Some Richt press conference quotes

I didn't record a ton of the press conference today because frankly I didn't want to have to transcribe the whole thing. Here's most of what I recorded, though.

On Kentucky's linebackers:
"I’m very, very impressed with their linebacking corps, especially No. 56, Braxton Kelley. He’s a LaGrange kid. Just a big-time hitter. I was shocked to see that he was only 6-foot, 226 (pounds). I was thinking he was more of a 6-2, 235, 240 guy the way he’s been laying the wood to everybody in the running game, making it miserable for fullbacks who want to take him on. Of course, Wesley Woodyard is also a LaGrange kid who is doing a great job for them at linebacker, No. 16."

On the mood coming into this game:
"We’re looking hard to really get back on the winning track. I think the morale of the team is very good, considering that we just got beat. They understand that there’s a lot to play for yet. The one thing that I felt best about, even though we did lose, is it just seemed like the spirit of our defense returned. They played a fantastic game. That enthusiasm that they had in that game I think also bled over to our offense. I think the guys are feeling pretty good about the possibility of finishing real strong. That’s what we need to do is finish strong. It starts this weekend at Kentucky. We’re thankful it’s a 1 o’clock game and not a 7:45 game because that makes for a tough trip home. That’ll work out good for us too."

On improving the turnover problems:
"The backs must carry the ball up high and tight against their body. They’ve got to have it secure at all times. The running backs, for the most part, have done a pretty good job. We’ve had a couple big ones no doubt, but overall our running backs have been pretty good in that area. The area that we’ve had some fumbles also has been receivers catching the ball and getting it knocked out. The ball’s not caught until it’s tucked, until it’s secured. We’ve got to improve that. Stafford has fumbled – I know he fumbled the last ballgame as he was getting ready to throw the ball. I don’t know if there’s a whole lot you can do on that. The guy’s looking downfield, he’s getting ready to throw, he brings it back, gets hit from behind – there’s not much you can do on that. On that punt, when the ball was punted down really poorly, Mikey Henderson has got to do a better job of trying to communicate to his blockers that it’s time to get out of the way, but even when you do that, on some punts they could start running out of the way, but they don’t know what out of the way is. They don’t know where the ball is landing, so that one is kinda tough. And of course, Matthew, you can definitely get better about not throwing the ball up for grabs, which he did once for sure and the other was just a poorly thrown fade route. But Matthew has thrown a couple up for grabs and he must get better at that. Those things we can correct. We can correct the ball security as far as the runners are concerned. I think we can teach this quarterback, we can teach Matthew, not to throw the ball up for grabs. There’s times you get hit as you throw, there’s balls that get batted, all kinds of things like that – those kinds of interceptions are just gonna happen. But the two times that he did throw the picks in the last ballgame, one he should have thrown out of bounds and had plenty of time to do that, even though there was some pressure on him. But he should have thrown that ball away. And the other one, he was trying to look off the safety, because their safety does a great job of going for a deep ball. If you just drop back and stare at the guy you’re throwing to, he’s gonna get there. So he was looking him off to try to hold him at bay and then make the throw to the receiver, but he didn’t site him up well enough before he cut the ball loose. He thought it was gonna be press-man coverage. He thought it was gonna be a true fade throw and on the snap of the ball, the corner, he showed the press coverage and then he bailed into the cover two look. You just can’t throw the ball without really sighting it up. Those are the things we’ve really got to do."

On what Tripp Chandler brings to the table at tight end:
"He’s a good route-runner, he’s got good hands, he’s learning to be more physical at the point blocking. He’s more of a guy who’s trying to hold his own rather than be a dominating blocker at this point in his career. But he understands the concepts that we’re trying to get done blocking and passing. But his body’s still not as mature as it’s going to be before it’s all over in his career."

On how it sounds like he thinks the offensive line played poorly:
"I didn’t say that, I said we got whipped. I don’t know which one’s worse. There were times we did get physical up front. Like the last sack of the game, we had a blitz that came that one of our offensive linemen made the appearance that he was gonna take him. It was actually the fullback’s man, but with some blitzes, the way that they unfold, that if the fullback’s man comes in a certain gap, the guard might get him and another linebacker’s gonna be looping around and he’ll end up getting the guard’s man, so to speak. That happens a lot, that they’ll have to trade off some of the responsibilities and what happened was the guard made the appearance that he was gonna take on the fullback’s man and the fullback went to the other backer and the lineman kinda changed his mind at the last moment and that’s when the guy ran free. It was a good stunt, but a stunt that we’d blocked a majority of the game."

On the situation with Turner and Adams at guard:
"Right now we think Turner’s the one to play guard right this minute. Some of that is just due to Chester’s ankle. He’s healthy enough to play, but I don’t think it’s full speed ahead. I don’t think he’s full speed, he’s playing a little bit gimpy and Turner’s just more healthy right now, But Turner, to his credit, he’s done a nice job."

On the Kentucky program:
"They’re getting better. They’re winning and the games that they’ve lost, they’ve performed much better. This is a very good football team, not a lot different from what’s been going on at Vanderbilt. Maybe not getting a ton of wins, but making a tremendous amount of progress in how they’ve been able to compete. I’m saying that with respect, after Vanderbilt just got done beating us, I think Kentucky’s very capable of doing the same thing."

Monday practice notebook

ATHENS, Ga. – A pair of fourth-quarter passes dropped by Martrez Milner cost Georgia valuable field position in last Saturday’s loss to Florida.
Those drops have also cost the preseason all-SEC tight end his starting spot, as Milner will back up sophomore Tripp Chandler this week against Kentucky.

“The way I played on Saturday, I knew I probably didn’t deserve to start. I wasn’t making plays for my team,” Milner said. “When I heard today the news, I wasn’t shocked. I’ve just got to take it as a lesson and learn from it.”
Although Milner is tied for the team lead in receptions (17) and touchdown catches (two) and is second in receiving yards (232), he will take a back seat this week to Chandler.
Milner missed Georgia’s previous game against Mississippi State with turf toe and Chandler filled in, catching two passes for 37 yards, including a leaping 21-yard touchdown catch on fourth down.
He said Milner came up and offered his support after they were told of the depth chart change – just as Chandler had supported Milner when he was the backup.
“As a second-string, you’re there to help out the guy that’s in there playing and out there fighting,” Chandler said. “He came up to me and said, ‘I got your back.’ It meant a lot to me because I said it to him before each game.”
Milner said tight ends coach David Johnson said they would likely have an even split on reps against Kentucky, but he wants to win the starting spot back.
“I’ve got to take it as an eye-opener,” Milner said. “I guess I took it for granted that I had a starting position and wasn’t working as hard as I should. I just know I’ve got to work hard as I can.”

Other moves
The change at tight end wasn’t the only depth chart move on Monday, with changes also coming at offensive guard and defensive tackle.
Michael Turner lined up as a starter at tight guard, moving a hobbled Chester Adams to a backup spot at tight tackle and guard.
Adams has been slowed by an ankle injury, which was re-aggravated against Florida and limited him to only about 13 snaps. He and Turner said the injury prompted the move more than their coaches’ dissatisfaction with Adams’ play.
“I think it’s more the injury,” Adams said. “I’m not disappointed to be on the second team by any means. If Turner started and helped us win, I’m all for it.”
Normally a backup tackle who rotates with Dan Inman and Ken Shackleford, Turner started in Adams’ place against Mississippi State and played most of the game against Florida.
He said moving inside to guard was more of a physical grind than playing tackle.
“It was a little harder. I was very tired at halftime of the Mississippi State game. I wasn’t used to being that tired at halftime before,” Turner said. “That’s just what I’ve got to get used to and I felt like I did. I wasn’t as tired in the Florida game.”
Turner said he and Adams will rotate at the guard spot and he will continue to spell Shackleford and Inman at tackle.
Dale Dixson lined up next to Jeff Owens at defensive tackle, putting the oft-injured fifth-year senior in line for only his second career start.
“Everybody knows my story here at Georgia. Just being able to start a game feels good for my self esteem,” said Dixson, who said he had one of the best games of his career and made three tackles against Florida. “As a player, you work so hard to start. I’m just happy, whether I start or not, just to be able to go out there and help the guys win.”

Injury update
Starting flanker A.J. Bryant continues to be bothered by a groin injury that has slowed the junior for most of the season, but is still expected to start Saturday.
Bryant has not made a catch in the last two games and has just one since what he’d hoped would be a breakout effort with two catches for 62 yards against Tennessee.
Bryant practiced in a green no-contact jersey Monday, but continues to line up ahead of Kenneth Harris as a starter.
Receiver Mikey Henderson (ribs) also practiced in green Monday, as he did every day last week. The junior still returned punts and made a career-high three receptions last Saturday against Florida.
Also practicing in green were backup kicker Ben Wilson and redshirt candidates Knowshon Moreno and Tony Wilson.

Auburn kickoff
CBS has decided to push back its decision on which game it will televise on Nov. 11 until Sunday so it can pick one of four games.
Along with Auburn-Georgia, CBS will choose between South Carolina-Florida, Tennessee-Arkansas and Alabama-LSU to broadcast at 3:30 p.m. that Saturday.
The three games CBS doesn’t pick will be carried by either Lincoln Financial Sports at 12:30 p.m., ESPN2 at 7 or ESPN at 7:45.

Kentucky press conference quotes

Kentucky has its media press conference on Mondays. Here's what the SID's office released from coach Rich Brooks and some of the players. I know a lot of Georgia fans will appreciate what linebacker Wesley Woodyard had to say.

Head Coach Rich Brooks
Injury update…
“The only significant injury from the game is (offensive guard) Trai Williams. He has a high ankle sprain and we did a stress x-ray to see if there was a tear, and whether or not any surgery would be required, but the good news is that is not the case. That’s the positive on that end, but it is much like (Matt) McCutchan’s, if not a little worse. I would say we have a chance to have him back for the Tennessee game at the end of the season. The next three to four days will probably tell us when we will possibly get Trai back. We also had (offensive guard) Jason Leger who did not make the trip. I would say he is very doubtful for this game, but we are hopeful that he will return if not next week but the Louisiana-Monroe game. (Tailback) Tony Dixon is still bothered by the hamstring injury and he probably won’t be able to practice until at least tomorrow or Wednesday at the earliest. We just don’t know how quickly that will come around so I would say he is questionable for this week.”

On the Mississippi State game…
“I was extremely pleased with our defensive front against the run game. We used our hands better. We controlled the line of scrimmage and the running game and had more tackles for loss than we have had in a long time. I was hopeful that the defensive line would play like that earlier in the year. Mississippi State is not the best running team in our league, but for us to hold them to 24 yards rushing I think speaks volumes for our team. After talking with some of the coaches (Mississippi State) after the game they really thought they were going to be able to run it on us. I think that we’ve made some progress in that area.”

On Georgia’s offense when they are not turning the ball over…
“Their offensive line is very good. I think they have four seniors who are giants, and a junior. They are a very physical group up front. They run the ball pretty well. The guy (quarterback Matthew Stafford) is going to be a really good player in this league. There have been a lot of signs for that. It would be like comparing Andre’ Woodson from last year to this year. He’s (Woodson) just a different guy (with another year of experience). I think it is extremely difficult for a really young player to be consistent at that position in this conference.”

On Andre’ Woodson’s play…
“He’s a different guy and I’ve said that pretty much all along this year. He’s just a different guy. He’s more mature. I think Randy Sanders has done a terrific job with him. He’s helped him with a few things in his passing motion, and talking with him about getting the right reads and eliminating the negative plays. He’s (Woodson) has also gotten a lot of help from a healthy Keenan Burton, a very good Dicky Lyons and Jacob Tamme. We’ve had a lot of help from the receiving position on a consistent basis than we did a year ago.”

On Alfonso Smith…
“He had some nice holes to hit (in the Mississippi State game) which is significant. When he did get to hit those holes he got that acceleration. There were a couple of times I thought he was going to go the distance. He got caught on one in particular near the end of the game. I thought he would have taken (it the distance), but he kind of ran out of gas. He’s not used to playing that much, and I’m sure he was hyper and excited when he was preparing for the game that took a lot of energy just on his enthusiasm. Once he gets settled down, some of those plays I think he can finish.”

On trying to defend Georgia…
“We hope that we are going to cover better. We’d like to try to confuse him (the quarterback) by giving him some different looks. We want to disguise our coverage a little bit so he can’t see when we’re in a man-to-man coverage, or know when we’re blitzing or know when we’re in cover-two. You also still have to be in position to carry out your duties and assignments as well. You can’t get so caught up in disguising things and forget about just stopping them.”

On the three-game homestand at Commonwealth Stadium and being in position to become bowl-eligible…
“How about never? (In regards to being in position for a bowl game). We’ve talked about how we’re a better football team this year, and I think we are. We’ve got warts, still. We still need to continue to try and remove some of those warts. We will do that, and we will continue to get better and improve. We do have three straight home games, and we’re going to go out there and play. Our call at the beginning of the season was to control Commonwealth Stadium. We’ve already lost one of those opportunities (to South Carolina). We just need to see if we can (continue to win) here at home.”

On Georgia’s defense…
“Georgia is a very talented defensive football team. If you look at the numbers they held Florida to almost nothing, and we know what kind of offense Florida has and what kind of players they have. They are a big-time defensive team.”

Kentucky Players

#72 Michael Aitcheson, OG
On the upcoming three-game home stand and potential bowl eligibility…
“The Mississippi State game was an important win on our way to a bowl game. You need six wins to be eligible. We are in a better position this week having four wins and only needing two more to get to a bowl.”

On the team’s win at Mississippi State…
“Every week is a big game and every week is an important game. We weren’t willing to give up and we were determined to get the win. If we had lost, we would be in a big hole trying to dig ourselves out. But with this win there is light at the end of the tunnel. This SEC road win gives us momentum heading into the Georgia game this week.”

On Georgia…
“I don’t know what they will be like emotionally [coming off a loss at Florida] but I’ve played against Georgia before and they are still the Bulldogs. They have great athletes and great coaches. We’re going to have to play our best game of the season.”

On the progress of the offensive line…
“Unfortunately we have lost a few guys to injuries but that is the nature of the game. Adversity is part of the game. As far as on the field, in football when you can stuff the run and run the football, it shows how physical our team is.”

#16 Wesley Woodyard, LB
On playing Georgia for Homecoming…
“Having three games at home is exciting. This weekend is Homecoming and we need to be ready to play. As for defense in this game, we have to play better on third downs. I take it upon myself to get everyone to play hard. We all have responsibilities on the field and we need to take care of those in order to be successful.”

On growing up as a Georgia fan…
“I grew up a Georgia fan. I think everyone in Georgia grows up a fan. I remember the 1980 team as the best team of all time. They have always had great athletes and a great program.”

On the upcoming game against Georgia…
“We have a three-game homestand coming up. Any time we play in Commonwealth Stadium it helps our momentum.”

#19 Keenan Burton, WR
On defeating Mississippi State last Saturday...
“It felt really great to come home with a win. We know we did well. We soaked up the feelings of a good win and now we have to start preparing for this week’s game.”

On Georgia...
“They’ve won six games this year. We would be blessed to have their record right now. Georgia always has a great defense. They do everything to keep other teams out of the endzone. I think they’re hungry for a win. We have to stay focused, and come out and execute in the game. We have to be ready for a dogfight.”

On what a supportive crowd at Saturday’s game vs. Georgia would mean to the team...
“Fan base really means a lot to the team. It would give us strength and motivation. I think mentally and physically everyone is ready to play no matter what the circumstances in the crowd are. I think the fans can really affect the opposing team as well. When we play at stadiums that are really loud, it definitely affects us, especially as an offensive player. If we have a lot of fans cheering for us it gives us motivation and the will to do the things we know we need to do.”

On Kentucky controlling its own destiny...
“It’s fun. You go to practice with your head up. You understand that the outcome is about what you do. The outcome is about how you handle it, how you overcome adversity, and how you answer the bell when the coach calls on you. If you’re willing to step up and make the plays, and if you’re willing to want the ball when the game is on the line then you control the outcome. For us this year, we all want to make the plays. I want to make the plays, Andre’ wants to make the plays, Dicky wants to make the plays because we know that we can all step up and make them.”

On being named SEC Specials Teams Player of the Week for Oct. 30...
“I’m honored and I feel blessed. I basically think that I alone shouldn’t be named SEC Player of the Week, the kick-off and punt return teams in themselves should be the Special Teams Player of the Week. All I had to do was run to the open space. I really didn’t have to do much. I’m honored, but I give all the credit to the team and coaches.”

On the depth chart changes

All the depth chart changes I posted about earlier held up. Turner is in for Cheese at tight guard, Dixson is in over Weston at defensive tackle and Tripp Chandler is in for Milner at tight end.

That's really the notable change, as Martrez is tied for the team lead in touchdown catches and receptions and is second in receiving yards. But he's dropped some passes, most recently two against Florida, and said he wasn't surprised to be benched.

"The way I played on Saturday, I knew I probably didn’t deserve to start. I wasn’t making plays for my team," Milner said. "When I heard today the news, I wasn’t shocked. I’ve just got to take it as a lesson and learn from it."

Here's some more from Milner.
On how he'll split time with Chandler:
"My coach told me it’s gonna be 50-50, but I can’t get down on myself. This has been my predicament for the last two years backing up Pope. I’ve just got to take it and run with it and have fun and be a leader on the bench and on the field."

On losing the job:
"I’ve got to take it as an eye-opener. I guess I took it for granted that I had a starting position and wasn’t working as hard as I should. I just know I’ve got to work hard as I can."

On whether he can win it back:
"I sure hope so. Anything is possible. Like I lost it on Saturday, it all depends on how I play in practice."

Chandler's obviously excited. He said Martrez came up and supported him when they got the news. Milner seems like that kind of guy. He wasn't down in the dumps about it after practice, he just seemed like he thought he deserved it and he was resigned to play harder to get it back.
Chandler on getting to start:
"It’s a big deal to me. It’s just another opportunity to go in there and show what I’ve got and another opportunity to help my team."

Chandler on what Milner said:
"Trez came up to me and said, ‘I got your back.’ I go up to Trez before every game and say, ‘I got your back.’ I’m always that way for him on the sideline, just getting him stuff when he needs something. That’s our role right now. As a second-string, you’re there to help out the guy that’s in there playing and out there fighting. He came up to me and said, ‘I got your back.’ It meant a lot to me because I said it to him before each game. So it meant a lot to me."

Chandler on the example Milner has set for the younger tight ends:
"He’s set a good example for me. He’s set just unbelievable high goals for me. Just with his athletic ability, a lot of people are looking for me to come in and have that same speed and same quickness. I’m obviously not gonna have that because that’s not the kind of player I am and what I have to offer. He’s set a high bar for me, so I’m just gonna come in and try to fill it as much as I can."

Chester Adams and Michael Turner said the changes on the offensive line were mostly caused by Adams being injured. He guessed he only played about 13 plays against Florida, so he'll rotate with Turner at guard and he and Turner will get some practice reps at tackle as well. I'd still expect to see Turner rotating with Ken Shackleford and Dan Inman at tackle when Adams is in at guard.

Adams said his ankle injury was re-aggravated against Florida, too:
"I had a little soreness here and there and my push-off wasn’t as good as it could have been, getting to the linebackers and stuff. It really hurt me a little bit, but I wanted to be there for my teammates and get out there and do as much as I could."

Adams, on the difficulty of playing tackle:
"It’s definitely a whole lot harder. A lot of times, you’re on an island by yourself in pass protection and everything. (There are) a lot of blocking assignments and I still know most of the stuff, so it’s a pretty easy transition, you just have to get the pass protection down."

