mentally tough," Garner said. "You've got to beat it out of them. When you lose two guys, mentally a lot of them are defeated before they even walk out on the field. They're counting how many more reps they got."
Ray Gant and Jeff Owens are listed as the first-string tackles, but Garner said Elmore was being considered for a starting spot. Dale Dixson moved back to tackle after a day on offense to help the depth problem.
But that might not be enough. Garner said as many as four of the six true freshmen linemen could be pressed into playing time. "We have got to be able to develop depth," he said.
With Flowers out, is Brown in at corner?
With Thomas Flowers suspended the first two games, Remarcus Brown has made a move to take over at cornerback.
"Remarcus has made some really nice plays," Richt said. "He is so quick flying to the ball. A.J. Bryant went up for a catch, did a beautiful job of attacking the ball, getting both hands on it, and Remarcus was right there and a stripped him. Right on the ball, ripped it out between his hands."
Dewberry making early impression
Brandon Miller's move to weakside linebacker has allowed Darius Dewberry more plays on the strong side. And the coaching staff has liked what it's seen so far out of the freshman.
"There is no question that he has got the talent that it takes," Richt said. "It is just a matter of how long it's going to take for him to really understand the game well enough for our coaches to feel comfortable to with him getting playing time."
Richt said Dewberry should at least expect early action on special teams.
Quarterback derby no 'cut-throat race'
Richt called this the closest quarterback race he's ever been involved in. It also appears to be the most cordial.
"They're doing a wonderful job of competing without making it personal," he said. "When they are not competing, they are hanging out together. They like each other. They have done some fishing and golfing together this summer. They have a great camaraderie in the meeting room.
"It takes a little coaching there too. [Quarterbacks] Coach [Mike] Bobo expects an honorable race and not a cut-throat race and cultivates that."

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Richt unfazed by early bobbles
Coach confident of Dogs' progress

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/10/06 Athens — Stuck at Georgia's practices with only the view that they permit, coach Mark Richt sometimes has to wonder.
OK, make that agonize.

Brant Sanderlin / AJC (ENLARGE)

Coach Mark Richt addresses players on the first day of practice. He says he's learned not to overreact to early mistakes.

"Day by day, you are like, 'Arrghh,' " he said. "Just any given day I might think, 'Oh my gosh, we are in so much trouble.' "
Passes sailing. Assignments whiffed. Receptions dropped. Players dragging.
"It just looks so awful," Richt said.
It's the same thing every year. But over time, Richt has learned to take a step back and view this time of year for what it is — practice.
"When I just sit and reflect and think about where I really believe we will be when the time comes, I feel like we will be fine and feel confident in that," Richt said.
Experience has taught him that much. After five years as a head coach, Richt knows he can reach back, find whatever key it is he needs and draw from it.
His program's starting to get there too.
Ten wins in each of the last four seasons doesn't leave many negative memories.
"I say we have somewhat of a cockiness but not arrogance," tailback Thomas Brown said of the team's attitude 3 1/2 weeks before kickoff. "Growing up [in Tucker], Georgia wasn't the best team. They weren't horrible, but they were a somewhat average team. When I was in high school about to make my decision where to go, at first Georgia wasn't even on my mind. They weren't in that bright spotlight like a Florida State or an Alabama.
"Now we have been pretty consistent with the number of wins and the SEC championships [two in Richt's five seasons]. But we want to reach out and pass the SEC championship and get into that next title."
A lot of things have come more easily in this year's camp than in previous ones. Veterans have the system down pat. The staff is more comfortable together. Recruiting's going well enough that coaches can spend most of their time getting ready for the season ahead.
"Over time we have started to feel more familiar with what to do and how to prevent mistakes and have success and the type of players to recruit and the type of system that is going to work," defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. "You have got a good feel for each other and know what each other is going to do and what each other likes."
Not every SEC program finds itself in that position.
"Experience is a valuable tool," said Florida coach Urban Meyer, who a year ago at this time was still trying to figure out the way to the stadium.
One of four new coaches in the conference a year ago, it took him awhile just to learn the basics. "What about this? What about media day? Fan day? What about the Swamp?" Meyer said.
Richt doesn't profess to have all the answers, even as he approaches season No. 6 in Athens. He's a lot better off than he was at this time a year ago or the year before that, but admits he's still learning on the job.
"Any given day you are like, 'Man I shouldn't have done that,' " he said. "Last year in the bowl period, I felt like we had a veteran team, we were doing great, I wanted to reward them by letting them go home for Christmas a couple more days. And in hindsight, I think I blew us up. We came back out of shape and I don't think we recovered.
"I am still learning."