Turner, on how he thinks he's played at guard:
"I felt like I played all right. I had to get used to some things. It’s a lot different inside. You play against bigger guys who are still as quick as the guys on the outside. It was a little harder. I was very tired at halftime of the Mississippi State game. I wasn’t used to being that tired at halftime before. That’s just what I’ve got to get used to and I felt like I did. I wasn’t as tired in the Florida game."

Turner, on being given the starting spot at guard:
"I wouldn’t have been there if Cheese didn’t get hurt. He was doing a fine job. I guess being in the three-tackle rotation, I was the next available option to go inside. I’ve been practicing there since I’ve been here. I don’t really feel like I’m better than anybody"

Dixson's the kind of player you root for. He's always polite when you talk to him and he's had so many injuries throughout his career...not to mention playing with a muscle condition, myasthenia gravis, that certainly doesn't help matters. He played really well against Florida. You don't always notice the play of defensive tackles, but I know I saw him flying around several times. So he's being rewarded with his second career start:
"It feels real good. Everybody knows my story here at Georgia. Just being able to start a game feels good for my self esteem. As a player, you work so hard to start. I’m just happy, whether I start or not, just to be able to go out there and help the guys win."

Dixson hasn't started a game this season. He was in line to start the opener against Western Kentucky, but started to wear down near the end of preseason camp and got jumped on the depth chart the week of the game.
"I was fighting hard for it. I can’t decide who starts; the better guy started. Like I said, it’s not my job to decide who starts, it’s my job to go out there and play hard. I’m just happy, whether I start or not, I’m happy to be part of the team and contribute."

Also, Kelly Quinlan from the Georgia rivals.com site stopped me on the way out of Butts-Mehre tonight and told me that freshman OL John Miller quit the team. That's notable, but I won't be writing much about it. He'd had some injury problems and I'm not sure he was ever going to contribute much. Seems to happen far too frequently with Georgia offensive linemen.

Looks like Trez is out

Tripp Chandler stretched with the starters and Martrez Milner with the second string today. Also, Michael Turner was with the starters at guard and Chester Adams -- who was still slowed by his ankle injury Saturday against Florida -- moved behind Dan Inman as a backup at tackle.

First-team offense: A.J. Bryant, Demiko Goodman, Tripp Chandler, Ken Shackleford, Fernando Velasco, Nick Jones, Michael Turner, Dan Inman, Brannan Southerland, Kregg Lumpkin, Matt Stafford

First-team defense: Charles Johnson, Quentin Moses, Dale Dixson, Jeff Owens, Brandon Miller, Jarvis Jackson, Tony Taylor, Tra Battle, Kelin Johnson, Ramarcus Brown, Paul Oliver

UGA-AU kickoff decision postponed

CBS has elected to use a six-day selection for games of Nov. 11, 2006.

The following four games are being held: Tennessee at Arkansas, Georgia at Auburn, South Carolina at Florida and Alabama at LSU. CBS will televise one of these four games at 3:30 ET, ESPN will televise one of these four games at 7:45 ET, ESPN2 will televise one of these four games at 7:00 ET and Lincoln Financial will televise one of these four games at 12:30 ET.

The selections should be made by Sunday afternoon based on the outcome of Saturday Nov. 4 games.

A recommendation

Sometimes, for whatever reason, the most recent posts don't show up when you come to the main page here. I don't know why that is, but I imagine these free blogger pages aren't built for volume posting.

Anyway, if you just hit the refresh button when you come to the page, it usually brings up the most recent post. A couple of people have commented to me about how things aren't showing up when they first come to the page, but hitting refresh should fix it.

Kentucky week blues

This will be a good week for Georgia's offense to get well. Have you seen how bad Kentucky's defense is? Coming into Saturday, Kentucky was last in the SEC in scoring defense (103rd nationally), last in the SEC in rushing defense (115th), last in the SEC in pass defense (110th) and last in the SEC in total defense (119th). Holy Crap!

And that's before they gave up 31 points to a Mississippi State team that ranked 105th in the nation in scoring offense. The career record that MSU quarterback Michael Henig set against Georgia for passing yards in a game lasted all of a week. He torched Kentucky for 384 passing yards and three touchdowns on Saturday.

Of course to get well, Georgia has to stop making all the bone-headed turnovers. Five again against Florida -- which is the reason why they lost. I thought the defense played its best game in quite a while. After the first couple series for Florida, Georgia's defense played the way I'm used to seeing Georgia's defense play. They were attacking. They had Chris Leak rattled. If not for an unfortunate penalty call on Quentin Moses (and it WAS a penalty, it's just too bad that the flag got thrown, essentially ending the game on a ticky-tack penalty), I think Georgia might have pushed that one to overtime. It just felt like that was the way things were heading. Alas...

But they finally seemed to break out of their funk, even if it was in a losing effort. To an extent, I believe in moral victories and I think Georgia had one with the way it played in the second half last night. Yeah, they're out of the SEC East race and out of the top 25 and they've lost three of their last four, but they might have turned the corner a little bit. We'll see how true that is when they play Kentucky this weekend (which is kind of a funny thing to say in hindsight).

Good week for the picks. Second straight week I got 'em all straight up (7-0) and actually did better than .500 against the spread (5-2). That makes me 61-10 overall and 35-31 ATS.

On a completely unrelated note, how bout them Falcons? They played a great game for the second straight week. It looks to me like Michael Vick has really turned the corner as well. He's been fantastic the last two weeks.

Master Coaches Poll 10/29

Go here for more on the Master Coaches Poll

• 1. Ohio State (16)
• 2. Michigan
• 3. West Virginia
• 4. Texas
• 5. Auburn
• 6. Louisville
• 7. Florida
• 8. Tennessee
• 9. USC
• 10. Notre Dame
• 11. California
• 12. LSU
• 13. Arkansas
• 14. Wisconsin
• 15. Rutgers
• 16. Boston College
• 17. Boise State
• 18. Clemson
• 19. Oklahoma
• 20. Texas A&M
• 21. Georgia Tech
• 22. Oregon
• 23. Wake Forest
• 24. Virginia Tech
• 25. Nebraska

Other teams receiving votes ... Washington State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Oregon State, Iowa, BYU, Georgia, Tulsa, South Carolina

BCS Standings 10/29

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. West Virginia
4. Florida
5. Louisville
6. Auburn
7. Texas
8. USC
9. Notre Dame
10. California
11. Tennessee
12. Rutgers
13. Arkansas
14. Boise State
15. Boston College
16. Wisconsin
17. LSU
18. Oklahoma
19. Clemson
20. Georgia Tech

Full list

Bowl ticket pre-ordering

For you season-ticket holders, the school sent out this info this morning.

In an effort to provide University of Georgia season ticket holders a flexible priority-ordering period for postseason games, the
UGA Athletic Association is continuing an early order reservation process.

A letter will be mailed on Monday, Oct. 30, to season ticket holders. The letter will include ticket prices as well as a patron number and
PIN/email information. Orders will be accepted by mail, but orders placed over
the internet will require the patron number and PIN/email information.

Beginning Nov. 6 and continuing through Nov. 17, season ticket holders may reserve priority tickets for any of the potential postseason games.
Season ticket holders can select any game(s) of interest and will be charged
only for the game(s) in which Georgia plays.

Any orders received after the priority deadline will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis regardless of priority.

In the event that the demand for tickets for a particular game exceeds Georgia's supply, it would be necessary to reduce and/or cancel orders.

For more information, log onto georgiadogs.com and click the link for tickets or call the Ticket Office at 1-877-542-1231. Only Visa and
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Moses in running for Lott

The school sent out this release this morning. Quentin Moses is a semifinalist for the Lott Trophy. He didn't make the cut on Draddy Trophy finalists. The list for that one was released yesterday. Chris Leak is the only name I can recall on that one.

Well, off to Jacksonville in about 10 minutes...

NEWPORT BEACH , Calif. - Senior defensive end Quentin Moses has been named a semifinalist for the Lott Tropy, announced the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation earlier this week. The Lott award is given annually to a player who exhibits the same characteristics that Ronnie Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Moses has made 25 tackles on the year, recorded nine tackles for a loss of 34 yards, had three sacks for a loss of 20 yards and has logged 21 quarterback pressures. He was also named a mid-season All-American by MSNBC.com

David Pollack of Georgia and DeMeco Ryans of Alabama were the winners of the first two Lott Trophies. Both Georgia and Alabama received $25,000 for their general scholarship funds. In two years, the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation has donated $170,000 to various charities, in addition to the two universities.

Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation and Master Coaches, a distinguished group of former head college coaches. The watch list will be trimmed to seven semifinalists on Nov. 9 and the three finalists will be announced Nov. 27. The winner will be announced at a gala black-tie banquet at The Pacific Club in Newport Beach Dec. 10.

Moses is also a semifinalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award and the Chuck Bednarik Award.

Thursday notes + SEC picks

Sounds like most everyone who had injury concerns will try to go on Saturday, excluding LB Darius Dewberry (hamstring), who didn't practice all week. We finally got an answer on why Mikey Henderson was wearing green all week. Coach Richt said he took a shot in the ribs last Saturday, so the green was just a precaution for the week. Otherwise, center Nick Jones (knee), offensive guard Chester Adams (ankle), receiver A.J. Bryant (groin), tight end Martrez Milner (toe), cornerback Asher Allen (hip) and cornerback Ramarcus Brown (hamstring) will apparently go. I'd still be a bit wary on Milner, but he dressed out and Richt said he'll play.

Now, onto the picks. Went 6-0 straight up and 3-3 against the spread last week, bringing the record to 54-10 overall and 30-29 against the spread.

Auburn at Ole Miss, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, LF Sports
Line: Auburn by 18.5
My guess: Ole Miss is a sinking ship. The Rebels will occasionally play someone close, but they don't win. And that's because their offense stinks and outside of Patrick Willis, their defense isn't very good either. It's hard to expect Auburn to win by that wide of a spread, though, because the Tigers' offense isn't exactly hitting on all cylinders. They win easily, but not that easily, Auburn 30, Ole Miss 14

Vanderbilt at Duke, 1 p.m. Saturday, No TV
Line: Vandy by 8.5
My guess: Duke has given some historically good programs (Alabama, Miami) all they could handle this season. But the Blue Devils are still 0-7. Vandy's not a bad team -- and I'll avoid making a joke about the Commodores beating Georgia here -- so I'm pretty sure they'll beat Duke. I think it'll be by double digits, but who likes picking Vandy to beat anybody by that much. I'm doing it, though. Vanderbilt 24, Duke 14

Kentucky at Mississippi State, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, No TV
Line: Kentucky by 1.5
My guess: I looked down the row in the pressbox last weekend at the guys from Mississippi and thought to myself about how much it must suck covering a football program like that. Every weekend the postgame interview is the same. "So, you lost again. How much does it suck this time?" I guess a paycheck is a paycheck, but it doesn't seem like it would be much fun to devote so much time writing about such a helpless team. And Kentucky's almost as bad. Blah. Kentucky 23, Mississippi State 20

Florida International at Alabama, 3 p.m. Saturday, CTSM Pay-Per-View, ESPN Gameplan
Line: Alabama by 35
My guess: Good lord Alabama has a horrible schedule. Don't know if you know this, but next week the Tide's playing a junior varsity team of one-armed pygmies (actually they're playing Mississippi State, which lost to the pygmie team by two touchdowns). Come on man, Duke, Louisiana-Monroe, this 0-7 Florida International team that's taking something like 50 players to Tuscaloosa thanks to that awesome fight against Miami a couple weeks ago...The thing is, Florida International has lost five times by five points or less this year. And Alabama hasn't beaten anybody by 35 points, not even Louisiana-Monroe. Alabama 40, Florida International 7

Florida vs. Georgia, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS
Line: Florida by 13
My guess: I thought this would be a blowout earlier in the week, but I've been surprised by how light on their feet the Bulldogs have been this week. Tennessee week, it seemed like they needed a Prozac prescription. They've got to avoid turnovers and put pressure on Chris Leak and I think they've got a chance. It wouldn't shock me if they pulled it off. Still don't think they're gonna win, though. Florida 28, Georgia 17

Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas, 7 p.m. Saturday, ESPNU
Line: Arkansas by 36
My guess: Like with Florida International, Louisiana-Monroe has lost four times by five points or less. They still stink. Alabama beat Louisiana-Monroe by 34 and Alabama's pretty mediocre. Arkansas could name its score, which might make it tough to get a cover since the starters will be out quickly. Still think it'll happen, though. Arkansas 45, Louisiana-Monroe 7

Tennessee at South Carolina, 7:45 p.m. Saturday, ESPN
Line: Tennessee by 3.5
My guess: This could be an entertaining game. Spurrier seems to have Tennessee's number and South Carolina's been playing fairly well lately. This starts a REALLY tough stretch for the Gamecocks, with Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida ahead in the next three games, followed by Middle Tennessee and Clemson. I think South Carolina wins two of those, but probably not this one. Tennessee 24, South Carolina 17

Not so fast my friend

It appears the "Gordon Ely-Kelso will kick field goals this weekend" train is losing a little steam. Coach Richt knocked it off the tracks somewhat today, but I watched Gordon kick some more today. He wasn't as accurate as he'd been the day before, but he did OK. We still talked to him some about that after practice today. Among the stuff he said was that accuracy was always his problem, not distance, and that his long in high school was 48 yards:

"Ben Wilson’s hurt. I’m not sure what happened to him, but he’s been on the side. If Bailey gets hurt, I guess I’m the only guy else who can do it. We needed some guy to back him up."

"I’m getting more comfortable. Last time I kicked a field goal in a game was in high school. It’s been a long time since I kicked a field goal with a rush and everything. Yesterday was probably the first time – maybe last year I had one or two – but I’m getting more comfortable. The biggest thing is, I’m pretty good when I’m just out there with a set ball, kicking. But getting the snap and the hold, getting that feel down."

"The timing’s tough and also the ball’s not there when you leave. You’ve got to get used to the ball getting down as you’re kind of in your kicking motion."

"I’m sure I’d do all right. I’ve been kicking balls my whole life. It’s not a big deal."

"Me and Coutu were talking about it. He was like, ‘You might as well work on it,’ because if I do get in there, I don’t want to embarrass myself."

"I’ve kicked 65-yard field goals before. I’ve always been able to kick the ball pretty far, it’s just accuracy’s the thing. If I was actually gonna kick the ball in a game, I’d probably go more for accuracy. But if they want to send me in for a long one, I’d do it. I wouldn’t shy away from it."

I also talked to kickoff return coach Tony Ball after watching them some in practice today. They must have run five or six guys out there, including Asher Allen, Prince Miller, Bryan Evans, Ramarcus Brown, Danny Ware and Kregg Lumpkin. Prince has a cast on his right hand, by the way. I think he's had a thumb problem for a while, which would be no big deal then. He looks good catching the ball, but coach Ball really gets on him about being assertive in running up to catch the ball and calling off the guy in front of him in the formation. I really don't know who to expect as the return man on Saturday. If coach Ball's made up his mind, he's not letting on:

Is Asher the top guy or do you have any kind of order established there?
"Right now I’m still trying to see who that’s gonna be, to be honest with you. That’s why I had so many of them out there today. I’m gonna look at them again tomorrow and then I’m gonna study them. Right now, I really couldn’t tell you."

What were you looking for from them?
"I wanted to see how they were gonna communicate, No. 1. You’ve got to be able to communicate back there. I wanted to see them communicate, then I wanted to see how cleanly they catch the ball. I wanted to see those things. And then once they got the ball, I wanted to see how they were able to visualize what was actually happening and being where they were supposed to be. Those are the kinds of things I was looking for."

It looked like you were making a point to get them to be assertive.
"That’s the No. 1 thing. He’s got to understand that it’s my job to, No. 1, field the football. I want it in my hands. I’ve got to communicate to everyone else that, ‘Hey, it’s mine until I tell you you can catch it.’ He’s got to be able to do that."

Is Ramarcus Brown's hamstring at all a concern for you as a kick returner?
"If he was working today, then I wasn’t concerned about the hamstring."

Here's most of what coach Richt had to say after practice:
"It was an outstanding practice. Really made some nice plays, both sides of the ball, offense and defense. We had a little one-minute drill today, competitive deal, and both sides of the ball did an outstanding job. A.J. Bryant made a real nice catch to score from Stafford. Drove the ball well. Just threw and caught it about as well as we have in a while. Seemed to have a little pep in our step today. It was a beautiful day and I thought the guys did a good job. Scout team was focused. I guess maybe soon as class was over, they knew they didn’t have class for a while and it helped them concentrate. It was good."

Did anything stand out to you today about the guys coach Ball was working at kickoff return?
"Not really. I’ve been watching them all along. It’s the same guys that we’ve been repping all along, although I think Bryan Evans got maybe a little bit more work since Thomas Brown is out. But Asher, Prince and then Bryan are getting more of the work. You can’t simulate the game. Our scout team can fly down there pretty good, but it’s just not the same."

Is Gordon in the running to compete with Andy Bailey at kicker?
"He’s our No. 2 guy. Bailey’s our kicker. You always need to have a second-team guy ready to go and there’s really no one else to do it. I guess Mimbs could, there’s other guys that could, but I wanted a guy that’s just had enough game experience that it wouldn’t be a shocking situation or the first time ever."

On Ramarcus Brown:
"He looked OK today. He practiced a good bit. I didn’t see what happened towards the end. Once we broke from our 11-on-11 groups, I don’t know if he fatigued or what. By the time we went to break, he looked pretty good to me."

On Martrez Milner:
"If Martrez is healthy, he’ll start, and he’s been practicing. It’s not like he hasn’t been practicing."

On what happens this week with Michael Turner:
"You know, we’re still evaluating Chester. If we don’t think Chester can play full speed, we’d keep Turner where he was. If we think Chester’s fine, then Turner would get work at tackle like he was getting before, rotating them around. And maybe even rotating him with Chester. It might be wise to do that some, because I don’t know if Chester can play the whole game full-speed, even if he’s in there."

On how Turner played last week at guard:
"He played good. He’s a good football player. I think guard is more of his natural position. He might be the only guy that could play center, guard and tackle for us."

On whether he gets hit up for a lot of tickets for the Georgia-Florida game:
"I’ve no idea. Kathryn handles it. She’s been handling tickets since I became head coach. I’ll get a call once in awhile and I’ll have to ask Kathryn what the heck’s going on. I did have one guy I was working hard to help, one of those guys that called at the last second, and the day before some came available, he got them someplace else. He called and said he was good and we were ready to call and say we had a couple."

Tuesday notes

Today wasn't terribly action-packed.
Injury situation is about the same. Chester Adams (ankle), Nick Jones (knee), Martrez Milner (toe), Ramarcus Brown (hamstring) and Mikey Henderson ("perfectly healthy") all practiced in green. In what I saw of practice, those guys weren't doing everything, which is to be expected. They're almost certainly going to take it as easy as possible on Nick and Chester, considering the depth problems at offensive line. I think all of them will play except Martrez. He might dress out, but if he's able to play, it will be very little.

Because backup kicker Ben Wilson (knee) is still injured, punter Gordon Ely-Kelso kicked some field goals with Andy Bailey during special teams practice. I doubt Gordon's done much kicking since high school, but I was pretty impressed. I didn't keep an official count, but I thought he was at least as accurate as Bailey, if not moreso. He even hit one from 50 yards against a light rush. It sounds like he's only getting work in an emergency capacity, but my completely unprofessional opinion was that he did a pretty good job.

I talked to Charles Johnson, Bryan Evans, Tripp Chandler, Brannan Southerland, Tra Battle, Paul Oliver, Tony Taylor, John Jancek and Kenneth Harris today about a variety of things. Those Tuesday media sessions are super helpful. Most of them were for specific stories, so I don't know how interesting those comments would be. But I'll drop a couple extra quotes in if you want to read them:

Paul Oliver, on whether they've got a chip on their shoulder going into this game:
"Aggravated, I think that’s a good word. I don’t think too many people are gonna let it get to them. Everybody wants to focus on playing Florida."

"It feels like it because everything’s been so up-and-down this year. It’s got grounds to say something like that. At the same time, we’re the defending SEC champs, we’ve got a lot of good players here. Believe it or not, we’re still playing hard."

Tra Battle, on being a big underdog this week:
"This is one new experience that we have to face this week. Hopefully we come out successful and prove the naysayers wrong. It is a little bit different, but I can’t say I’m disappointed in it."

Kenneth Harris, on Stafford's play at QB:
"In my eyes, he’s doing great – just the way he keeps his poise and confidence, and the way he’s been leading our team, and just not really getting down on himself. If he makes a mistake, he comes back and makes a beautiful throw. He’s been real good."

Tripp Chandler, on the Georgia-Florida series:
"All that stuff’s in the past, that whole record. Obviously each year we want to come in and get a win against Florida, but we can’t do anything about those past teams. We’re just gonna try to start 0-0 right now. Obviously this is a huge game for us, having two losses, but we’re gonna prepare like any week."

On playing his first game as the top tight end:
"I was nervous coming into the game. Trez, he supports us. He was there for me even when he was hurt. But not having him in pads, and having him to talk to and have on the field, that was a huge loss. I was obviously nervous, but I went out there and played really hard and I feel like I really helped the team."

Chandler, on how he thought he blocked:
"We watched film and there’s obviously things I need to work on, but I thought for the most part my blocking was good. But there’s always something you can work on."

Chandler, on how Martrez Milner looked in Monday's practice:
"He looked OK, but he’s in a lot of pain. He just wants to get back to help the team. He knows this is a big week. I’m sure he wants to get back out there, but whether he’s ready or not, that’s for coach Richt and our trainers to assess."

Charles Johnson, on Georgia-Florida:
"It always comes down to a close game. A mistake here and a mistake there, anything can cost you the game. We have to hit on all cylinders to win the game."

Richt Tuesday press conference quotes

This is some of what coach Richt had to say at the press conference today. Didn't transcribe the entire thing because, frankly, I found some of it completely uninteresting. This is probably about 80 percent of it, though:

It’s gonna be one heck of a challenge for us. Offensively, they’ve got a whole lot of weapons. A senior group of wide receivers – Baker and Cornelius are seniors. Caldwell’s a junior, but he’s certainly been playing like a senior as of late. They’ve got a young kid in there named Harvin who can create all kinds of problems as a receiver or as a runner. They have a nice little package for him.

On DeShawn Wynn:
I think he’s in a lot better shape than he was a year ago. You can see it in how he plays and his stamina and his ability to make people miss and break tackles.

On the QBs:
A great 1-2 punch. You’ve got a veteran in Leak who’s played an awful lot of football – four-year starter, two years in the system, outstanding passer – and then a guy who comes in with a whole different style of play, Tebow, and his physical ability to run the ball. Of course, he’s a great passer too. He’s not been given many opportunities to throw the ball. When he has, he’s probably thrown a touchdown just about every time he’s thrown the ball. They’re a very difficult bunch to defend.

We’ve gone into every game believing we can win and I don’t think that’s gonna change. We’re studying film like always, we’re trying to see where we might be able to penetrate a little bit offensively, where we can create a little grief defensively. Our special teams schemes are ones we believe will be sound and give us a chance, and our players have got to rise to the occasion. I don’t know how to continue to get better and to try to rest them at this point of the season. I guess we’re going into game nine in a row, so I can’t sit here and say we’re a fresh football team right now because we’re not. We’re gonna do the best we can to give them rest when we can. I think not having school Thursday and Friday will probably help us to a certain degree right at the end, if they can get a little more rest. We’ll set their schedule where they can get a little more sleep. Hopefully that’ll give them a little juice at the end. Adrenaline’s gonna play a big part in this game and we’re gonna have to have a lot of adrenaline, our fans are gonna have to be the 12^th man and get our guys revved up to play.

Have you detected fatigue on film?
I’ve detected fatigue in practice. We’re tired, I can see that we’re tired. Our guys are doing their best to suck it up. When you get a few injuries on top of it like we have, it tends to strain your special teams. It puts a strain on them, so now you’re either taking some kids who were second or third team on your special teams or you’re pulling guys off your starting lineups, offense and defense, to play those special teams. Either way, it’s just getting thin. There’s not enough guys, even during the course of the ballgame to keep everybody fresh. The guys are just gonna have to suck it up on some of these special teams and go whether they really feel like they can go full-speed or not. That’s about where we are.

Change in rotation at receiver?
Goodman’s been playing good and of course Mohamed did get the ball knocked out one time. That’s part of it. But Goodman really has played well this season. He’s gotten progressively better and that was one of his better games. Even some of the catches he made, there were a couple right on the sideline where I could see they weren’t the easiest catches, but he made them look easy. He looked like a natural out there this last ballgame and he’s practiced well.

We’ve got guys that can make the plays, they’ve just got to make ‘em, and when they do, they’ve got to hold onto it. Mohamed Massaquoi made some unbelievable catches, I thought, in the Tennessee game to start out in the first half. He’s capable. He’s gonna continue to play. We’re not just gonna keep him out of the lineup.

Has team underachieved?
I definitely know we’ve not played to our full potential. I definitely know that. But potential means you hadn’t done it yet. It means you haven’t done it. We need guys to do it, we need them to do it on a consistent basis. It’s been a bit more of a consistent effort than anything else. At times you could take any one of our receivers and say, ‘Man, look at that play,’ or safeties making tackles, or linebacking corps or whatever, or special teams at time have done just a tremendous job, but we’ve not done it on a consistent basis enough to really be a legitimate contender in this league right now. Statistically, we’re not out of the race by any means, but this is the crucial game of all.

Is it one area or something different each week?
I think it’s just been across the board. I can not think of one segment on our football team that has really played at a real high level the entire time.

Easier to play this game as big underdog?
I don’t know how much attention our guys pay to what’s going on around them. I really don’t. For myself personally, I know there’s things going on out there. I’m not specifically sitting there harping on them or reading it or listening to it. Mainly you just don’t have time to. I think our coaches have probably gone 80-something days in a row without a day off – days that are grinding days, days that are full of film study and decisions that are being made. I know as coaches, our nose is truly to the grindstone and we’re just working. We’re preparing just as hard as if we were undefeated or hadn’t won a game. I don’t think the coaching staff’s gonna change how we go about with our work ethic and our awareness of what’s happening around us. But the players, I don’t know how much they pay attention to it. I don’t know if it’s an advantage or a disadvantage. I think they know when they show up to work, they’re gonna work. We’re gonna have a plan for them, they’ve got to learn it, they’ve got to prepare for it. And the best chance for us to have success is for them to focus on their job, their responsibility, rather than what’s going on around them.

On third-quarter meltdowns:
I can’t sit here and say that we’ve done anything differently in the third quarter that we weren’t trying to accomplish in the first and second quarter. I guess as fate would have it, that’s what’s happened, but I would say it’s more of a coincidence than anything else. I don’t see us saying OK this is the second-half game plan that’s so drastically different than the first.

Does it make you think about kicking off to start the second half instead of the first?
If we lost the coin toss and they deferred, it wouldn’t bother me. I guess we could take the ball first if we won, just so the second half we wouldn’t get it. But you’re hoping to gain momentum by having the ball in the third quarter. We’ve done nothing but lose it. A lot of it has started – I don’t know where all those drives started, but a lot of them started inside the 15, inside the 10.

Did Kenneth do enough to start and is A.J. healthy?
A.J. is not 100 percent healthy right now and by the time the week’s over well have a lot better feel. I think Kenneth definitely earned himself a lot more playing time, that’s for sure. Whether or not he’ll start, I don’t know.

How much is losing against Florida an issue?
This year the record hasn’t been as much of a discussion point as far as I know. The discussion point is can we come off the mat and play good enough to win this ballgame. That seems to be more of the discussion point than the overall record.

Does the four-receiver offense help Matthew and let him read the defense more easily?
Defenses define themselves a little bit better when you spread them out. You see less things when you spread them out. I felt like last week was worth getting into those sets. I thought it was a way to get Mikey Henderson involved a little bit more at that slot receiver, replacing where Martrez was. That was part of the reasoning of doing it. I knew that he’d done a lot of that in high school. I wanted him to gain some momentum as a starter, and by spreading the field a little bit and letting him throw a little bit, I thought it would be a way to help him grow. And I think it did. I would’ve hoped for less turnovers, but again that’s part of the learning process and now we can see how ………. (couldn't tell what he said)

On facing Florida’s offense vs. what Florida did against UGA last year:
We’re still working on it. They still have a lot more element of power football. You’ve got DeShawn Wynn, who’s a 238-pound back, you’ve got their 230-pound fullback who plays an awful lot. Their tight end plays a good bit. It’s not like it’s just a four-receiver set down after down. They still have some elements of maybe a little of the power game they went to a year ago. It’s still there.

Expect to see more of Tebow and Harvin than against Auburn?
With this much time to plan, I don’t think there’s any doubt they’ll have an outstanding plan for Harvin and for Tebow. They have all along. Sometimes you put a package in for a kid and you may call them and then you may run out of them because you don’t have that many. Or maybe the situation that you wanted to use that young man in never showed up again. I’ve been through that before. When I was at Florida State, one time we used four quarterbacks in the first half of a game or something like that. Each guy had a little different deal. One guy was gonna run the sneak, one guy was gonna run QB belly and one guy was gonna run more of a spread sweep play. Then the other guy was the quarterback. We were gonna use these plays. If it was less than a yard, one guy was gonna go in there, if it was third-and-2, another guy was gonna go in and if it was in the red zone, another guy was gonna go in. So those things just happened. I think it was the first drive, all those situations came up in that first drive, so we used the guys that we planned for. Maybe we didn’t use them the rest of the game, but it was some kind of miracle. It wasn’t really that big of a deal.

On the injured guys:
Martrez practiced yesterday. He’s a little sore, but my guess is he’ll play.
Chester practiced yesterday and came out of it pretty good, but we didn’t do anything physical. Today we’ve got some pads on and he’ll have a lot more resistance and we’ll see how he handles that.
Ramarcus got a little work. It’s still kind of touch-and-go with him, so I’m not sure.
Mikey’s OK. Mikey practiced.

Tight end decision based completely on Martrez’s health?
Yeah, if he’s healthy, he’ll start.

On Florida’s bye weeks before Georgia:
Bye weeks are very helpful. It helps you rest, it helps you get healthy, it helps you plan. We don’t have that luxury this year. Next year we’ll have it for the first time in a long time. I’m not sure that’s gonna help us. Who knows where we’ll be at that point a year from now. But it helps, no doubt, it helps. You’ve still got to play the game. I mean, we’ve had open dates against teams and I can say it made a big difference and against some where we decided to put too much in and maybe strayed off the path a little too far. When you have a lot of time, sometimes you get more and more ideas and before you know it, you’re putting in too much. I’ve been guilty of that once or twice over the years. I’d much rather have an open date if you’re asking me that.

What’s impressive about how they’ve used Tebow?
I think the impressive thing is the kid himself is very physical. You can tell he loves to play the game. The role he’s playing is exciting to him and he’s excited to help the team win in whatever role it could be. Some guys might say my redshirt year was used to run a couple red-zone plays, maybe a handful a game or whatever, and some guys may not think that’s worthy of being used for the entire season. But he seems to have the attitude that this is awesome, he loves it and he loves helping the team win.

On Georgia’s defensive lapses:
We have a tendency to play certain coverages, which has probably helped some people plan and hit some underneath stuff. We probably blitz a whole lot more than people realize. I’m not sitting here saying that we blitz an all-out blitz where we’re locked up in press-man or we’re locked up in man coverage with no safety help and we’re gonna guarantee we’re gonna bring one more guy than they can block. That hasn’t been our mode of operation and I’m not saying we’re gonna do it like that. I think when we were winning and we had two shutouts in a row, I didn’t really hear much complaints about how we were playing defense. We haven’t really changed it an awful lot from then till now.

Has having the young cornerbacks maybe changed the way you defend?
There’s a little bit of that involved in there. When you’ve got young, inexperienced guys in there, they tend to get picked on a little bit. Last year with Paul Oliver and two kids that are in the NFL right now, we had a little more leeway to just lock up on folks.

Florida press conference quote sheet

This is the Florida sports information's Monday press conference release with quotes from some Gator notables:

Monday Press Conference
October 23, 2006

Head Coach Urban Meyer
Opening Statement:
“I am really anxious to coach in my second Florida/Georgia Game, in a great city, a great environment. I recruit very heavily there and more importantly a battle for SEC East first place.”

On Tim Tebow and Pervy Harvin’s involvement in the Georgia game:
“We’ll see how they go in practice. I think Percy Harvin is as healthy as he has been since prior to Tennessee. He played well against Auburn. He’s certainly a guy who when he touches the ball, good things happen and I think we’ll evaluate Tim as we keep going this week.”

On the rivalry with Georgia:
“We are one of the unique schools that have three of them. What I see is a team that is really looking forward to playing in that environment. I know they have great respect for the team we are playing against because they have had a lot success especially the last few years. The uniqueness of this rivalry is the environment, neutral site and 50/50 split.”

On Andre Caldwell’s improvement this season:
“He’s a much more aggressive player than he’s ever been here. I noticed the same thing about two weeks ago. He played very well against Auburn but he wasn’t like that early in the year. It’s because he had a real tough injury but Andre’s a tough guy and he’s playing his best football he’s ever played here.”

On Chris Leak against Georgia:
“That’s our plan and that’s really been our plan all year. Surely we are going to do anything we need to do to have success but that’s the plan. There’s no question. He has had success in this game. He knows this game. We expect him to play very well in this game.”

On overconfidence:
“I don’t think so. I don’t worry about the players, I worry about what is being said when they are away from us. We aren’t very good ourselves and we played our worst game of the year two weeks ago. So we’ve got a lot of work to do ourselves. We were blown out, beat up, and we didn’t play very well. So you are asking me if we are overconfident. There is no chance at this point. We just have to have a good week of practice.”

On the players that need to step up:
“On offense the thing that has been a little disappointing is the 45 plays and three possessions in the first half. Last year we went into this game with a problem. Who do we get the ball to? We were banged up at tailback. We had a little bit of a different issue a year ago. We have an issue this year where we want to make sure the playmakers are touching the ball.”

On this being a unique rivalry:
“Well I think it’s unique and more than anything you just appreciate the fact that you get to coach in it but that doesn’t change the way that you call the game or work the game. We’re just trying to get first downs and play great defense but our staff really enjoy coaching in this game.”
On philosophy of playing freshmen:
“In realty I don’t see Texas or probably USC playing that many freshmen at this point and maybe Ohio State, I don’t know that. I’ve watched them recruit the last four or five years and there’s a lot of continuity. You shouldn’t have to do that. We’ve had a lot of transition, we’ve had issues, we’ve had things happen. I want to say we play 15 freshmen. That shouldn’t happen. You should play five or six premier players and get them involved.”

On game planning around certain players:
“The thing of it is about game planning around this one player is if he sprains his ankle in the second series of the game, you have a little problem. The good thing is I think we are developing enough depth now where you have guys like Percy Harvin, Andre Caldwell, Jarred Fayson you can kind of hand it to them throw it to them. It’s not as risky now because we have a little bit of depth.”

On third down defense:
“We’re keeping them out of the endzone and the number one thing is scoring. The second thing is and we have had a discussion about this, one of our strengths is going after punts and I think we have a good punt returner. We’ve done a decent job at times of keeping teams pinned down there after a punt or after a kick off and all of sudden three first downs and they’re at midfield and you’re in punt safe.”

On the possible loss of confidence on the defensive side of the ball:
“I don’t think so. We played a pretty good offensive team in Auburn. I think we intended to keep them out of the endzone. I think our corners were beat up, I know Ryan Smith was and we weren’t getting a pass rush on the guy. We aren’t going to change what we do. We are playing good on defense.”

On Percy Harvin’s role in the backfield:
“The real reason is Percy is a really good player. He’s extremely fast, every time he touches it he averages about 15 yards a carry, he’s tough, he has pretty decent ball security. There are a lot of reasons why you do something like that. I would say that DeShawn was 75-80% last week and Kestahn Moore is battling through some injuries. The tailbacks right now are not getting the run after the contact. Our tailbacks are getting whatever is blocked and then tackled. The first guy rarely brings Percy Harvin down and that’s what you look for.”

Co-Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison

On defensive end Derrick Harvey…
“Derrick (Harvey) is just doing what you would expect any young guy to do through our program. I saw that happening in the spring. You saw him being more consistent. One thing Derrick has done that is a great example to all football players is that he practices extremely hard. He goes at the box position to rotate at times. He goes at the end position and never misses a beat - he goes really, really hard. I think that shows how he has been playing in games, too, and that is what has to happen.

“He is playing his technique well. He is not a real big kid. He is 250 pounds and he is playing over 300-pound offensive tackles. He has held his own in there, and he has really given us a bonus in the run to be able to get Ray (McDonald) out of there at times and also allow him to go in and play the run. He is really valuable to us because he can play of Jarvis, also. He has been a really valuable part of our defense.”

On a possible lack of confidence by the defense after the loss at Auburn…
“I think one thing we addressed is maybe we have to play a lot harder all the time. Sometimes, what happens with your defense, is things are going pretty good and then you get a team like Auburn that runs the football. They did a good job of scheming us. They saw who our really strong football players were and they blocked down on them, and they kind of sealed our guys. They sealed Marcus (Thomas) and they sealed Ray (McDonald) and kind of put it in a one-on-one game out there with different people. It is something that we have had to address and something that we have had to adjust to. I think more credit goes to Auburn and the scheme they run. We probably faced the best running backs we have seen this year. So, it was a combination of a number of those things.”

Chris Leak #12
On the Florida vs. Georgia game atmosphere…
“Going to the game is an experience like no other. The atmosphere that is created by the fans and by both teams is exciting. You get really excited for your family because you know how much they are going to enjoy the atmosphere. It’s going to be a fun time for both teams and all of our families that are going to be there.”

On Georgia…
“They have an excellent coached team. Coach Richt is a great coach and doing a great job with those guys. They are a disciplined team. They’ve won big games on the road. They are going to be ready to play. They have great players that are going to be ready to play.”

On the bye week…
“During the bye week we focused on getting treatment and getting in the training room as much as possible. That’s the advantage of the bye week, to get guys healthy and to get some rest, and being able to get refocused for a big game. We were also able to have an extra week to get into the film room and watch our opponent and have a better understanding of what we will be doing for our game plan.”

On the offense…
“It’s very important offensively to be balanced in running and passing. Just keep the defense on their heals. That’s one thing that we definitely focus on to get the ball to our best guys and letting them make plays. That’s a big part of this offense to involve the play makers.”

On Percy Harvin…
“You just give him the ball and let him use his god given ability. He reminds me a lot of the Redskins’ Antwaan Randle El, he’s a dynamic player, he’s going to make great plays when we give him the ball. He just has a god given ability to know how to run the ball and run routes. He’s definitely a player that we want to use a lot.”

On using the top receivers…
“That’s a part of it. To get the ball in the right hands of the guys that are going to make plays. You also want to keep a balance and spread the ball around to as many guys as possible to keep the defense from keying on guys and that’s an advantage for us offensively. Through the course of the game you can plan to get the ball to a certain guy but during the game you never really know how it is going to pan out. You never know what the defense is going to throw at you. You can try to create plays to get the ball to certain guys but during the course of the game you just have to adjust to what’s going on in the game.”