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GEORGIA FOOTBALL
Dogs lose reserve DT to injury
Elmore was in contention for starting spot

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/10/06 Athens — Georgia defensive tackle Marquis Elmore was on crutches and in a knee brace at this afternoon's practice. The extent of the senior?s injury is not known.
Elmore had been working with the second and third teams on the defensive line. He was viewed as an important piece to a line that already had depth issues.
Ray Gant and Jeff Owens are currently listed as starters, but line coach Rodney Garner said Monday that Elmore was among the players being considered for a starting spot.
Elmore has played in 13 games in three years at Georgia.

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Five questions facing Georgia

Story Photos - Click to Enlarge

The Bulldogs shouldn't see a drop-off at one corner spot, where junior Paul Oliver (at right, No. 8) appears capable of putting up an All-SEC caliber season.
Diane Cebula / Staff
Click thumbnails to view


By Marc Weiszer | | Story updated at 12:05 AM on Saturday, August 5, 2006
1: Will somebody at wide receiver please stand up?
Converted cornerback Mikey Henderson gave Georgia another threat to go along with Mohamed Massaquoi (at right, No. 1) this spring, but can that carry over to the fall? With Sean Bailey headed for a redshirt year after an ACL injury, the Bulldogs need to count on someone else among a group that includes Kenneth Harris, A.J. Bryant, Mario Raley and incoming freshman Tony Wilson.
2: How will the secondary hold up after the loss of dependable corners DeMario Minter and Tim Jennings and hard-hitting safety Greg Blue?
The Bulldogs shouldn't see a drop-off at one corner spot, where junior Paul Oliver (at right, No. 8) appears capable of putting up an All-SEC caliber season. Senior safety Tra Battle is a returning starter. Kelin Johnson and Thomas Flowers enter preseason camp as first-teamers, but there is plenty of young talent ‹ including freshman corners Asher Allen and Remarcus Brown ‹ pushing for snaps.

3: Can Georgia find dependable depth on the offensive line?
They need to at offensive tackle, where starting offensive guard Chester Adams would be moved if an injury occurs while Daniel Inman is serving a two-game suspension. Freshmen Josh Davis and Chris Davis have a chance to move into backup roles behind Michael Turner and Ken Shackelford. Nick Jones, shifted back to center, is the lone returning starter while Inman is out.
4: Whose cupboard is finally stocked after barren times recently?
Linebackers coach John Jancek and ends coach Jon Fabris get an infusion of talent and needed depth at their positions. Akeem Hebron and Darius Dewberry are among four freshmen who join a linebacking unit that includes seniors Jarvis Jackson, Tony Taylor, Danny Verdun Wheeler and Brandon Miller. Fabris already has one of the nation's top end tandems in Quentin Moses and Charles Johnson, and the unit will be boosted by a handful of incoming recruits, some of which could be ticketed to defensive tackle.
5: Which members of the 2006 signing class could make an early impact?
Besides quarterback Matthew Stafford, cornerback Asher Allen figures to be a factor and defensive tackle Ricardo Crawford is expected to provide depth at defensive tackle. Three of Georgia's four freshman linebackers could see action.
Questions by Marc Weiszer

Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on 080506

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GEORGIA FOOTBALL
Another lineman goes down for Dogs
Adams, a starter at OG, suffers hip pointer

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/10/06 Athens — Georgia's thin red offensive line has now reached emaciated status.
Chester Adams, a junior starter at guard, went down with a hip point injury early in the first of Thursday's two practices. The severity of the injury has not yet been determined.
"He's an important part of the team and the offensive line," tackle Daniel Inman said. "We have got to get him well and get him back out there as soon as possible."
Seth Watts, a sophomore, moved into starting lineup once Adams went down.
"It was a do-or-die situation and I had to go in there," said Watts, who has not started a game and only played sparingly last season. "I knew my role coming in was to be the backup to both sides and I prepared myself for it and I knew at any given moment I might have to go in there."
Some true freshmen may have to go in as well. That was a concern of Georgia coach Mark Richt's at the start of camp. In fact, Richt switched Dale Dixson from defensive tackle to guard/center Monday to avoid such a scenario, only to have Dixson move back to defense Tuesday.
Now Adams is hurt. Dixson is on defense. And everyone is wondering who might play on the offensive line and what might happen.
"I'm real concerned," defensive tackle Ray Gant said. "Our depth is not really there. . . . I don't see any of the young guys that can step in and play at [the veterans'] level. We have got a couple of fighters like Kevin Perez. He's a young kid who doesn't know what to do but he is going to go. He doesn?t weigh as much but he is going to go 110 percent every play."
Richt was not scheduled to speak with the media Thursday morning. He will address the media this evening.

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Ware finds himself third at tailback
Two years after breakout, junior waits for another chance

By CHIP TOWERS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/11/06 Athens — Remember?
Remember when Georgia was preparing to open the 2004 season and all the buzz was about an up-until-then little-known tailback from Rockmart by way of Hargrave Military Academy? Remember how he was all set to become the first freshman in six decades to start the season at the Bulldogs' premier ball-carrying position?

Brant Sanderlin / AJC (ENLARGE)

Danny Ware, behind Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin at tailback, is part of Georgia's No. 1 kickoff-return team.

Danny Ware remembers, too. He was that freshman, and it seems like another lifetime ago.
"I came in with all this hype when I first started," said Ware, who became the first freshman to start the season at tailback for Georgia since Charles "Rabbit" Smith in 1943. "It's kind of been downhill ever since."
Ware rushed for 135 yards and scored three touchdowns that first game against Georgia Southern. He recorded three more 100-yard efforts that season, against LSU (109), Vanderbilt (127) and Florida (103).
But there has been only one 100-yard game since — 109 against Louisiana-Monroe last year. As the Bulldogs prepare to open the season against Western Kentucky, Ware finds himself with an entirely different set of circumstances.
He's now third on the tailback depth chart behind fellow juniors Thomas Brown and Kregg Lumpkin.
"Right now that is the pecking order," first-year running backs coach Tony Ball said.
"Sometimes you get a little frustrated because you can't get as many carries as you want and the playing time that you want and need to become a better player," Ware said. "But I just have to deal with it."
So what happened?
In a nutshell, Brown did.
Ware got that start in the 2004 opener only because Lumpkin, who'd burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2003, blew out a knee in the first practice. Ware had come in from Hargrave the previous spring and already passed Michael Cooper and Tony Milton on the depth chart.
Then Brown arrived. The freshman from Tucker led the Bulldogs in rushing that season (875) and again last year (736). After setting four weightlifting records this summer — including the best bench press ever by a Georgia running back (470 pounds) — and wowing the coaching staff on a daily basis in practice, only a serious injury could break Brown's stranglehold on the starting job.
"I've never once said he wasn't going to play," Georgia coach Mark Richt said of Ware. "It's just because we've been very impressed with Thomas Brown. He's just been tremendous every day. He's focused and every snap seems like the national championship for him."
Even Ware has to tip his cap to Brown.
"He's murdering it," Ware said. "Strength-wise, he's stepped up a whole lot this year. He's been really focused. Not to say me and Kregg haven't been focused, but Thomas seems to have an extra block on his shoulder or something, and me and Kregg are just trying to get on the bandwagon and get going with him."
Lumpkin has been almost as impressive. After a slow start in 2005 due to his recovery from ACL surgery, he finished the season strong. He led the Bulldogs with 74 yards against Georgia Tech and was second to Brown in the SEC championship game and Sugar Bowl.
In the final three games last season, Lumpkin had 33 carries, Brown 31 and Ware 10.
Georgia has since added another hotshot back to the competition: Knowshon Moreno, New Jersey's all-time leading scorer (128 touchdowns) and second-leading rusher (6,268 yards).
Ware's plight, it seems, is the result of playing at a top 10 program that keeps signing top 10 recruiting classes.
"I think Danny's taking it real well," said fullback Des Williams, Ware's roommate and best friend. "He knows there's unbelievable talent here. Coach Richt has made it pretty clear they're going to use Danny any way they can. He just has to take advantage of his opportunities when he gets on the field."
Some of those opportunities will come on special teams. Ware is on the No. 1 kickoff return team and No. 2 punt team. The Bulldogs are also experimenting with some two-tailback sets with the thought of utilizing Ware's pass-catching skills, much the way Auburn did with Ronnie Brown two seasons ago.
"I'm trying to get on the field as many ways as I can, just trying to make my presence felt," Ware said. "Even if I don't touch the ball as much as I want, I still want to get on the field and make plays any way I can."
In the meantime, Ware said he has quashed the thoughts of starting over somewhere else and buried the memories of that storybook start.
"Like anybody else in my situation, I've had thoughts about going elsewhere," he said of transferring. "But I'm not going to. It's too late. If I was going, I would've went. I'm not going to put in all this hard work with all my friends and teammates to let them down and go somewhere else.
"I'm here. I'm going to stick it out."