On playing Georgia…
“Playing against Georgia we know that they are going to be ready. We know that they are a well coached team and that they get up. They are a big team in the SEC and we just need to make sure we are ready to play.”

On the offense…
“You have to be able to mix things up. Be able to move in the pocket against teams with a great defensive line. I think that is important as far as staying balanced on offense. Being able to move in the pocket is very important and to be able to get the ball out quick. That’s one thing we need to make sure that we keep doing especially against great defensive lines.”

On the underclassmen…
“Going through the spring and the off season with the two-a-days these guys worked a tremendous amount with the coaches. I’m really proud of these guys, they are young guys but they know what to expect now. Going through the season and getting the experience under them has really helped them out as far as how to protect and how guys are going to rush.”

On the Florida vs. Georgia rivalry…
“It’s a very emotional game for us players, just the atmosphere. It’s going to be a very exciting time for us players. We have a lot of Jacksonville guys on this team. It’s a game that you really enjoy playing, how the crowd is split in half, you just don’t see that in college football.”

On Georgia…
“I think preparation will help and being confident in myself. Obviously the guys around me playing real well will be a key factor. Just mixing it up and keeping the defense guessing.”

On playing big games as a freshman quarterback…
“I’ve played the game as a true freshman. When you are going up against great teams like Georgia you want to make sure you don’t put your team in a bad position. Just do a great job of managing the game. You have to make sure that when the opportunity presents itself you make that play and take advantage of it. As a young guy you have to try to maintain the best you can, make sure you don’t force things.”

On Georgia’s defense…
“They have very talented defensive ends. I think (Quentin) Moses is one of their best guys. He’s had a bunch of sacks and a bunch of hurries. That’s just a mark of an SEC defensive line, big guys with speed. That’s something we obviously need to prepare for.”

On being a Senior…
“I guess when you are preparing for a team every week you don’t really have time to sit back and think about how this is your last year. As a senior I guess it doesn’t really hit you until those last couple games. I’m just going into this game as it is my last game, you have to approach every game like that because you never know what can happen during the course of the game. You just have to take each game one by one. That’s how you maintain focus and maintain leadership in order to win.”

Unposted Monday notebook

My Monday practice notebook didn't make it online today, so here it is...

ATHENS, Ga. – The first drive of the second half has been nothing short of disastrous for Georgia, often killing any momentum the Bulldogs created just before halftime.
In their last seven games, the Bulldogs have started at their own 20-yard line or inside five times, including inside their own 11 in each of the last three games.
Of those five series, four ended in turnovers and the other ended with a punt.
“I don’t know why we can’t get out of the gate in the second half. We’ve got to get it straightened out. We stressed it,” coach Mark Richt said after last Saturday’s win over Mississippi State.
The poor field position has often started with mishaps on the third-quarter kickoff return. Penalties on the return in the last two games caused Georgia to open at its 8 and 11-yard lines against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. The previous week against Tennessee, Thomas Brown stumbled while returning the kickoff and went down at his own 6.
The Bulldogs compounded the field-position problems by turning the ball over early in those drives. Joe Tereshinski threw an interception on the first series against Tennessee and Kregg Lumpkin fumbled the ball away on the first series against Vanderbilt – both turnovers leading to opponents’ touchdowns. Even last week against Mississippi State, when Georgia was forced to punt from its own end zone on the first drive of the half, the visitors wound up with great field position after a long punt return.
Georgia wound up scrambling for the remainder of the game each week.
“That’s the last thing I was ranting and raving about right before we went out on the field,” Richt said, “and sure enough we gave momentum right back to them and had to fight for our lives.”
Good starting field position to begin the half has helped avoid those problems, and could be a huge factor when Georgia takes on ninth-ranked Florida on Saturday.
The Bulldogs have scored on their first drive of the second half three times this year. Those drives started at Georgia’s 44, 34 and 46-yard line.

Depth chart changes
Demiko Goodman and Kenneth Harris lined up as the starting receivers when practice started Monday, signaling a possible change in the starting lineup.
Goodman was backed up by Mohamed Massaquoi, who started last week but lost a fumble and dropped two passes, the second of which resulted in him being loudly booed by the Sanford Stadium crowd. Harris said he does not expect to start ahead of A.J. Bryant, who started against Mississippi State, but Bryant did not practice Monday and has been slowed by chronic groin problems.
Defensive tackle Kade Weston lined up with the starters Monday, replacing Ray Gant, who started against Mississippi State. Gant injured his back in the game, but practiced on Monday.

Injury update
Several injured Bulldogs returned to practice in green no-contact jerseys on Monday, including tight end Martrez Milner (toe), offensive guard Chester Adams (ankle) and cornerback Ramarcus Brown (hamstring).
Brown and Adams are probable to play, while Milner remains a bit more questionable.
Brown said his hamstring felt “pretty good,” but he held back from going full speed in Monday’s chilly 90-minute workout.
“Unless I have any setbacks with the hamstring, I think I’ll be able to play (Saturday),” he said.
Adams said he will play Saturday – moving Michael Turner back from guard, where he started in Adams’ place last weekend, to his traditional spot as a backup tackle – but doesn’t expect to do much hitting in practice this week.
“(The ankle) is a little stiff, but it feels fine,” Adams said.
Center Nick Jones (MCL sprain) wasn’t sure he’d be able to play against Mississippi State this time last week after injuring his left knee against Vanderbilt. But he played every down in the game, although he estimated he was able to play at only “about 70 percent” of his physical capability.
“I was limited as far as mobility, and strength-wise, I was kinda limited,” Jones said, adding he expects to play at about 90 percent against Florida.
Punt returner Mikey Henderson practiced in a green jersey Monday, but said there was nothing physically wrong with him.
Freshman linebacker Darius Dewberry (hamstring) did not practice Monday and is doubtful for Florida.

Quick hits
Stafford was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday after completing 20 of 32 passes for 267 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions against Mississippi State. Stafford is the second Georgia quarterback to receive that honor this year, after Joe Cox previously won the award when he led the Bulldogs to a comeback win over Colorado. … Georgia’s Nov. 4 game at Kentucky will not be carried on live TV, either by a network or on pay-per-view. It will kick off at 1 p.m. … Georgia’s captains Saturday will be center Nick Jones, offensive tackle Dan Inman, defensive end Quentin Moses and linebacker Tony Taylor.

Monday practice report + QB stats

Man I hate cold weather. It's miserable outside. The constitution of a boy from south Alabama doesn't have much tolerance for this. So I wanted to be outside for as short a time as possible today. And apparently the coaches agreed, because today's practice was fairly short -- just 90 minutes or so.

The main thing after practice was talking to the injured guys about where they stand for Saturday's Florida game. Here's a breakdown:
* OG Chester Adams says his sprained ankle is a little stiff, but he should be OK for Saturday. That moves Michael Turner back to the three-man rotation at tackle.
* CB Ramarcus Brown says his hamstring should be healed by Saturday. He said he didn't try to go at full-speed today and doubts he'll work with the kickoff return team this week, but he thinks he'll be OK to play corner.
* TE Martrez Milner is more questionable than the other two. Whether he plays will probably be decided late in the week, possibly even Saturday.

All three guys lined up as the starter today, so obviously the coaching staff has hopes of all three being able to play. The only one I'm hesitant to say will play is Milner.

C Nick Jones, who practiced in green, said he felt like he was about 70 percent Saturday against Mississippi State and that his mobility and strength were pretty limited -- and yet he played every offensive play. He thinks he'll be 90 to 100 percent for Florida. For those who lament how Georgia doesn't have any leadership, Nick seems to be a pretty good one. By all accounts a great kid and just a gutsy, nasty player.

WR/PR Mikey Henderson was in green today, but when we asked him about it after practice, he said there was nothing physically wrong with him. That was a bit strange. It could have been precautionary, as he's had hamstring issues this year, but he insisted there was nothing wrong with him. He did say he was concerned about today's cold weather because it would take him longer to get that hamstring warm.

Also, LB Darius Dewberry (hamstring -- he's doubtful for Florida) and WR A.J. Bryant were not at practice today. I'm not sure what the story is with A.J., except that he's had groin issues for much of the season. Coach Richt isn't available after Monday practices, so we'll have to find out what the deal is tomorrow at the press conference. Kenneth Harris lined up as the starter at flanker today, but he said after practice that he still considers A.J. the starter.

Speaking of receiver, it was interesting to see that Kenneth Harris and Michael Moore lined up as the top two at flanker and Demiko Goodman lined up ahead of Mohamed Massaquoi at split end. Massaquoi's been slumping this year, so I guess they're just trying to work Demiko in and see what he does. By the way, Georgia fans should be terribly ashamed of the way Massaquoi was booed after dropping a pass and then cheered when he was taken out shortly thereafter. Not to get into another "Georgia has crappy fans" debate, but man...and this is a kid that actually caught a touchdown pass earlier in the very same game. Enough about that. I'm sure there are plenty of places to debate that issue elsewhere, so go there to do that. I'm not interested in your reasoning behind booing a 19-year-old kid, booers.

Last thing, I was working on a story today and I tracked every drive -- minus ones at the end of a half that didn't complete -- mostly to see how effective Stafford has been thus far. Since I was doing it, I went ahead and tracked the other QBs' drives as well. Here's some of the results:
* Stafford has quarterbacked 52 drives -- They ended with 11 touchdowns, five field goals, 21 punts, one safety, seven interceptions, four fumbles, two missed field goals and a turnover on downs. So in those 52 drives, Georgia has scored 16 times (31 percent).
* Tereshinski has quarterbacked 23 drives -- ending with five touchdowns, seven field goals, two interceptions, two fumbles and seven punts. So Georgia scored on 12 of 23 drives (52 percent).
* Cox led 11 drives -- ending with four touchdowns, four punts, two turnovers on downs and an interception. So Georgia scored on four of 11 drives (36 percent).

Don't get me wrong, though, Stafford's getting better. He led the team on four touchdown drives against Mississippi State, which was the most they've had in a game since five against Western Kentucky in the opener. Joe T was by far the most efficient at putting points on the board, but you've got to put the ball in the end zone to beat some of these teams that are upcoming, and it appears the coaches think Stafford is the guy who gives them the best chance to do that. I think that's probably the case. The problem is that he's also been the most likely to throw a boneheaded pick and give the other team easy points. It's going to get better with him, though. Might as well start moving in that direction now, I guess.

In tracking those drives, I came across some other stuff that I used for my notebook tomorrow. I knew Georgia had been bad on its first drive of the second half this year, but holy cow, they've been pretty awful.
* In eight games, Georgia has started at its own 20 or worse five times -- the 15 against South Carolina, the 20 against Colorado, the 6 against Tennessee, the 11 against Vanderbilt, the 8 against Mississippi State.
* Out of those five series, four resulted in bad turnovers -- interception against South Carolina (Georgia got ball back on Blake Mitchell fumble), Stafford fumble against Colorado (Colorado turned it into a FG), interception against Tennessee (Vols turned it into TD), Lumpkin fumble against Vandy (Vandy turned it into a TD). Even the fifth possession, a punt against Mississippi State, put the defense in a terrible position. Derek Pegues returned it deep into UGA territory and it took a fluke interception by Tony Taylor at Georgia's 5 to keep MSU out of the end zone. Of course, a Stafford interception on the next play gave the ball right back and MSU turned that into a TD.
* Here's another interesting angle to that first drive of the second half thing. On the three drives this year where they've started past their 20, Georgia has scored on all three. Thomas Brown returned a kickoff to the 46 against Ole Miss and they scored a TD. Brown returned a kickoff to the 34 against UAB and they kicked a FG. A bad punt gave Georgia the ball at its 44 against Western Kentucky, and they got a FG out of it.
* The point of all this? They've given away momentum right off the bat almost all year. If they're still in the game at halftime against Florida, I'll be very interested to see what Georgia does on its first drive of the second half -- and if it makes as big a difference in that game as it has in some of the recent ones.

That's way too much statistical stuff. Sorry if you now have a headache. I should probably get a life. Maybe meet a nice girl. Let me know if you have any suggestions on that...

Apparent lineup changes

First-team offense line: Kenneth Harris, Demiko Goodman, Martrez Milner (in green), Ken Shackleford, Fernando Velasco, Nick Jones (in green), Chester Adams (in green), Dan Inman, Brannan Southerland, Kregg Lumpkin, Matthew Stafford

First-team defense line: Charles Johnson, Quentin Moses, Kade Weston, Jeff Owens, Brandon Miller, Jarvis Jackson, Tony Taylor, Tra Battle, Kelin Johnson, Ramarcus Brown (in green), Paul Oliver

Top four receivers in line were, at flanker, Kenneth Harris and Michael Moore, and, at split end, Demiko Goodman and Mohamed Massaquoi. Mikey Henderson stretched at third-string and was also wearing a green no-contact jersey.

A.J. Bryant was not there at the start of practice, nor was Dewberry. If I recall correctly from last week, A.J. has a class conflict at the start of Monday practice...

Embarrassing moment, I was thrown off when I looked and saw No. 75 (Velasco's number) lined up at tackle and No. 79 (Shackleford's) lined up at guard while they were stretching. I went over to Josh Kendall from Macon and asked him if there was anything to that...which is when he informed me that they had just traded jerseys and were lined up in their normal places. I hadn't bothered to actually look at their faces, just the numbers. At least I went and asked Josh about it and didn't request Shackleford or Velasco and ask them about switching positions. the tricksters...

No live TV for UGA-Kentucky, Stafford award

For the second time in three weeks, Georgia's game against Kentucky on Nov. 4 will not be carried live on TV, either by a network broadcast or by pay-per-view. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m.

Also, QB Matthew Stafford was named the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Week for his performance against Mississippi State. He went 20-for-32 passing for 267 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Stafford is the second Georgia QB to win that award this season, after Joe Cox won it for leading the fourth-quarter comeback against Colorado.

Master Coaches Poll 10/22

Georgia fell out of the Master Coaches Poll this week and Tech very nearly did as well, dropping to 24 after that whipping the Jackets took at Clemson.

You can read more on the poll here.

Master Coaches Poll

• 1. Ohio State (16)
• 2. Michigan
• 3. Southern Cal
• 4. West Virginia
• 5. Texas
• 6. Auburn
• 7. Louisville
• 8. Florida
• 9. Tennessee
• 10. California
• 11. Clemson
• 12. Notre Dame
• 13. LSU
• 14. Arkansas
• 15. Wisconsin
• 16. Rutgers
• 17. Boston College
• 18. Boise State
• 19. Nebraska
• 20. Oklahoma
• 21. Texas A&M
• 22. Missouri
• 23. Oregon
• 24. (tie) Wake Forest
• 24. (tie) Georgia Tech

Other teams receiving votes ... Georgia, Virginia Tech, Iowa, South Carolina, Tulsa, Texas Tech

Teams falling out of the poll this week ... Georgia, Iowa

Sunday injury update

Nothing too earth-shattering from the Sunday teleconference. I figured I'd give an update on the injury situation. At this point, the only player coach Richt said was doubtful is linebacker Darius Dewberry (hamstring), of whom Richt said, "It doesn't look too good." CB Asher Allen (hip) and DT Ray Gant (back) were both shaken up Saturday, but played through it. Richt said they were a little sore today, but should play. I talked to Asher after the game and he said he's OK. He said C Nick Jones wasn't too sore and didn't have as much swelling in his knee as you'd expect, considering he played every snap with a sprained MCL.

On the starters who missed the Mississippi State game, he said they're still hopeful that OG Chester Adams (ankle), TE Martrez Milner (toe) and CB Ramarcus Brown (hamstring) will be able to play Saturday against Florida, but it's still up in the air. He said it'll probably be Tuesday before they have a very good idea.

BCS Standings, 10/22

1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. USC
4. West Virginia
5. Auburn
6. Florida
7. Texas
8. Louisville
9. Notre Dame
10. California
11. Tennessee
12. Clemson
13. Arkansas
14. Rutgers
15. Boise State
16. LSU
17. Boston College
18. Wisconsin
19. Oklahoma
20. Missouri

Full list

10/21 Postgame player quotes

Georgia defensive end Charles Johnson, who made the play of the game by stripping MSU quarterback Michael Henig on the game's final play and recovering the fumble to keep State from trying the game-tying field goal:
"I tried to go for the strip. I got a hand on the ball and I just luckily picked it up. It was a big-time play. We just wanted to get off the field because you never know if they were gonna score or not. We were just trying to get off the field."

Johnson on the defense's mindset on the final drive:
"I was like, ‘Here we go again, we’ve gotta do something. We just can’t let down.’ Just because they’re driving down the field, it doesn’t mean they’ve gotta score. We just wanted to make a play."

On whether the defensive ends got better pressure than they'd been getting lately:
"I think we got a little bit more pressure than we usually get, but we’ve still got a lot of improvement (to make). We’ve got to go in the film room and see what we did wrong."

I felt bad for Bryan Evans. It was clear quickly that State was going to try to pick on the young guy, since Evans was making his first start in place of Ramarcus Brown. It was a pretty rocky starting debut for the redshirt freshman, who has always been a very agreeable kid every time I've talked to him. I don't know how many times MSU threw his direction, but it seemed like a lot.
"I wasn’t really rattled. I knew I could play the game, I’ve been playing it my whole life. I just tried to come out and play as best I could to help the team win. I kind of figured that they were gonna come at me, being a new starter, but my coaches gave me all the praise trying to build me up, so I think it worked pretty well."

"I think I did OK on my tackling. I let a couple of routes get away from me, but overall I think my performance was OK but not great. I did make a lot of mistakes, just as a DB. Other than that I think I did pretty good."

"If you compare what we’ve done today to what we have to do next week, I’d say we have to work on our fundamentals. Fundamentals prevent the big plays. If everyone’s in the right position, everyone’s doing what they need to do, it’s gonna have to be a great throw and a great route to be successful against great fundamentals. I think that’s what we really need to focus on this week."

Do you think it was fundamental lapses that were the problem today?
"Yeah I do. I think that’s in every game, really, but I think it really showed the last two weeks. Every week’s a new week, so we’re gonna have to start over and try to get better by next week."

Tony Taylor seemed like he was all over the field today. He finished tied with Evans and Jarvis Jackson for a team-high seven tackles, along with a tackle for a 4-yard loss, an interception and a pass breakup:
"It’s a little bit (of momentum from the win), but we can’t ride it too hard. All three phases made a lot of mistakes and we’ve just got to take it as it is going into next week and see if we can keep going."

"We’ve got to go back to work on Monday. It’s definitely not the way you want to win, but it’s something we can build off of."

"As a defense, anytime you’ve got a short field, that’s what you play defense for – for the offense to come out there and all you can do is tell them to bring it. Sometimes they did a great job and sometimes we did a great job. We’ve just got to go out there and keep fighting."

Taylor on his interception, where he said he was simply running in to make a tackle and the ball popped up in the air to him:
"I was trying to keep him out of the end zone and the ball just popped up."

I hope Tripp Chandler winds up being a pretty decent player because he's a very good quote. He made a great play for a 21-yard touchdown catch on a fourth-and-1 play in the second quarter. Apparently Brannan Southerland was open in the flat, but Stafford decided to throw for the end zone. I guess it wasn't a bad move since they scored on the play.

Chandler on the TD play:
"I got on the sidelines and some of the guys were like, ‘The fullback was wide open and all we needed was a first down.’ I don’t know what made Matt throw me the ball since I had man coverage on me, but he just threw that ball up. I guess he has confidence in me. When that ball was in the air and I went and made the play and I fell down and hit my back and looked to the right, I could see the pylon and I knew I’d scored a touchdown. It was a great feeling."

On the play of the tight ends today with Martrez Milner out:
"I think we got the job done. With Trez not being able to play today, it left a huge hole in our offense, a huge void, and I knew I had to go out when the opportunity came."

"I knew the opportunity was gonna come and I just had to make a play or prove to coach that I could be in there. Just to get in there and play was a lot of fun. I really got to feel what it means to be a Bulldog today. It’s a great feeling."

"It was obviously that nuisance of that monkey on our shoulder. We just wanted to get back in the win column. I came from a high school that didn’t win that much, but when I got here – I’ve been here for a year and a half now – we don’t lose at Georgia. Something’s wrong, you just don’t feel right, when you lose. To get back in the win column, it feels like Georgia football again. It feels right. So hopefully we’ll stay there."

Somebody asked Stafford what a kid from Texas knows about the Georgia-Florida rivalry Stafford was 20-for-32 for 267 yards, two touchdowns and three INTs today, by the way:
"Shoot, I know about big rivalries. I grew up as a Florida State fan. I had Florida-Florida State every year, I had Texas-OU right down the road. I know what it’s about, I know rivalry games and I’m sure this one’s got its own little twists to it, but I just know seasons depend on these next five games. You could go 0-for-ever and beat your rival and it’d be a good season."

I thought this was interesting. Stafford said his 32 pass attempts today were the second-most he's thrown in a game -- ever. All he said was that he threw 36 in a game in his sophomore year of high school, so I went looking for details. Sure enough, I found it. He led Highland Park to a 38-28 upset over defending state champion Ennis, completing 26 of 36 passes for 403 yards and three touchdowns. Pretty amazing what you can find on the internets.
"We kind of talked about how we wanted to throw the ball around a bit. It was definitely fun to get out there and toss it around. I think that’s the second-most I’ve ever attempted in a game."

"High school, it was just big play after big play. It didn’t get to (32), to tell you the truth."

"I’m not complaining. I had a good time back there. I felt like we still ran the ball well when we needed to and did a good job overall on offense of making some big plays, which we’d been lacking. It was just fun to get out there."

Stafford, on how tough the last two weeks have been:
"It was pretty tough. We’re not used to it around here and I’m not used to it from where I come from. We all expect to win every week we come out, so it was tough. We’re just happy to be where we’re sitting right now with another victory."

For the second straight week, Tra Battle made a red-zone interception. Wound up not helping as much last week, but today's kept MSU from scoring and led to a Georgia TD. Somebody asked him how much the team's level of play needs to increase before next week:
"I don’t think the level of play has to increase because we’re playing hard, I think the mistakes that we’ve made have to decrease in order to give us a chance for the remainder of the season."

On changes the secondary needs to make:
"We have to stop the big play. When the ball’s in the air, we have to realize that we’re receivers also. If the ball’s in the air, we have to go get it or not allow the receiver to get it."

"That’s not knowing your assignment, that’s just making the play. Playmakers are gonna have to make plays. It was a couple instances out there that some of the big plays that they had, we were in position. We just have to get our hands in there or be physical enough to knock the ball out."

"Being here four years, I’ve seen just about every situation. I’ve been down, I’ve been up. I’ve been in the position where the offense has to make plays like that in order to put themselves back in the game. I wasn’t really saying, ‘Here we go again,’ I was saying, ‘It’s time for us to step up, we have to bow our neck, we can’t let them score. The most we can give up is a field goal. If we give up a field goal, we live to fight another down, but if they get a touchdown, that’s the game.’ Basically all I was saying is give me another chance. As long as it’s not a touchdown, I’ve got another chance and I like my odds. I like our odds."

Kenneth Harris had a big game for Georgia. He had four catches for 106 yards, but perhaps more important than hitting the 100-yard mark was that three of those catches helped Georgia convert on third down. And one of them may have been the offensive play of the game, a third-and-15 play from the Georgia 18, where Stafford drifted back near the Georgia goal line before he hit him with a 34-yard pass to midfield. Harris also made a big third-down catch for 21 yards when Georgia was backed up to its own 10-yard line on its final drive. His receiving yards today nearly doubled his total for the season leading up to today.

Someone asked Harris what the receivers were saying on the sidelines to support Mohamed Massaquoi, who had a tough day with a lost fumble and two dropped passes, before the home crowd cheered when he came out of the game:
"We just go over there and tell him to just erase it out of his mind because you’ve gotta keep looking forward. If you keep looking back on a dropped ball, you’re gonna drop some more. Mohamed’s a great guy. If he drops a ball, he throws it in the back of his mind and goes out there and makes another play. He’s a great receiver – you saw that in the first half with those two catches he had. He’s got to bounce back."

"It feels real good. We’ve been stressing all week that if we catch the ball, we’re gonna score. It feels real good to get the receivers (going) – Demiko had a couple catches, Mikey had a couple catches, Mohamed had some catches and Kris Durham, so I think as a receiving corps we feel good."

"I feel really good about my game this week. I’ve still got a lot to bring. I could run a better route and I could still do a lot of things better, but we’ll just look at the film Monday and see what I can do better."

Maybe Shreveport's not so bad

Well that was something. After watching this team for the last five games, you have to feel like it'll be a mild surprise if Georgia wins more than seven games. Just so sloppy. I'd been hoping for a bowl trip to sunny Florida, kind of like a nice treat after a season of long hours and six-day work weeks. But as our columnist said to me in an e-mail today, I hear the casinos in Shreveport are nice. I'm still holding out hope for a bowl game somewhere warm. That's all I ask...

Somebody said to me that Willie Martinez was coaching for his job there at the end of the game, which I seriously doubt was the case. If you put the blame on Willie Martinez in that game, you seriously don't know what you're talking about. Yes, Henig threw the ball well, but Georgia turned the ball over FIVE times, the most for any UGA team in a game since Quincy Carter's notorious five-interception performance against South Carolina in 2000. If you turn the ball over five times, you don't deserve to win. Three of today's turnovers resulted in 17 MSU points. The offense's being generally horrible bears far more of the responsibility for Georgia playing like crap than the defense's being periodically horrible.

The defense actually dug Georgia out of a couple of holes, only one of which was the defense's making. After Mikey Henderson's fumble gave State the ball at the Georgia 27, Tra Battle came up with an interception at the Georgia 7 and returned it 53 yards to help set up Georgia's first touchdown. After a big Derek Pegues punt return gave MSU the ball at Georgia's 25, Tony Taylor came up with a very fortunate interception that bounced off an MSU receiver's chest at the Georgia 5.

Anyway, I have a ton of stuff left over, so I'll break it up a bit. Here are some, not all, of coach Richt's postgame remarks:

"I told the bowl representatives if they want good TV ratings they’ll take Georgia because we tend to keep ‘em in the stands until the last second."

"We’re an inconsistent football team right now. Some of it has to do with playing a true freshman quarterback, but I was proud of Matthew and how he hung in there the entire ballgame. He’s getting better and better. He’s got to learn not to do a couple things that he did today, but overall I like how he’s progressing. The receivers made more plays, but didn’t hang onto it a couple times. But we had some outstanding plays that were made by our receivers. Defensively, we had our ups and downs there too, but overall when a play needed to be made, a play was made."

"I really feel like there was energy. I feel like there was passion out there. To turn it over five times and still win is always a blessing. It doesn’t happen very often. But I saw some energy, I saw some life and I saw some things that we had really harped on throughout the week. Our seniors, to their credit, did a good job of leading. We had every one of them as a captain this week because I wanted them to be responsible for that energy and that passion. And I’ll tell you something, I thought our fans really did a nice job for us when we needed them to. They kept the excitement up and I want to thank them too."

On Stafford's three interceptions:
"The interceptions bother you, no doubt. One of them was a takeoff, a bomb throw that they made a nice play on. It wasn’t necessarily a bad decision. He probably coulda laid it out there a little bit further. The last pick was one that just, you gotta chalk it up to inexperience. He was throwing it to a spot where he believed his receiver was about to be, and he wasn’t. That one just never shoulda happened. And I’m trying to think of the other one, I can’t think of what happened…"

On second half of last three games:
"It’s started just about every time on a kickoff return. Whether it’s a bobbled catch or a return that didn’t go well that had a penalty tacked onto it – we might have had a penalty every time. I think two out of three we did, anyway. Then you get the ball deep in your territory and you want to get it out of there for sure and we made a couple mistakes down inside there. I don’t know why we can’t get out of the gate in the second half. We’ve got to get it straightened out. We stressed it. That’s the last thing I was ranting and raving about right before we went out on the field, and sure enough we gave momentum right back to them and had to fight for our lives."

Happy with Asher’s decisions on bringing kicks out of end zone?
"When it’s real close, it’s hard. They’re looking up here, trying to see that ball and it’s hard…if you stop and look where you are and then go, you ruin the timing of the return. It’s kind of a feel thing, and if it’s real close, you dang sure don’t want to take a knee on the 1. I’ve seen that happen before. When it’s 2, 3, 4 yards inside there – 2 yards you may come out with it if the timing’s right – but if you’re 3 or 4 yards, we normally would not bring it out."

On play of defensive ends:
"They made a difference in this game and I was thankful for that. I was proud of them for that. I think we would have said that we probably would have gotten more production out of that bunch by now, as far as sacks and all. But I understand there’s more to football than getting sacks. Pressure’s are good and forcing people to throw the ball when they’re uncomfortable when the pocket gets squeezed. I don’t even know if we’ve done that as well as I thought we would at this point. So it’s good to see us pressure better, it’s good to see some tackles for losses and some sacks. I think we had about seven tackles for loss, which was big. I think the D-ends, hopefully they can build on this performance."

On the fourth-and-1 playcall that went for a TD pass to Tripp Chandler:
"I just got tired of punting and kicking field goals. I felt like fourth-and-short, we had a route where a fullback splits out in the flat and the tight end runs a little flag route. If a team is determined to stop the run in that situation, usually it’s the fullback that pops out of there with a fairly easy opportunity for a completion. But I guess Matt didn’t like that good enough and threw it down the field and Tripp just did a great job in coverage making a play. But you know that’s what we’ve been lacking, guys making a play. We had some third-down situations where we needed guys to make a play and whether it was Stafford throwing the ball or some guys making great catches, that third-and-5 that we had when we were very deep in our territory late in the game, we just flat-out had to come out of there and make a play and Kenneth did, Stafford did by doing a good job of moving in the pocket and putting the ball into play where he could make it. Kenneth ran out of his shoe and he coulda slipped and fell down and the game was over, but he did a good job of keeping his feet and making that catch. We just need to make plays. We need to hold onto the football when we do."

On Kenneth’s play:
"From what I remember and recall from the game – I’m just looking here, four catches, 100 yards – I thought he played beautifully, as I was watching him run routes and concentrate on the ball, I thought he did a great job. Mikey had a few and Mohamed had three and Demiko had three. Of course, Mikey and I think it was Mo had the ball knocked out. We’re moving the ball well, I really believe it’s the best way to move the ball against this team, and we just cut a couple drives short because we were not able to hold onto the ball like we need to."

On the four-wide receiver sets…because Stafford likes or because no Milner?
"A little bit of both. I think Stafford kind of grew up in that a little bit, but I think not having Martrez was probably the bigger reason for getting into that when we did, the four-receiver set. It’s really a lot of the same set that you run with Martrez in the game, three receivers and a tight end. Martrez in that set is called a Ted for us and Mikey Henderson is also called a Ted for us and the assignments are really the same. So it’s not like we were inventing a new offense as much as it was a new set and trying to get a guy that we thought would be productive at that Ted position."

Is it just not in your personality to go with two tight ends and pound the run?
"No, we’ve done that before, but I just thought this plan, the four-receiver set would be good to use against them and I thought that Matthew’s a guy that, like I said, he was kind of raised on that. That’s more what he’s used to than going to a two-tight end set and taking the ball every time. He was used to four-receiver sets and five-receiver sets. So I felt like there would be some comfortability factor in that. There was good and bad there, no doubt about it, but I feel like Matthew’s getting better. I feel like this was great experience for him. We’re thankful to get out of it, for him to learn some things without getting beat. He’s our starting quarterback. We’ve gotta get him as ready as we can for the stretch. I feel like that was the best way to do it."

When Massaquoi came off after a drop and the fans cheered, does that bother you?
"I don’t really want to get into that, really. I understand the fans being frustrated and sometimes there’s a kneejerk reaction on something like that. You hate it when any player gets booed. These are kids, they’re college students and they’re not high-paid athletes by any stretch of the imagination and you hate it when that happens. But I’m sure the fans would all say they still love Mohamed Massaquoi, but at that moment in time, they let it out. We still believe in Mohamed. He’s a very good football player. He’s a very young football player, still, just a second-year guy. We’re not gonna give up on Mohamed, we can’t."

And then some other stuff:
"We’re struggling right now. It’s obvious that we’re struggling. We’re gonna have to get better, that’s for sure."

"I’m not sitting here and making excuses for the season. We’re not as good as we’ve been. We’ve gotta get better, but we still have an opportunity to do that. If you take the mistakes out of the game, how good can we be? If we didn’t make mistakes and we’re playing these kinds of ballgames, you’d say gosh, the potential of us to really play a whole lot better would not be very real. But if we can find a way to correct these things and keep from shooting ourselves in the foot, I think we can be…we’re running out of time. What was that, game eight?"

"We’d better get better because Chris is one of the finest passers in the country and he is a very experienced quarterback that’s been through a lot of games in Jacksonville and in our league. We’ve gotta get better. Their receiving corps has traditionally been pretty strong and I don’t see a lot of difference in it right now. They’ll throw a lot of different looks at us and they’ve got a lot of different ways to throw the football and throw it well. So our work is definitely cut out for us."

On Nick Jones:
"I watched him throughout the game and I thought Nick did well. I didn’t see him hobbling. He was a little slow moving around at times, you know, but I didn’t see him hobbling at all. In pregame warmup he really looked good and he felt good. I told him before the game, I said, ‘I love ya no matter what. I know you’re a tough son-of-a-gun. You don’t have to prove anything to me. I want you to play if you want to play and you feel good, but if you don’t play this game, I’m not gonna think one iota less of you.’ And when the doctors and trainers say that he’s capable of going, we coulda said, ‘Hey, you’re going no matter what,’ but I wanted him to feel good about playing. I didn’t want him to feel like he had to play to prove his manhood to me or to the team. But he did feel good, he kinda gave me a thumbs up after pregame warmup. I knew at that point that’s what we wanted to do, because during pregame warmup, that’s when I was explaining to him what I just said. ‘You do not have to play this game unless you feel good,’ and he felt good and he went the whole game. Sometimes if you play a little too soon and then you’ve got a long halftime, you can’t come out of the blocks."

Johnson up for big hit award

Charles Johnson is up for the Week 7 "Lott Shot" -- otherwise known as the weekly big hit of the week contest, given out in conjunction with The Lott Trophy award -- for his hit in the backfield last week against Vanderbilt.

If you want to vote or watch the video of the week's big hits (Charles is currently bringing up the rear), go to the Master Coaches site at http://www.mcspoll.com/lottshots.htm

Pick if you dare

It's becoming increasingly clear to me that I should never, ever bet on college football. At this point, I'm an almost respectable 48-10 straight up, but a pretty crappy 27-26 against the spread. But since I have nothing better to do with my time, and since I've been doing it every week so far, I'll continue to make SEC picks. Use them as a guide only if you like losing money.

Ole Miss at Arkansas, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, LF Sports
Line: Arkansas by 20.5
My guess: Ole Miss is 0-3 away from Oxford this year, including embarrassing losses to Missouri and Kentucky. The Rebs have played their last three opponents close, but should be 0-3 in that stretch. Vanderbilt dominated the statistics, but a handful of turnovers and other dumb plays, the Commodores lost by seven. Arkansas is playing really well and nobody has shown the ability to slow down the rushing tandem of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Get this, Arkansas averages 6.4 yards per carry. That's ridiculous. The next best average in the league is 4.7 (Florida, Vanderbilt). McFadden averages 5.8 and the speedy Jones averages 9.6. Meanwhile, Ole Miss is 11th in the SEC and 98th in the nation against the run. Get ready for a butt whupping. Arkansas 35, Ole Miss 13

Mississippi State at Georgia, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, No TV
Line: Georgia by 18
My guess: I keep waiting to see Georgia play like the Georgia you've come to expect. In the last four games, though, you've really only seen it in the fourth quarter against Colorado, the first half against Tennessee and the first quarter last week against Vanderbilt. That equals four good quarters and 12 mostly crappy ones. Despite the injury-riddled front line, I think Georgia will start to turn the corner today. It's a good thing to have picked a quarterback to try to stick with. I think that will pay off for the offense, to the tune of a big win Saturday. As for next week....well, we'll have to see how Saturday goes...Georgia 35, Mississippi State 10

Tulane at Auburn, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, No TV
Line: Auburn by 32
My guess: Auburn's offense has had difficulty scoring touchdowns nearly all season. They didn't score one at all last week in beating Florida and had just one against Arkansas. In fact, Auburn's offense has just two touchdowns in its last 10 quarters. That line looks a little crazy until you realize Auburn's playing a Tulane team whose best defensive effort is 24 points allowed to Rice. The Green Wave gave up 29 points to Mississippi State for goodness sakes. Auburn will win easily, but I don't know if the Tigers cover. Auburn 35, Tulane 7

South Carolina at Vanderbilt, 3 p.m. Saturday, ISP Sports PPV
Line: South Carolina by 3.5
My guess: It's tough picking in this one. Does Vandy have the hot hand after stunning Georgia last week or do you go with Steve Spurrier, who has had two weeks to prepare for the Commodores? I'm going with Spurrier. South Carolina has sputtered against lesser opponents in nearly every win, and Vandy's not a patsy by any means, but I think South Carolina finds a way to pull one out. South Carolina 20, Vanderbilt 17

Alabama at Tennessee, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS
Line: Tennessee by 11
My guess: There's no reason to think Alabama will play with Tennessee. Alabama's 0-2 on the road this year and has been a bad road team under Mike Shula (5-9, which includes a 3-1 last year...2-8 otherwise). I actually think the Tide's a decent team, but they've yet to string together a decent game this year. Bama's always fired up for Tennessee and is pretty good against the pass, but the Vols have had two weeks to get ready for this one -- and if you'll recall, Erik Ainge and Co. looked pretty decent the last time out. Tennessee 30, Alabama 17

Fresno State at LSU, 9 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2
Line: LSU by 32.5
My guess: You might think back to when Fresno State gave Southern Cal a run for its money last year and expect this to be a decent game. Wrong. The Bulldogs have lost five straight since opening the season with a win over Nevada. Granted, Fresno lost by a point twice and played Oregon within a touchdown. But if you hear anyone say Fresno is the best 1-5 team in the nation with a straight face, feel free to stop respecting them as a human being. I hate that stinking cliche. We're talking about a freaking WAC team that is 1-5 and gave up 68 points to Hawaii last week. LSU wins without difficulty. That spread's mighty big, though. LSU 42, Fresno 14

Thursday report

We talked to coach Richt before practice today -- I think one of his sons had a football game this evening, so he wanted to get us out of the way early -- so we didn't get final word on how Nick Jones' practice went. In the school's post-practice report, coach Richt said Nick had a "good day."

"If he’s just really hobbling we wouldn’t do it, but he says he’s getting better every day," Richt said. "I talked to him a little while ago in character ed and he says he’s definitely going today and he thinks he’ll be ready by Saturday."

I'll tell you this much, he was still in green, still limping and walking around with a big brace on his knee, so I don't know how much he'd be able to do against Mississippi State. And truthfully, how much should he do? They'll win this game without him. It's much more important to have him healthy for Florida. What his absence, as well as those of Chester Adams and Martrez Milner, may affect is that prediction I made earlier this week about sitting Stafford in the shotgun and letting him sling it. All of the centers have been rather erratic with shotgun snaps, but Ian Smith has probably done very little of it in games. I still expect to see a significant number of shotgun formations regardless of who's playing center. I just don't know how the upheaval caused by all the injuries will change what they do.