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Richt not worried about line injuries
Adams, a starter at guard, suffers hip pointer

Published on: 08/11/06 Athens — Guard Chester Adams and defensive tackle Marquis Elmore were both on crutches. Ray Gant, another defensive tackle, was in a sling. Offensive lineman Zeb McKinzey was still out of practice with a recurring shoulder injury.
The Georgia lines have passed thin and can now be considered emaciated.

Renee' Hannans Henry / AJC (ENLARGE)

Jeff Owens (95) is one of the few veteran defensive linemen not injured. Starter Ray Gant missed practice Thursday.

None of the aforementioned injuries are thought to be serious. McKinzey is being re-evaluated every day. Adams is scheduled to return Saturday from his hip pointer. Gant's shoulder has been an ongoing problem that he's played through in the past. Elmore will have arthroscopic surgery to clean out his knee.
But a bigger question is facing Georgia in the face of these injuries: Are they a portent of things to come?
"I'm real concerned," Gant said of the depth on the offensive line. "Our depth is not really there. ... I don't see any of the young guys that can step in and play at [the veterans'] level. We have got a couple of fighters, like Kevin Perez. He's a young kid who doesn't know what to do but he is going to go."
Things aren't much better on the defensive line. With Gant and Elmore out, that leaves two players who've seen action in a Georgia uniform — Dale Dixson and Jeff Owens — in practice.
"It's not that bad," coach Mark Richt said of the current state of the lines. "You are going to have those kind of things. That is just typical. If you start getting those season-ending things, that really is cause for more concern. But football is physical and guys are going to get banged up."
By Game 3, when Daniel Inman and Ian Smith return from suspensions, Georgia could be 100 percent on the offensive line. Until then, Seth Watts, a sparingly used sophomore, might be the finger in the dike. He plugged the hole left by Adams on Thursday.
"It was a do-or-die situation and I had to go in there," Watts said. "I knew my role coming in was to be the backup to both sides and I prepared myself for it."
Stafford still has things to learn
Matthew Stafford quickly learned about the clause in Richt's contract concerning apparel. Stafford came onto the practice field with a Reebok undershirt on, only to be sent back to the locker room so he could change into Nike.
Nike pays Richt $530,000 annually.
Other than that misstep, the preseason has gone smoothly for the highly touted freshman quarterback.
"[I am] just going out there and playing and trying to ... play within the offense as much as possible," Stafford said. "I'm trying to not go outside and make too much stuff happen."
Sometimes that can be more difficult than it sounds. Especially considering there are three other quarterbacks competing for the job.
"You are trying to go out there and make plays and show people you can do it," he said. "It is tough to know what they want sometimes, but I think if you play within the offense your opportunity to make plays will happen."
Adams likes his coach's toughness
Shortly after Georgia President Michael Adams offered Richt his first contract at Georgia, Adams had a little piece of doubt stuck in the back of his mind.
"I walked out of that meeting and in the back of my mind was thinking, 'Is he tough enough?' " Adams said Thursday.
Adams said he quickly discovered that Richt, despite his calm, soft-spoken demeanor, was more than tough enough for the job. In the president's eyes, that toughness has extended to the field.
"You can see it in the players," Adams said. "They are tougher than they were."
Henderson ready
to step in on punts
Mikey Henderson was back where he once was — the top spot on the punt return team. He's happy to be there, just not under the current circumstances.
"I'm not happy it had to happen that way with Thomas [Flowers] being suspended," Henderson said. "But since he is gone, I really want to step in and make sure we don't lose anything. The least I can do is field them. Field the ball and use my speed and my quickness to help the team out."
Henderson was pegged as the top punt returner in 2004 before he broke his ankle in preseason. Henderson, one of the team's fastest players, returned punts and kicks in high school.
Flowers averaged 13.7 yards per punt return last year. He was ranked second in the SEC and 14th nationally. He broke open the Tennessee game with a 56-yard touchdown return and also set up the game-winning score with a return against Georgia Tech.