In other injury news, cornerback Ramarcus Brown (hamstring) is almost certainly out and flanker A.J. Bryant (groin) practiced today and should be able to go Saturday. Kickoff man Ben Wilson (knee) has not been able to do much in practice this week, so Andy Bailey will handle kickoff, PAT, field goal. One injury that was new to us today was receiver Michael Moore, who had an old knee injury flare up on him after Wednesday's practice. It was swollen, but coach Richt said he was OK on Thursday and should be fine for Thursday.

I asked him about the guys who are out this week and their statuses for the Florida game and he said it's looking like Ramarcus Brown, Martrez Milner, Chester Adams and Nick Jones should all be OK by then.

Josh Kendall from Macon asked coach Richt to clarify what he's planning to do with the quarterbacks on Saturday, after he didn't really sound earlier this week like he was planning on working another of the quarterbacks in. His response was fairly funny:
"What I was trying to say is that I hadn’t really thought about any plan in that regard. I just wanna get Stafford in there and start playing ball and hopefully he plays real good. We’ll play everything by ear, but I don’t think there’s gonna be any guarantee of any kind of anybody else playing. I’m not saying that somebody won’t and it kind of read that way, but you guys don’t do the headlines, your editors do (I started poking Carter Strickland from the AJC in the back at this point). It wasn’t really what I said. I know what I’m thinking, but it doesn’t come out real good a lot of times, too. I know that for a fact. My wife tells me that all the time and the coaches do too. I know I’m not real clear sometimes as I need to be."

He was also asked how much further along Stafford is at this point than most freshman quarterbacks he's dealt with in the past:
"A lot, because most of them redshirt. Most of the guys I’ve ever had have redshirted so they haven’t had much opportunity to play. When you play, you progress, there’s just no question about it. When you play, the quicker you get at doing things and some things you’ve just gotta get under your belt so to speak. He’s getting an awful lot of things that hardly any of those other guys had the opportunity to do."

"It’ll be like night and day. He’ll be much more ready next season than he was at the beginning of this season."

More from Thursday

Usually newsy stuff to write about is starting to dry up by Wednesday, but today was a fairly action-packed day. I'll drop the stuff that interested me first and then tag some quotes at the end.
* Nick Jones (strained MCL) was at practice today in a green no-contact jersey and very large knee brace. He didn't do much of anything in practice, but they're hoping he'll be able to work in Thursday's light workout. Coach Richt hasn't ruled him out for Saturday, but you have to wonder how much he'll be able to do...He stretched with the starters today, however.
* Cornerback Ramarcus Brown (hamstring) and receiver A.J. Bryant (groin) didn't practice today. Richt said Ramarcus is highly doubtful for Saturday, as he hasn't really practiced since wrenching his hamstring in special teams work early in Monday's practice. They're expecting A.J. back in practice Thursday, but this groin problem has bothered him on and off throughout the season. As with Nick, you have to wonder how effective A.J. will be on Saturday. Kenneth Harris lined up as the No. 1 flanker, followed by Mikey Henderson. As per usual, Mohamed Massaquoi lined up as the No. 1 split end, but Demiko Goodman was the No. 2 behind him, not Mario Raley. If neither A.J. nor Nick is able to play, six positions on the starting offense will have a different starter than a week ago -- tight guard, center, tight end, tailback, quarterback and flanker. Only quarterback would be for a reason other than injury.
* Bryan Evans lined up with the starters at Brown's short corner spot, backed up by Prince Miller. Asher Allen lined up behind Paul Oliver at wide corner. But defensive backs coach Willie Martinez said he wasn't sure whether he'll start Evans, Miller or Allen at Brown's spot. He said all would play, but the starter will get the most time there. They'll also rotate in at the nickelback spot. Count on the starter to be Bryan Evans.
* Evans also said he didn't really get a touch at kickoff return today, which leaves Asher and Prince as the main return men. Asher will start, Prince will back up and Evans is the emergency third option, he said. He said he's been asked to start attending kickoff return meetings and pay attention to the deep man's responsibilities, so he's in the picture, but he probably won't be back there anytime soon, if at all.
* Also, we got to talk to Thomas Brown for the first time today. He's having surgery next Tuesday on the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, suffered on the second-half kickoff against Vanderbilt last Saturday. Thomas said he wants to work his way back into the rotation by preseason workouts next year. He doesn't sound too interested in redshirting:
Brown, on his timetable:
"They say they’re gonna release me in May, June or July. That’s when I’m gonna try everything out. Do everything with the team, do summer workouts and do a little extra stuff on the side to see where I am."

More Thomas:
"When something like this happens, you’ve gotta look at the positive in the situation. For one, I’m just thankful that it was just my ACL and I can recover 100 percent from that and be back. It gives me a time to rest my body up and build my body up a bit bigger and get a little tougher."

On whether he plans to redshirt next year:
"I really can’t say that right now. We’ll see how rehab goes. The way I’ve seen other guys on the team go through ACL injuries and come back, I feel confident in my ability to come back and get ready for next season."

Are you to the point where you're over the disappointment and ready to move forward?
I wouldn’t say right now I’m completely over the disappointment, because it is kind of disappointing, but it’s not devastating at the same time. Like I said earlier, I’m looking at the positive in the situation. I’m just gonna work hard and do whatever I can to get back as fast as possible.

Here's some from Kenneth Harris, who like I said, stands to start if A.J. Bryant can't go on Saturday. Harris started the opener against Western Kentucky, but has not started since:
"It really hurts me that A.J. is really not practicing right now. I don’t really know what’s going on right now, we know he didn’t practice today. Whatever happens, if they stick me there, I’ve still got to make plays. I’ve got to take the opportunity and run with it."

Does the possibility of starting change your mindset at all during practice?
"It does a little bit, but I’m still going out there working hard every day and just doing what I can do."

Do you look at this as a chance to regain your starting position?
"I’m not really looking at it like that right now. A.J.’s still the No. 1 guy right now, I’m just filling in in his spot right now. Whenever he comes back, he’s still gonna be the No. 1 guy, so right now I’m just trying to take over what he’s been doing and trying to make some plays."

I talked to receivers coach John Eason about a couple things today, including A.J. Bryant, whether the difference in velocity between Tereshinski and Stafford (see my notebook on Friday) affects the receivers and whether they're looking to shake up the receiver rotation.
Here's what he said about that last part:
"We’re just gonna continue to work and we’re gonna give them all the chance to make plays and to see how they respond during the week. They’ll play according to how they respond."

He said A.J.'s still the starter if he comes back tomorrow, by the way.

Richt Thursday postpractice

Dan Inman made a comment after practice that it was the longest practice in the history of Georgia football. It was for him because we’ve got no substitution pattern whatsoever in practice. They went every play, ones and twos, the whole day.

The tackles?
Just about the whole line. Turner had a class obligation, so I don’t know if you’d say he bailed out on them, but he had to go. So there’s just no relief for any of these guys. They got it in and it was pretty good, but you could tell they were flat-out exhausted by the time it was over. We got the work in that we needed to.

Where does center Nick Jones stand?
Nick didn’t do anything. He was out there for flex and that was it. He did some things on the side. We’re hoping tomorrow that he’ll be able to practice. Ron’s pretty encouraged that he can practice, but he’s also saying that because we’re in shorts tomorrow.

What's the best-case scenario with Nick?
Best scenario is that he would start. I don’t know if he would start, especially since he really hadn’t practiced. I’ll tell you what, Ian did a pretty nice job. Practice, as the days went on, the last couple days, he seemed more certain of what to do. He’s a very, very capable football player. The talent level is really good. He can do the things that we’re gonna ask a center to do. It’s just a matter of being comfortable with the scheme. He’s got a little help from some veteran linemen with the calls because normally a center makes the calls, but our linemen are helping him out some. I feel better today about Ian than I would have earlier in the week, because he hadn’t gotten much work.

Are you OK with him making shotgun snaps?
Yeah, I think all of our centers have had a little bit of an issue from time to time, but fortunately gameday they’ve all been pretty good.

What's A.J. Bryant's status?
A.J. has had a chronic groin thing, but we think he’ll go tomorrow.

Is he still going to start on Saturday?
I don’t know. We haven’t even talked about that. He practiced some of Tuesday. If he didn’t practice at all to this point, he wouldn’t, but he still might.

So is Kenneth Harris the guy there if A.J. can't go?
Yeah. And he’s done a nice job.

What about Ramarcus Brown?
It’s doubtful. He’s doubtful, Ramarcus.

How has Matthew Stafford handled the starting job this week?
Pretty good. I think pretty good. I thought he did well. There’s a couple calls that he made that take some work, take some awareness. There’s certain plays that you call that you don’t have to make any comment at all, but there might be just one obscure defense that if it gets thrown in there that you’ve got to change the front recognition to alert everybody who to block. A couple times that happened and he got it right and I went to coach Bobo to ask if he’d whispered in his ear before the play that it was about to happen, and he didn’t. So he’s been doing a good job. He’s been paying attention and he’s taking his role as the starter and a leader right now pretty seriously, I think.

What have you seen from the tight ends this week?
I think Tripp, I see a little greater sense of urgency from Tripp, and then after that I just see a lot more of Coleman Watson period. You know, he hadn’t been getting an awful lot of work in practice and now he is.

Have you had any communication with the higher-ups about scheduling next year's opener?
We have. We just know it’s been a struggle.

It sounds like people are afraid to play you guys.
I don’t know about that. I think after the last two games…I think if we called Oregon State, they might come back on. But I think they had a tough one against Cal, I think, and they thought maybe it wouldn’t be good for their team. That’s what I heard, I don’t know if it’s true or not. But kind of the timing after Cal beat them relatively, by a pretty good margin, and we might have still been undefeated at that point, I don’t know, but I think I’d be surprised if we called them back what they might decide.

Does it look like it will be a Division I-AA team?
We’re trying to keep it from being a I-AA, because I think there’s a I-AA already on that schedule. If worst came to worst, we probably would have to, considering we’re less than a year away. It’s been discussed to possibly not have it at home if we had to do it that way. I don’t want to give up a home game.

There were a couple more questions here, but I didn't record them. Nothing especially interesting. More to come...

Tuesday notebook

Here's my Tuesday notebook that didn't post to our web site.

ATHENS, Ga. – Thomas Brown’s season-ending knee injury doesn’t affect only Georgia’s tailback rotation.
Brown was the Bulldogs’ No. 1 kickoff returner, so returns coach Tony Ball is left searching for replacements there as well before Saturday’s game against Mississippi State.
Ball said Asher Allen, who has two returns this year for 55 yards, is his top choice to return kickoffs, but he’s unsure which players will move into the depth chart behind the quick true freshman.
“I’m gonna look at a couple guys (today) and we’re gonna see. I’m gonna look at (Bryan) Evans, I’m gonna look at Prince (Miller),” Ball said. “I’m just gonna look and see who gives me the confidence that I need in that guy back there. I’m not sure yet.”
Cornerback Ramarcus Brown is the only other player with much experience returning kickoffs for the Bulldogs, with four for 85 yards last year. But the redshirt sophomore said he won’t be in the running to return kicks this week after straining his hamstring in Monday’s practice and getting limited work on Tuesday.
“Not now because I really didn’t get many reps today, I wanted to rest my leg,” he said, adding that he still expects to play on Saturday. “So I don’t think at this point that kick return will be a big issue for me this week. Maybe next week, I’m not sure yet.”
So the only definite option at this point is Allen, but he’s OK with that possibility. It’s nothing new for the former all-state kick returner at Tucker High.
“I’ve been running my whole life, so this is pretty much (the same),” Allen laughed.

Injury update
Much has been made of Georgia’s depth problems on the offensive line, with injuries to starting center Nick Jones (knee), guard Chester Adams (ankle) and tight end Martrez Milner (toe).
Those problems were enough to cause Georgia to abandon its Tuesday routine of practicing in full gear, instead opting for shoulder pads only.
Georgia coach Mark Richt said at his Tuesday press conference there’s still a chance Jones will be able to play Saturday, although it’s “not quite 50-50.”
Mississippi State is also dealing with injuries on the offensive line, a spot coach Sylvester Croom said was “an area that was really starting to improve for us.”
Offensive tackle J.D. Hamilton left last week’s game against Jacksonville State with a strained MCL and Croom said he’s “definitely out” for Saturday. He was replaced by former Georgia commitment Michael Brown, who played the most snaps, 59, of any Mississippi State offensive lineman last week.
Backup offensive tackle Roland Terry (back), defensive end Charles Burns (shoulder), running back Derek Ambrose (groin) and defensive back Demario Bobo (hamstring) are all listed as questionable.
Mississippi State quarterback Michael Henig returned to the lineup last week against Jacksonville State, his first start since breaking his collarbone in the opener against South Carolina. Just like Georgia, State has started three quarterbacks this season. Tray Rutland started two games before getting knocked out for the season with torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee. And Omarr Conner started three games before injuring his groin against West Virginia two games ago.
One of the team’s better playmakers, Conner is out this week and team doctors say he’ll remain that way indefinitely.
“He said he’d be back in three weeks regardless,” Croom said. “I hope he’s right, but that’s not what the doctors are saying.”

Quick hits
Georgia defensive end Quentin Moses was announced Tuesday as one of 148 semifinalists for the Draddy Trophy, given each year to the college football player who is the “absolute best in the country for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary community leadership.” Moses is one of seven Southeastern Conference semifinalists. One Georgia player has won the award since it originated in 1990, Matt Stinchcomb in 1998. … This season is only the second ever where Georgia has lost to Tennessee and Vanderbilt in the same year (1994) and the first where the losses were back-to-back. Georgia has never lost to those two and Mississippi State in the same season.

Tuesday stuff

Here's a quick rundown of what's going on:
* Asher Allen will be returning kickoffs this week. It's sort of by default. The only other player with experience returning kickoffs is Ramarcus Brown, who did a pretty good job in limited action last year. But Ramarcus tweaked his hamstring in Monday's practice and worked in a green jersey on Tuesday so he could rest it. Ramarcus said he couldn't work at kickoff returner even if they wanted him to this week. I'm not sure if he would have been in the mix anyway. Coach Ball said he's going to take a look at Bryan Evans and Prince Miller returning kickoffs in practice today, auditioning to back up Asher for now.
* I'd still say it's very unclear whether Thomas Brown will play next season. My money is on him being healthy enough, if they want to go that way. I could have sworn coach Richt said the other day that it would be possible for him to do something in the spring, but apparently that wasn't the case.
* There's still a possibility that center Nick Jones will play this week, although coach Richt said it's "not quite 50-50."
* They actually had to practice in shoulder pads only today, not the normal full gear on Tuesdays, because of the depth problems at offensive line.
* Tripp Chandler should start at tight end and Coleman Watson will back him up. Tight ends coach David Johnson said they'll both play a good bit, but it won't be 50-50. Chandler will be getting the majority of the work.
* Coach Richt talked more about the conversation he had when they informed Joe Tereshinski he was being demoted and Joe T volunteered to play somewhere else if it would help the team. Coach Richt said he thought Joe could probably play tight end if he had to and basically know what to do, but that wouldn't make any sense. They brought up him working back as personal protector on the punt team again, but Joe said he thought Stephen White was doing a good job there and wouldn't want to cost him his chance. Again, I don't get that kid.

So that's all for the night. More tomorrow.

Q&A with David Johnson

I was just transcribing my postpractice quotes and figured I'd throw up a Q/A with tight ends coach David Johnson from this evening. Georgia's got a little more uncertainty at that position than normal this week, with starter Martrez Milner out at least this week with turf toe. Milner is Georgia's leading receiver with 15 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

Sophomore Tripp Chandler will start in his place -- his second start of the season, after starting in a double-tight end formation against Tennessee -- and Coleman Watson will be the backup.

Here's some of what coach Johnson had to say:
What’s your biggest concern with Tripp Chandler and Coleman Watson having to fill in this week at tight end?
"Just the lack of experience in game situations – being the guy and getting those game reps under that pressure. But like I said, I have faith in (Tripp). I think he’s gonna perform well. He’s worked hard and I think he’ll be fine."

How would you appraise how the tight ends have played?
"Kind of up and down. I think that we showed signs of good play. I think obviously there’s some other things that need to be improved on, but I think it’s been pretty good. I think, as you look back on it, we’re trying to be more physical. We’re trying to make sure that we’re doing things in the passing game to put ourselves in position to make catches, and for the most part we’ve done that. So I’m pleased, but there’s always room for improvement."

Do you expect the tight end to be required to stay in and block more because of the injury problems with the offensive line?
"It all depends on how the game goes. It’s just so hard to tell. I think our gameplan is very good and obviously it has the tight ends in it. Obviously it just depends on how the game goes and how coach Richt calls it. We’re prepared to do that. That’s one thing that we’re prepared to do."

Can (Tripp) do it?
"Yeah, I think he can, and Coleman Watson will block you too. Coleman does a good job and has improved tremendously. Both those guys have been in the program and have gotten a lot of coaching. I’m anxious to see, I’m kind of excited to see how both of those guys are gonna respond."

Are you planning on playing both of those guys a lot?
"Yeah, I think we’re gonna get a roll. It may not be a totally 50-50 deal, but I think Coleman’s gonna get some plays."

How’s Coleman different from Tripp?
"I think Tripp’s a little more developed in the passing game. Coleman brings some toughness to the table. He plays a little bit more out of control than he has to at times, where Tripp’s a little more under control. But they both block well and they both run routes and they both have excellent hands. I’m really pleased with their ball skills. Like I said, I’m excited to see how they perform, I really am."

You want practice quotes? I got some

Obviously the big thing today after practice was talking to Joe T and Stafford about how Stafford will start this week. I'm not going to reprint the interview, but Ian Smith said Nick Jones may be able to play this week. They're still in a wait-and-see mode with him, although Martrez Milner (toe) and Chester Adams (ankle) are almost certainly out for Mississippi State on Saturday. Freshman WR Tony Wilson was the only non-QB in a green no-contact jersey that I saw today, so the injury situation seems to be OK otherwise.

Both QBs said they didn't know if they'd rotate this week as they have in the past, but I'd seriously, seriously doubt that, based on the way Richt talked about QBs on Sunday. I'm expecting them to let Stafford do what he was doing so well what they signed him -- sit in the shotgun and sling it. That'll be interesting to watch if it's what they do. He told me the other day that he'd only taken one snap (or maybe it was two) under center in his entire high school career. That's pretty amazing.

Anyway, here's Stafford from Monday's postpractice:
On when coach Bobo told him today that he'd start:
"Actually he just told me to go out there and play like you know how and just try to do the best you can and try to get a W this week."

Will they open it up more this week?
"I’m not sure. I’m just trying to execute the gameplan they give me. We don’t have too much put in, it’s just a Monday."

How is this one different than the other times you've started?
"I really don’t know that it is gonna be that much different, as far as just preparation and stuff like that. Definitely, it is important for us to get back on track after losing two tough ones at home. We’ve gotta go out this week and just take care of business."

On the advantage of knowing early in the week that he'll start:
"It’s helpful definitely. It just helps you with preparation, just getting the reps in there with the ones and just trying to get comfortable."

On the mood at practice Monday:
"I think we were upbeat. I think we had a pretty good day of practice. Some guys are trying to fill in at new positions, you know, Turner moving in at guard and stuff like that. He’s picked it up well. We’re just looking forward to this week, trying to get back out there and play."

On what the offense needs from him:
"This last game we moved it and marched up and down the field pretty good, we’ve just got to put it in the end zone. We’ve gotta make plays when we have the opportunity."