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QB race suited to a T

By Mark Bradley | Saturday, August 12, 2006, 11:29 AM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Mark Bradley

• QB race suited to a T
• Abraham planning to make a difference
• Practice is overrated
• Time and another game slip away
• Trade of Andruw likely eventually

Athens — Joe Tereshinski III has been around Georgia football since birth. His grandfather played here and made second-team All-SEC. His dad played here and won an SEC title and has worked in the program since before Joe T. III was born. Now Joe T. III, who rejected offers to sign with other colleges because, his father says, “They just weren’t Georgia,” is listed as the Bulldogs’ No. 1 quarterback.
Nice homegrown story, right? Well, maybe.
Many on the dispassionate periphery consider his status temporary, the belief being that Joe T. III is merely warming a seat for one (or more) of the three younger quarterbacks. Tereshinski rejects the notion. “I have to consider myself on top,” he says. “It helps with the leadership role, and it helps with my confidence.”
Via his longtime access to the program, Tereshinski has seen quarterback competitions already. He remembers coming to practice with his dad in 1991 — Joe T. III was in grade school — and watching Greg Talley duel Preston Jones and a hot freshman named Eric Zeier, whom Tereshinski would come to regard as “the quote-unquote hero of my generation.”
That said, neither he nor anyone else can cite a precedent to this four-way struggle. Says Mark Richt, who’ll be the ultimate arbiter: “This is the tightest race I’ve been involved with. I’ve seen two guys competing for a job, but not more than two.”
Because Tereshinski is a fifth-year senior and the most seasoned among the other three is a redshirt sophomore, conventional wisdom holds that the current depth chart is more a reflection of seniority than ability. But Joe T. III, having long dreamed of doing as Zeier, with whom Tereshinski played catch after practices, did, isn’t inclined to yield to anyone. Here’s his stance: “I’ve been here four years, and this is my job.”
Says Joe Tereshinski Jr., Georgia’s assistant strength coach and its video coordinator: “I’ve never met a kid who’s happier when he’s competing than Joe T.”
Come Sept. 2, the day Georgia opens against Western Kentucky, Tereshinski figures to be the first quarterback deployed. When in doubt — and clearly Richt is — coaches tend to err on the side of seasoning. But a Bulldogs historian might recall that, even though Zeier didn’t start the first five games of his freshman season, he played so much he was essentially the No. 1 quarterback. And after Zeier engineered a famous victory over sixth-ranked Clemson, he displaced Talley, who was a team captain, as the starter and went on to become the hero of Joe T. III’s generation.
Might such a thing happen again? Would a bad series against South Carolina — or a big relief performance from a younger guy — in Week 2 render Joe T. III a latter-day Talley? “I don’t think it’d be a bad series and out,” he says, “but if you’re making the same mistakes, you could definitely find another guy in for a while.”
Two other bits of history are more in his favor. First, Georgia hasn’t entered a season with a non-Georgian — the three others are from out of state — as its quarterback since James Ray in 1970. And the last fifth-year Bulldogs quarterback to wait his turn wound up being the MVP in the SEC championship game. Is D.J. Shockley’s example a source of inspiration?
“Oh, definitely,” Tereshinski says. “He pushed himself hard and competed every day, and he rallied his team.”
Tereshinski started the Florida game when Shockley was injured last season and didn’t do so badly. (He didn’t throw a touchdown pass, but he caught one.) He did mop-up duty in five other games, and that measure of familiarity with big-time college football could well be the first determinant in this hairbreadth race.
“You’ve got to be able to manage the job,” Tereshinski says, “to set up the team and keep it running.”
A fifth-year senior should be more suited to managerial duty than a freshman or a sophomore, but this is one of those cases where nobody really knows anything. The four quarterbacks have been given no timetable as to when a decision might be made. (Indeed, Richt has joked that Georgia could settle things by letting each play a quarter.) Says Tereshinski: “They’re judging everything, every throw. That’s the reason you have to compete every day. You can’t take an hour off.”
An affable sort, Tereshinski doesn’t flinch when asked to rate the other quarterbacks’ assets. He says Joe Cox has “a very strong arm” and that Matthew Stafford “loves the game. … He can tell you what any player throughout history has done” and that Blake Barnes “gives everything he has.” And the Tereshinski guy?
He smiles. “I’m more of a pocket passer,” he says. “I’ve got some experience under my belt. I’m the most physical of the guys. I might be able to stand in a little longer and make a throw.”
Joe T. III has waited all his life for this moment to arrive, and he doesn’t foresee himself wilting under the heat, figurative or literal. Being the first name on the depth chart, he says, means “I have to be on point every day. If I’m No. 1, I have to maintain the lead. … I have to keep a lot of pressure on myself just because I’m up there.” Then again, being No. 1 “might add a little pressure.”
And that makes sense. The other three will have other years. For Joe Tereshinski III, a Bulldog born and bred, there’s only this one.
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GEORGIA REPORT
Dogs' QBs similar in scrimmage