Is he the spark they need?
"If I can be that then I’d love to be that. I’m just trying to do whatever it takes to help the team anyway I can. If that’s go out there and manage a game, hand it off or sling it around, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m just trying to get a win for Georgia."

How much is he concerned by the depth issues on the OL?
"I think we’re confident in all our backups, guys that definitely can get out there and play. We’re just hoping those guys get as quick a recovery as possible and just get out there and just try to play hard next week."

Does not having Martrez Milner affect the way they'll use the tight ends?
"Not so far. We’re just going out there – Tripp’s a talented guy. He’s got great hands and he’s a smart guy and a big target, so I’m sure he’ll be a part of the gameplan."

And onto Joe T. He was obviously pretty upset today, but said he's gonna keep going out there and keep busting his butt like he's the starter. We didn't know this at the time, but in the school's practice media release, coach Richt (he's not available to the media on "Family Mondays") said Joe T asked to play somewhere else if it would help the team. I just don't understand that kid -- I don't have in me the want-to that he does. Here's that excerpt from the practice report:
"When Joe T. heard the news, he was disappointed," Richt said, "but after a couple of minutes, he asked Coach (Mike) Bobo, 'Is there someplace else I can play to help us win? Is there anything I can do for the team?' That was pretty inspiring. He inspires me."

People who openly root against that kid deserve for their team to lose. Actually, they deserve to get hit by a bus. And then for something else bad to happen after that.

Here's some of what Tereshinski said after practice:
Do you expect to rotate in?
"I don’t know. You’d have to ask coach Richt that, I don’t really know, but I’m gonna prepare like I’m still going in there. I’m not gonna stop competing. I’m gonna keep going in there like I do every day."

Did you ask for an explanation on the decision?
"No. It was explained to me that we just needed a spark and we’d change some things up, so they’re gonna try Matt out."

Where to from here?
"I think even though we’ve lost two straight, we still have a level head, and we have to. We have a lot to play for and we realize that and we need to come out and get ready for Mississippi State."

On some of what he did wrong:
"We kinda flew through film today trying to put that one behind us. We had some bad communication, some balls that weren’t on time. It’s just a number of things. Even this last game, we get down to the red zone twice for potential scores inside the 5 or close to the end zone. It’s a game of inches. We get the ball on a screen which got tipped, just a couple of inches and it was a walk-in touchdown. Or putting it behind Mo and that was a walk-in touchdown. But that didn’t happen, so we need a spark."

On how Thomas Brown's injury hurts the offense:
"We’ve known throughout the last couple seasons we’ve got three great running backs. Yeah, it hurts us because he’s versatile and he’s one of the leaders on this team, but we’ve got two guys at tailback that can get the job done."

Does not having Thomas make the decision easier on how to roll the RBs?
"I don’t think it’s any easier than it has been. They did a great job of working together. They’ve had to do it since they’ve been here, it’s something they’ve gotten accustomed to. They work great and I think they’re just gonna have to step it up a little bit. They know that there’s a job out there still to be won and they’re gonna fight like crazy to get it."

On what he expects to happen rotation-wise:
"I don’t know exactly what I expect right now, but I know I’m gonna go out there and try my best every day. That’s all I can do right now."

On his reaction to the demotion:
"I don’t think it’s hit me all the way yet. It hurts."

But...
"I was given the job and if I would have made things happened and we’d won these last two ballgames, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now."

Looks like Stafford will start

It's no surprise, but Stafford is lined up with the starters today at practice. That's the only huge change I can tell from the two-deep.

First team offense line: A.J. Bryant, Massaquoi, Tripp Chandler, Shackleford, Velasco, Ian Smith, Michael Turner, Inman, Southerland, Lumpkin, Stafford

Second team offense: Kenneth Harris, Raley, Coleman Watson, Josh Davis, Chris Davis, Chris Abbott, John Miller, Jason Johnson, Danny Ware, Joe T

First team defense: Charles Johnson, Quentin Moses, Ray Gant, Jeff Owens, B Miller, Jarvis Jackson, Tony Taylor, Tra Battle, Kelin Johnson, Ramarcus Brown, Paul Oliver

Second team defense: Battle, Marcus Howard, Dixson, Kade Weston, Dewberry, Washington, Ellerbe, Byrd, Baldwin, Asher Allen, Bryan Evans

Master Coaches Poll 10/15

Master Coaches Poll

• 1. Ohio State (17)
• 2. Michigan
• 3. Southern Cal
• 4. West Virginia
• 5. Texas
• 6. Auburn
• 7. Louisville
• 8. Tennessee
• 9. Florida
• 10. California
• 11. Notre Dame
• 12. LSU
• 13. Clemson
• 14. Georgia Tech
• 15. Oregon
• 16. Wisconsin
• 17. Nebraska
• 18. Arkansas
• 19. Rutgers
• 20. Boise State
• 21. Oklahoma
• 22. Boston College
• 23. Iowa
• 24. Georgia
• 25. (tie) Texas A&M
• 25. (tie) Wake Forest

Other teams receiving votes ... Missouri, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Air Force, Florida State, Alabama, UCLA, Penn State

Teams falling out of the poll this week ... Missouri, Virginia Tech

Injury update (Thomas Brown out for year -- ACL)

It's what we all thought with Thomas Brown yesterday. He tore the right ACL and will miss the rest of the season. Unlike with Sean Bailey, coach Richt thinks he might be able to play next season. possibly even in the spring. Bailey's injury was during bowl practice, so Thomas has more time built in for recovery.

Also, Nick Jones, Martrez Milner and Chester Adams are all doubtful for Saturday.
Chester has a pretty serious ankle sprain, Nick has a sprained MCL (Richt said it was between grade 1 and 2) and Milner basically has turf toe. Richt said Nick is the most likely of the bunch to play, but doesn't think any of them will until the Florida game.

That creates a major problem at this week on the offensive line. Richt said it would be like musical chairs. Here's what they're going to start the week with and see what happens:
As usual, the tackles will be Dan Inman and Ken Shackleford (although Shack's nursing a sore ankle himself). The other tackle in the rotation, Michael Turner, will move to guard. Fernando Velasco will remain at guard. Ian Smith moves in at center and Seth Watts will continue to sub in at the guard spots.

If necessary, Velasco can move in at center and Watts can take a guard spot. If one of the tackles gets hurt, Turner moves back to tackle and Watts moves in at guard. Basically, they've got injuries right now in the spot where they can least afford it. It sounds like most or all of them will be back for Florida, so at least for Georgia's sake, it happened for Mississippi State week and not the week after...

BCS standings

Full list

1. Ohio State
2. USC
3. Michigan
4. Auburn
5. West Virginia

Post-Vandy thoughts

My Georgia grad writer friend reiterated to me yesterday that the Bulldogs' fan base is the worst in the nation. That's why you see a half-full student section at kickoff of a game that's no gimme. That's why the volume level isn't what it needs to be when the opponent is driving. That's why you hear substantial numbers of fans booing the team when the coach makes a decision they don't like. That's why you hear all these people talking about firing coaches when just last year, this same staff won the Southeastern Conference and played in a BCS bowl. And if you don't agree with my friend -- and he very well may be right -- I suggest you avoid the popular UGA message boards today. I'm not even a Georgia fan and I read about three minutes' worth before I thought, "Wow, these people are ridiculous." More specifically, they're spoiled. rotten.

Now if you're one of the people who thought Georgia would win the national title this year, feel free to remain in panic mode. I thought Georgia would win nine or 10 games and they can still do that, but they've got to get it together...quickly.

That probably means picking a quarterback and sticking with him. Doesn't matter who. At this point, one is probably not going to do much more than the other. Actually, I thought they both played fairly well yesterday. But you've got to make a play when you get near the goal line. It would probably help to throw the ball into the end zone.

The running back situation is probably going to shake out some because Thomas Brown is most likely out for the year. I think it's probably an ACL, but we haven't heard officially. You can split carries between Lumpkin and Danny Ware and have a decent running game. They went away from it again on Saturday -- and I'll assume part of it was because of Lumpkin's lost fumble on the second play of the third quarter. Still, 24 carries for 105 yards in the first half. Eleven carries for 31 yards in the second half. They weren't running terribly in the second half, but they just didn't really try to do it. Lumpkin had five carries for 27 yards in the second half. Ware had five for 14. They didn't throw it that terribly either, hitting 8 of 14 passes in the second half (including three drops), but they've got to do something in the red zone.

"If we coulda put touchdowns on the board instead of trying to kick field goals, yeah I feel very confident we would have won," Ware said. "It don’t always go that way and it didn’t go that way today. You can’t really put the blame on anything or anybody. We lost this one as a team today."

Here's some of what Ray Gant said.
On if there might have been a bit of a hangover from last week:
"Subconsciously, maybe. It’s not something that’s in the front of your mind. You’re not thinking, ‘Oh, Tennessee beat us,’ or anything like that. But I think subconsciously, something was in there messing with us a little bit."

On why the team seems to play well and poorly in waves -- good for a while, bad for a while:
"I’m not sure. I definitely think we’re a unified bunch. I think we’re a very close team. I don’t know, man. I don’t think you can blame it on one thing because we lost as a team today, just like last week, when everybody had a part in us losing."

On if he thought it was over when Tony Taylor returned the INT for a touchdown:
"I thought it was over. When Tony made that play, that’s all we’d been saying, “G.T.B.B – get the ball back.” Somebody make a play and he did, he made the play. The crowd went crazy, we went crazy. We just knew it was in the bag after that, but I guess they didn’t think so. They wanted it a little bit more at the end, I guess."

Tony Taylor, on whether he thought they needed to make a play to spark the offense some:
"Everybody keeps saying that, but we needed a stop ourselves on defense. We needed something to give us more energy to come out and make that stop. We were hoping after Tra’s pick and my pick that would be what we needed."

Richt postgame comments

This is nowhere near everything he said, but here are some of the quotes from coach Richt after yesterday's game.

Chester Adams (ankle), Nick Jones (knee) and Martrez Milner (toe) all got hurt yesterday. Chester didn't play after the first quarter and Nick and Martrez tried to play through it. As of the postgame conference, Richt wasn't sure any of them would play next week (I've heard Nick's is an MCL, which would make him probably doubtful for Saturday) -- which would mean they might have to use one of those guys they planned to redshirt.
"Injuries up front is by far the last place we could afford it. Hopefully Chester can come back and Nick can come back this next week, but if they can’t we’ll be playing some young guys."

"Today, I think there’s plenty of good things that happened and plenty of bad things that happened to really spread around throughout the entire team. I’m not gonna sit here and point specifically at one group and one person, and I don’t want to do that right now. That’s the last thing that I need to do. I’m sure there’ll be enough people out there pointing out where we stumbled. Right now, I think the most important thing for us is to realize that we’re probably just about all we’ve got and we need to make sure we stay united as coaches, as players…we’ve got to do that, and we are. I’ve seen absolutely nothing to the contrary, but I’m sure the guys will get banged on pretty good, I’ll get banged on pretty good, the coaches will get banged on pretty good for not performing well enough to win. We’re gonna have to stick together. That’s just part of life."

"We’ll review film, we’ll call it like we see it and we’ll make changes if we need to make changes. Some of the things we’ve got to look at, again, will be personnel, but some of it’ll be strategy. We’ve got a lot to look at strategy, too."

"I think the biggest word for Georgia right now has been inconsistency, inconsistent play. That’s what’s got us right now. We are not a consistently well-playing football team. We haven’t put 60 minutes together. We’ve probably put together maybe 30, 40 minutes at best in any one game. We’ve got to learn to play the full 60 minutes at a high level. Until we do, we’re gonna be in these barnburners, and we were in one too many today."

"No loss is good. To have two losses in a row is no good. To have two losses in a row at home is not very good either. And to get banged up in the process, that just makes it a little bit tougher. It’s just like anything else in life, when somebody gets hurt or falls by the wayside, much less in life but in football, you have to have somebody step up and play. We’ll find out where we are in that regard, and we’ll see what can happen."

"Every time we play, I believe we’re gonna win. That’s how we plan it, that’s how we scheme it and that’s how we think. I think we fight to the finish and normally it’s good enough. It hasn’t been the last two games and we’ve got to figure out why."

On the QBs:
"Right now I don’t want any kind of kneejerk reaction by myself to make me feel like, ‘Man, I wish I didn’t say that,’ so I’m just gonna say we’ll go back and evaluate everything and try to get the guy in there that we think gives us the best chance to win."

On Stafford:
"He played well. I thought he played very well. He was 9-for-13 and probably would have been 12-for-13 if everybody hangs on. I thought he handled it well. I didn’t see him panicking in any way."

"We haven’t gotten the stops when we need them and conversely, we haven’t gotten the sevens when we need them either, so there’s plenty of blame if you want to blame somebody for what happened. Yeah, we’ve been accustomed to rising to the occasion defensively and we were not able to do it this week. But the defense also put six on the board for us at a very crucial time and did get the momentum for this football team."

Your starting tailback

will be Thomas Brown, per pregame introductions about 20 seconds ago.

also, FB Des Williams is not dressed out. I don't guess that is a huge blow because Brannan Southerland has been taking so many of the game reps there. But Jason Johnson is apparently the backup FB for today.

What I learned, Thursday's practice

There was not a ton to report today, which is par for the course on most Thursdays (barring weeks where new techniques for onside kicks are being used).
* Coach Richt has agreed to coach with Rich Rodriguez in the Hula Bowl in January. He will take assistant coaches John Eason, Willie Martinez and Neil Callaway. Richt agreed to coach in the all-star game two years ago, but backed out the week before to concentrate on recruiting and helping new staff members Kirby Smart and John Jancek assimilate. The coaching staff lost Brian VanGorder and Ken Rucker that offseason, leading Richt's trip to Hawaii to get "derailed," in his words.
* He didn't have word on who was going to start at tailback. He looked around for one of the players or running backs coach Tony Ball to see what the decision was. I honestly believe he didn't know what coach Ball had decided. He DID say Kregg Lumpkin has made much greater effort blocking in practice this week because he knew he was being watched closely. Whoever gets the call (and my wild guess is that Thomas Brown starts), I'd count on them splitting up the carries a little more evenly than they have lately.
* Offensive lineman Zeb McKinzey (shoulder) has a "less than 1 percent chance" of playing this year, Richt said. Like cornerback Thomas Flowers, who went out for the season with torn ligaments in his foot earlier this year, McKinzey is unlikely to be given a sixth year of eligibility with a medical redshirt because both players were redshirted as true freshmen in 2003.
* Aside from McKinzey, they appear to be pretty healthy going into the Vanderbilt game. Most everybody (who plays) who've been slowed by various ailments seem ready to go.

Week 7 sick picks

Here we go. Just six games on the ledger in the league this week and most aren't exactly intriguing. For the record, I'm 44-8 straight up and 25-24 against the spread, so don't put any money on these most excellent selections. I assure you I won't.

Vanderbilt at Georgia, 12:30 p.m. Saturday, LF Sports
Line: Georgia by 14
My guess: Vandy's no joke. And considering it's been a month since Georgia beat somebody by more than five points, it's tough to predict the Bulldogs to win by two touchdowns. The Commodores have a pretty decent offense, with QB Chris Nickson, RB Cassen Jackson-Garrison and WR Earl Bennett. I think Georgia will run the ball well and grind out a win, but Vandy's not going to lay down. Georgia 20, Vanderbilt 10

Southeast Missouri at Arkansas, 2 p.m. Saturday, None
Line: No line
My guess: You're looking at the SEC West champions, Arkansas fans. They'll have to completely fall apart to not play in Atlanta in January, or at least lose twice in league play. They're sure not losing this weekend. Southeast Missouri's not even that great of a I-AA team. Arkansas 48, Southeast Missouri 7

Jacksonville State at Mississippi State, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, None
Line: No line
My guess: Former Auburn superstars Montavis Pitts and LeMarcus Rowell play for Jacksonville State and the Gamecocks are on quite a roll after rolling past Murray State last week. All right, I'm not even gonna continue this joke. If Mississippi State doesn't win this game, it should be removed from the conference post haste. Truthfully though, if there was a line on this game, it would be pretty tough to pick whether the Bulldogs covered. Thankfully there's not one. Mississippi State 20, Jacksonville State 13

Ole Miss at Alabama, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS
Line: Alabama by 15.5
My guess: I really like this line. Alabama had 10 points at halftime last week against extra crappy Duke. The Tide should win this game, as Ole Miss is just not very good. But thus far, the only teams they've beaten by more than 15.5 points were Louisiana-Monroe (whom they led 17-7 at halftime) and Duke (who led the Tide 14-10 last week at halftime). So I think the Rebels can cover that spread, even when it will be a bad football game. Alabama 24, Ole Miss 10

Florida at Auburn, 7:45 p.m. Saturday, ESPN
Line: Florida by 2
My guess: Prior to last weekend, I don't know who I would have picked in this one, but I don't know how you can pick Auburn at this point. The offense is stagnant and the defense just got torched by a one-dimensional team. Everything seems to be going right for Florida at this point, which sometimes makes a team most vulnerable to be upset. I just can't envision a way that happens, though. Florida 28, Auburn 21

Kentucky at LSU, 8 p.m. Saturday, None
Line: LSU by 26.5
My guess: I think LSU will win this game. I think LSU will win this game big. But I don't love the 26.5 spread. Kentucky RB Rafael Little is out for a month, which hurts, but I don't know how much difference that will really have. They would have lost with or without him, but I think they can still do enough on offense to beat a 26.5-point spread. LSU 35, Kentucky 14

Woooo!

This is from Charles Bennett's South Carolina notebook in Wednesday's Charleston Post and Courier. It's about Spurrier's friendship with The Nature Boy Ric Flair, a big Florida fan. Included is some Spurrier gold sure to tick off some Georgia fans. I can picture him saying the bolded quote. He kills me.

Spurrier gets Raw deal from Ric Flair

COLUMBIA - South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier spent a little time "getting back to nature" Monday night.

Spurrier was front and center at the Colonial Center as a special guest of professional wrestler Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair at the WWE Raw performance.

"It was OK," Spurrier said. "It was something new. It was the first time I'd been. It was entertainment. It was interesting. It was just a local opportunity. Ric Flair invited us to come, got us tickets right down front."

Spurrier said he and Flair met while Spurrier was head coach at Florida.

"He used to be married to a girl who was a big Gator fan," Spurrier said. "So they would come to the Florida-Georgia game every year. Bill Goldberg was the Georgia Bulldog wrestler, so whoever won got the bragging rights. Obviously, Flair got most of the bragging rights in that series."

Spurrier says Flair, as well as country singer Kenny Chesney, will be in Columbia for South Carolina's Oct. 28 game with Tennessee.

"He (Flair) is going to come for our Tennessee game," Spurrier said. "He said he wants to come to at least one a year. So we'll let him come down and parade around on the sideline a little bit. Kenny Chesney is coming to that game too. We're going to give Kenny a sideline pass, so we're going to have some celebrities here."