By CARTER STRICKLAND
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/13/06 Athens — Mark Richt finally made a decision Saturday.
Bo Fowler and Jeff Henson are 1-2 at long snapper.
As for the position battle every Georgia fan is monitoring, there was no new news to report Saturday about the four-headed quarterback race.
"I kind of want it to just jump out at me but it hasn't done that," Richt said.
Not even in Saturday's scrimmage.
"Everybody had their moments," Richt said of the scrimmage, which was not open to the public or media. "I know it sounds boring and like a broken record, but just from watching it, I can't sit here and say I felt like some guys separated in any way really, unfortunately.
"I'm getting kind of tired of it. I'd like to get settled and just get ready to play ball."
So would everybody else.
"I want to pull away, I do," senior Joe Tereshinski said.
But, at least at first glance, it didn't happen. Every quarterback got the same number of reps with the first and second teams. Every quarterback was asked to make the same types of throws. And every quarterback, at least temporarily, will remain in the same place on the depth chart: Tereshinski at No. 1, followed by Blake Barnes, Joe Cox and Matthew Stafford.
"I guess there is a possibility we could change the pecking order," Richt said. "There is a possibility we could make it more of a three-man race. My gut feeling right this moment is I am not sure we can justify that."
Making things all the more difficult is that each player continues to get better.
Take Barnes. The player most discounted coming into camp was the only one with a touchdown pass Saturday. He hit Mario Raley for a 10-yarder.
"Everybody was saying I pretty much don't have a shot," Barnes said. "That has added a little extra motivation. And there is a little satisfaction coming out and having success and showing everybody that I can compete."
Stafford, the heralded freshman, said he has gotten better at not forcing the ball into traffic.
"In the spring, I was sometimes not knowing what I was doing, just looking for the same-color jersey and throwing it as hard as I could," Stafford said.
But Richt said between Stafford and Cox, he sometimes still sees a tendency to force the issue.
"I can picture Matthew making a really a great throw and pocket move that looked really good," Richt said. "Then I could picture him forcing the ball. Same thing with Cox. I can picture some really nice things that they did and then some not-so-nice things."
Georgia will have another scrimmage Friday. Richt continued to say he'd like to narrow the quarterback derby to two following that scrimmage.
Gartrell out for season
Wide receiver T.J. Gartrell suffered a season-ending knee injury in Friday's practice. The junior, who started one game last season and was listed fourth on the depth chart, injured his patella tendon.
Gartrell is the second Bulldogs player to suffer a season-ending knee injury this preseason. Safety Antavious Coates tore his anterior cruciate ligament earlier in the week.
Linebacker Jackson hurts foot
Linebacker Jarvis Jackson (foot) joined an injured list that also includes defensive tackles Ray Gant (shoulder) and Marquis Elmore (knee), fullback Brannan Southerland (ankle), guard Zeb McKinzey (shoulder), center Ian Smith (elbow) and offensive tackle John Miller (shoulder).
Offensive lineman Chester Adams came back from his hip injury and participated in the scrimmage.