And while we're on the subject of Ric Flair, the video that accompanies this story from the Raleigh paper kills me.
Woo with Ric Flair

Wednesday practice notes

another day the practice notes didn't make it online. hopefully the technical difficulties will be resolved soon. so here they are.
dc

ATHENS, Ga. – Diminutive Mikey Henderson may be on the way to the best season by a punt returner in Georgia history.
His 86-yard punt return touchdown last weekend against Tennessee brought his average to 22.5 yards per attempt (12 returns for 270 yards), which would put him first in the school record book. Scott Woerner, a star on the 1980 national championship team, is the current record holder with an average of 15.7 yards per return that year.
“A guy his size, you’ve gotta have something extra. He’s extremely fast and quick, but he’s got a good attitude and a lot of energy,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said of Henderson, who is listed at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds. “He does have a very positive attitude, and you like guys like that to succeed because it can become contagious.”
Henderson is first in the Southeastern Conference in punt return average and fifth nationally, and has also tied the school’s single-season record for punt return touchdowns with two.
That number would already be three if not for a boneheaded mistake on his first return of the year, which he returned all the way to Western Kentucky’s 1-yard line, where he fumbled the ball out of the end zone as he raised it to celebrate a sure touchdown. Henderson returned the next punt 67 yards for the Bulldogs’ first touchdown of the season.
As a team, Georgia averages 20.5 yards per return, which would also be a school record, besting the 1980 team’s average of 16.48.
“I always felt like Mikey could be a great punt returner,” Richt said.

Nickson’s status
Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson has said all week he expects starting quarterback Chris Nickson to be available against Georgia on Saturday, and he reiterated that belief on Wednesday’s Southeastern Conference coaches teleconference.
Nickson was injured last weekend against Ole Miss and replaced by Mackenzi Adams, who threw an interception on the game’s final play as the Commodores were driving for the potential game-tying score.
“(Nickson) should be ready unless he has a relapse or something else happens,” Johnson said.
Nickson has rushed for 285 yards and passed for 728, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. Johnson said he’s the only quarterback the Commodores plan to use, but he’d be comfortable with backups Adams or Richard Kovalcheck if Nickson were re-injured.
“We won’t hesitate if we have to put them in,” Johnson said.

No decision
Richt said no decision had been made yet on who to start at tailback after Wednesday’s practice.
Kregg Lumpkin has started the previous two games, but the coaching staff voiced its displeasure with his poor blocking effort after last weekend’s Tennessee loss. Thomas Brown would likely be the leading candidate to start in place of Lumpkin, if a change is made, after the third tailback in the Bulldogs’ rotation, Danny Ware, did not play against the Volunteers.
“We were gonna watch yesterday and today, and tonight we do recruiting,” Richt said Wednesday, “so it’ll probably be tomorrow sometime before we get together as an offensive staff and talk about that.”

Quick hits
Freshman linebacker Darius Dewberry practiced Wednesday after leaving Tuesday’s practice with an injured finger. Richt was unsure of the extent of the injury, but said it would not require surgery and that Dewberry will play Saturday. … Georgia hasn’t lost back-to-back home games since 1995, when the Bulldogs lost to Florida and Auburn late in the year. … Saturday will be Georgia’s homecoming game, historically a good day for the Bulldogs. They have won the last 11 homecoming games and are 66-16-2 all-time on homecoming, including 17-2 against Vanderbilt. … Offensive tackle Ken Shackleford leads Georgia linemen in snaps played this year with 351.

Wednesday practice stuff

I can’t say coach Richt’s postpractice interview time today was especially interesting, but I transcribed it and I know people like reading this stuff, so I might as well post it. I’ll put some other stuff at the bottom.

On whether they’ve made a decision at TB:
“We were gonna watch yesterday and today, and tonight we do recruiting, so it’ll probably be tomorrow sometime before we get together as an offensive staff and talk about that.”

On his confidence level with Andy Bailey at PK:
“I hate that Brandon got hurt. Brandon’s outstanding. We all know how good he’s been, but Andy’s very talented. Even when he had his opportunity to kick, he kicked pretty well. It wasn’t like Andy lost it so much as the other guy was kicking well the whole way through. I know Andy struggled in that Georgia Tech game and we made a move, but it didn’t necessarily have to be a forever move. It’s kind of like quarterback sometimes. You put a guy in there for just a kick or two to settle him down and get the other guy back in there, but Brandon to his credit, started nailing just about everything so we didn’t really move back.”

On whether the players on the punt team realize the urgency of correcting their mistakes punt protecting:
“I think gosh they’ve gotta know. They’re like anybody else. They know they did a bad job, they know they made a mistake and they know we can’t do it again and expect to win. It wasn’t like all of a sudden this week we’re gonna work hard on it. We work hard on it all the time, but even last week, we especially worked hard on the very thing that got us. Tennessee did a good job and we did a poor job and we cannot let it happen. We just cannot let it happen.”

What he likes about A.J. Bryant:
“Just his perserverence and his desire to be great. He just works so hard. He works hard in practice. I can’t remember a time in practice where I felt like he was loafing or he was giving less than full effort. You can tell he cares very much about it. Sometimes, some people could say a guy cares too much and you press sometimes a little bit early on. Now that he’s finally gotten a little comfortable and confident, he’s doing great. I’m proud of him.”

Is he the deep threat they’ve been looking for?
“He is becoming that. We quite frankly haven’t put the ball up that many times this year, but he’s a guy that we’ve been directing guys to and he’s been the primary guy on more than one occasion. That one long ball he caught, he actually was past the defender by about a yard or two, long enough to catch it on the run if the ball was placed there, but it was short and outside and he still was able to spot it and make a great grab. That was not an easy catch at all. Even his second catch was a whale of a catch off a scramble situation, where he had to kind of lay out there full speed and snatch it. He’s made some impressive catches.”

Does Vanderbilt blitz more than most teams?
“They blitz a good bit. They have a few that they like a lot and they’ll always have one or two that we haven’t seen, like a lot of people. But I wouldn’t say they blitz more than others. I think everybody’s got a pretty decent blitz package.”

How Vandy QB Chris Nickson compares to the other mobile QBs they’ve played:
“I would say he’s closer to the young man at Colorado by comparison – very agile and tough, and a very accurate passer. I guess maybe his body type, more than anything, looks like the kid from Colorado.”

Does he think how the team responds this week against Vandy defines the season?
“It is truly one game at a time. I’m not so concerned about the second half of the season as I am about this game. We need to get another victory here to start feeling like Georgia again. That’s the goal. That’s the only goal.”

What was the problem with Darius Dewberry yesterday?
“Dewberry, he hurt his finger. I don’t know if it was dislocated or what, but they taped it together and it’s not gonna require any surgery.”

Will he play?
“Yeah, he’ll play. If you saw him in our kicking period before practice, he and Quintin Banks were having a pretty interesting session of who’s gonna knock down who on the kickoff. It was pretty interesting stuff. Quintin is usually the one who’s knocking people down, but Dewberry got the best of him today.”

Does there need to be more effort to get Mikey Henderson the ball at WR?
“I think our receivers in general are probably not getting as many opportunities as we’d like to give ‘em. But yeah, I’d like to see Mikey get on track a little bit because I think he has some playmaking ability, we saw it in the spring, and we need to find a way to get him the ball a little bit more. The thing that slowed him down more than anything was that hamstring issue, and then the season starts rolling and A.J. is doing pretty good, and because he has not been a guy who has done it in a game before, it’s hard to say well we’ve gotta move Mikey out there ahead of A.J. A lot of it’s just timing. Are you in there when I call certain plays? There’s some rotation going on where if a guy gets tired I don’t necessarily see that while I’m calling the next play. I may call a play thinking A.J.’s gonna get it, and because A.J. just had his hand up because he was tired coming off the field, Mikey may get in there – not that I’m trying to direct the ball to any one guy all that often. We’ve done one or two little things for him, but I’d like to see him get on track a little bit more.”

What makes Henderson special:
“A guy his size, you’ve gotta have something extra. He’s extremely fast and quick, but he’s got a good attitude and a lot of energy. He does have a very positive attitude, and you like guys like that to succeed because it can become contagious.”

Would Stafford’s mobility have helped in some of the scramble situations since Joe T’s ankle may slow him down some?
“The one where the fumble occurred, I don’t know if Stafford would have been quicker out of there to throw the ball away. Joe had time to throw it away, he was just trying to make a play. Reality was it was first-and-10 and it was a bad play, just throw it away and let’s go to the next down. That would have been wiser.”

Mikey’s on pace for a record year as a punt returner. How big was that for him to play well when Thomas Flowers went down?
“I always felt like Mikey could be a great punt returner. I don’t know if you remember, I think it was a year or two ago, didn’t he break his ankle in preseason camp? I think that was the year that Thomas won the job, well he was competing pretty heavily for that job in preseason camp. I’m not so sure Mikey, if he was healthy, wouldn’t have really threw his hat earlier in his career. But when Thomas was doing great, there was no need to take him out, although you had to like a guy with Mikey’s all-out speed and quickness to be back there. And then the other thing, too, is is he gonna hold onto the ball? Sometimes that punt return guy takes some pretty good shots. If everything’s clear, some guys can go the distance, but if they get hit, the ball pops out, but he’s done a good job of that.”

I talked to a couple of guys, Brandon Miller and Tra Battle, about Chris Nickson for a story I’m doing for Friday. It’ll be interesting to see if he’s slowed down any after suffering a thigh bruise against Ole Miss and having to leave the game. The guy’s a fun player to watch. He can run around and is a pretty decent passer – the same kind of player as Colorado’s Bernard Jackson and Ole Miss’ Brent Schaeffer except maybe a better passer.

Also, I did a Brannan Southerland story for tomorrow. If I were a Georgia fan and the type to buy a jersey, Brannan’s the kind of player whose jersey I’d want to buy. Fullback’s a lunchpail position and you’ve got to be a tough, unselfish kid to play it. You know he likes scoring all the touchdowns he’s been scoring lately, but he realizes it’s his main job to run up in a hole and knock the heck out of whoever tries to fill it. Just so someone else gets the glory. That requires a unique personality. Plus, when he comes to the interview sessions and we ask him questions, he tries to give good answers and he seems like a nice kid. So I like seeing good things happen for him.

I asked the Mikey question about how well he’s played as a punt returner this year (those questions aren’t what was asked word-for-word. Only the responses were). In reading UGA’s game notes, they have a section about how big of a year Mikey’s having. Just thought I’d share some of the stats for fun:
* He’s tied for the school record with two PR touchdowns (how large does that fumble out of the end zone against Western Kentucky loom now?) He’s tied with Buzy Rosenberg (1970, 1971), Jefferson Davis (1956) and Jim Campagna (1952).
* He’s on pace to have the top average per punt return in a season in school history. Mikey has 12 returns for 270 yards, good for an average of 22.5 yards. Scott Woerner is the current leader with a 15.7 average in 1980. Thomas Flowers is second with a 15.4 average in 2004.
* Mikey’s 22.5 average leads the SEC and is fifth in the nation.
* Georgia’s team average is 20.5 yards per return (20 returns, 409 yards), also good for first currently. The record is 16.48 in 1980. Second is a 15.18 average in 1960 and third is a 14.92 average in 2002.

Last thing, Matthew Borenstein who writes for the Red and Black, the school paper, asked me to share this story from his interview with receivers coach John Eason. He asked him if it was a hindrance for the receivers to be catching passes from all the different quarterbacks, like does it keep them from getting into a rhythm because it’s always someone different throwing the ball. He wanted me to share coach Eason’s quote because he talked a little crap to Borenstein and he thought it was funny:
“No. As wide receivers it's our responsibility, whether you're throwing it or not, to catch the football.”
The “you’re” he’s referring to there is Borenstein. He’s basically saying they should be able to catch the ball no matter who’s throwing it, even Matt. And coach Eason’s got a point there. Borenstein’s kind of a gangly sort, so they should be able to catch it if he was throwing to them. I doubt he could put much stank on his passes.

Tailback job up for grabs?

I wrote about the tailbacks for tomorrow, after coach Richt said today that they hadn’t decided who would start. See that surprised me because what I see is when Kregg Lumpkin gets to run with the ball, he gets yards. But what talking to coaches fairly frequently reminds you is that’s just part of the job. If they have you in on a pass play and you whiff on your block and your guy winds up making a sack, or if you’re in on punt protection and the guy runs around you and blocks a punt for a touchdown – well it’s probably not worth putting you on the field.

So they’re making Lumpkin work to keep the ball in practice this week. Running backs coach Tony Ball said he hasn’t decided whether to start Lumpkin or Thomas Brown, but he said the fundamentals work they do (i.e. blocking well) in the next couple days will be the deciding factor. Here’s some of what coach Ball said today. There’ll be some stuff from Thomas below that.

Coach Ball on Lumpkin’s blocking breakdowns:
“I think it was more of a technique thing. That’s the one thing that he and I have been discussing. I told him that was the one concern I have is fundamentally, he doesn’t block as well as he should. That’s something that has been discussed up to this point. It’s a shame that he was as fundamentally unsound as he was this weekend. I think in a couple of occasions it hurt us.”

Coach Ball, on if he’s decided on a starter:
“No not yet. I’m looking at how we approach it this week and I’m looking at how the fundamentals, how the guys go about doing it. In the end I’m gonna see who I can trust because we’re playing against a team that, a year ago, really dominated us when they pass rushed and got us off balance and knocked us around a bit. It’s gonna be important that we do a good job fundamentally this week.”

Ball, on why Danny Ware didn’t play against Tennessee:
“I think more importantly, you’ve got other guys that ran the ball well this last weekend, and I explained that to Danny. There’s a rhyme or reason for everything. As you said, Danny has been running the ball well. I just think this past weekend you were in a situation where you were in a tight ballgame and you’ve got Thomas and Kregg running the ball extremely well and I didn’t want to slow that down…It was just an unfortunate thing for Danny.”

Ball, on if the Tennessee game was Thomas Brown’s best game:
“From a productivity standpoint, he’s starting to see things faster and trust his eyes and just make things happen. From a productivity standpoint, yes.”

Ball, on how it seemed (to me) that Thomas allowed blocking to set up for him well last week:
“That’s part of seeing it. He’s been patient. After the first ballgame of the year, he really settled down and started making better plays. He’s getting better and better each week.”

Now here’s some of the stuff with Thomas. I asked him if he thought the Tennessee game was his most complete game of the year. I had to listen to the start of the interview several times and I didn’t pick up some at the very beginning. Just like when he takes a handoff, Thomas talks like he’s been shot out of a cannon:
“For the most part…Offensive and special teams, it was the best it’s been this year so far. I’m just working to try to be more consistent with that. At the beginning of the year I think I was trying to do too much, just be trying to be too fast and not letting the play develop at times. Every week, I try to tell myself before the play, ‘Just slow down, slow down,’ because I’m out there trying to go zero to 60 as soon as I get the ball. I’ve got to realize my offensive linemen aren’t moving as fast as I am. I’ve got to give them a chance to work their way up to the d-linemen and the linebackers and open up a hole for me.”

Brown, on the possibility of starting:
“It would be good to be out there, but it’s not something I’m focusing on. Whether I start is really something I can’t control for the most part, but I can control whether I come out every day and give great effort and focus and try to be the best back I can be.”

More Thomas. I asked him when coach Ball says he’s basing his decision on fundamentals, what does that mean to him?
“I think that’s more directed toward blocking and making sure we’re in the right position and using our hands. Vanderbilt, they’re a heavy-blitz team and they get after it when they come, so we’ve got to make sure we’re back in the right position fundamental-wise and ready to protect the quarterback.”

So there’s all that. Somebody asked me for an opinion about that in the comments section and I can’t say I have a very strong one. I don’t watch film like these guys do. In fact, I haven’t even had the luxury of seeing the TV broadcast like most of you. So what I can say is that from the pressbox, I’ve seen Kregg Lumpkin run really well and Thomas hasn’t gotten off much, particularly before the Tennessee game. It’s easy for me to look at that and say, “Kregg Lumpkin should be starting because he’s been the most productive runner,” but that’s an ignorant perspective. It’s pretty clear that if he doesn’t start working harder as a blocker that he’s not going to play much. Seems fair to me.

Willie Martinez Q&A

Some of the writers had a long group interview with defensive coordinator Willie Martinez after practice today. I didn’t listen to all of it, because I had a couple of other people I was trying to talk to while some of it was going on, but I thought I’d share some of what I heard. This is about eight minutes of what was probably a 15-minute Q&A:

We didn’t play well and they made plays at times. I’m not taking anything away from Tennessee. You coulda playcalled a little bit better. You always could be a great Monday quarterback and sit back there on your couch and, ‘Yeah, I coulda done this, I coulda done that,’ but we tell our guys all the time, there have been plenty of times where we made bad calls and you guys have made plays. We’ve got less people passrushing and made plays. Rushed three people passrushing and killed them with a five-, six-man protection. So we just didn’t step up our game when we needed to step up our game, you know? People talk about turnovers, that’s part of the game. We’ve got to stop them when they’ve got the ball in the red zone and we didn’t do that.
We dropped two interceptions Saturday night. We had a couple opportunities at fumbles and we didn’t get it – one we stripped. You know, that happens. It doesn’t mean less stress. We do the same amount of drills, the same talking, but it just seems like (we) can’t come through when it comes to clutch time to make the pick. And a lot of it comes to preparing, preparation meets opportunity, more film study, gotta put more time into it.

On Quentin getting chip blocked, how do you counteract it?
We do, we counteract it. He gets chipped and sometimes he doesn’t. It all depends on what they’re in formation-wise and what gets called, so it varies. You can see that they attempt to do it and we do things to counter it at times.

Is it significantly more than last year?
No, I think all the offenses have caught on. Our offense does it. When you get good passrushers, you’re gonna try and devote your backs to helping the O-line. We’ve been seeing that for the last, since I’ve been here, whether it’s Pollack or Charles Grant, we’ve seen it. And it’s not just the people that are playing us, you see it across the board. You see that a lot.

When you’re looking over things you did, do you feel not that every call is the perfect call at the time, but that the whole thing was about what it should have been?
We liked our plan. Could we have called a call here differently, you’re gonna say that whether we win, lose. Like I said, we went into the game and felt like we had to pressure some, we had to play some zone some and we had to play some man some. We did that. Could I have made a pressure in a certain situation that could have helped us? Yeah, I beat myself up about that, but there wasn’t anything other than them making plans. They had a good plan too. They made some good calls. Bottom line, the second half we had opportunities to make a play and we didn’t make a play to change the momentum of the game, and we talked about that. Our effort on our team was outstanding. We had the least amount of loafs that we had for the season. The thing that hurt us tremendously was the missed tackles. You’re talking about 13 tackles for 88 yards after contact. That means after the missed tackle, they gained 88 yards. One of them was a 24-yarder after a catch when they were in the black zone, then momentum just kept on going. That’s what we did a poor job of. That’s the most missed tackles we’ve had this year.

Has that been the biggest common theme in the losses to Auburn, West Virginia and Tennessee?
I think it varies. We had some missed tackles, but I think each game is different. It’s just different. Different preparation, different styles of offense. But bottom line, they got the momentum and didn’t lose it. The college game is about momentum and we couldn’t change the momentum. I think that when turnovers happen, the team that’s able to take advantage of it and keep it – major advantage. The ones that are able to kind of change it and not turn it over, whatever it is. And a defense too that can stop somebody in the red zone. We had them there even when they had the ball at the 19. We had a chance with a pick. We had a chance with the pass interference to maybe hold them to a field goal. We had a chance with a ball on the ground coming out of a drive, coming out of the black zone, that pops back to the quarterback – just little things that could have changed the momentum, but then again, we just weren’t able to change the momentum and we had the missed tackles that really hurt us, in the second half. First half, we had one bad series. And even in that series, we had some opportunities to make some plays and we didn’t.

How much of a factor was the defensive ends not being able to get pressure in not being able to regain momentum?
Again, I saw some defensive ends getting pressure. I think it’s a four-man front and when we’re bringing a pressure and the quarterback’s able to sight adjust late and see it and throw it and he’s about to get hit in the mouth. You know what I mean? A lot of it, too, is the quarterback. Well-coached and he was able to sight adjust it and see it coming and make a play. There’s a lot of guys that wouldn’t make that play.

Is this the most talent that you’ve had? Is the talent level where it’s been the last few years? I know you’ve lost some big names.
We’re talented. I can’t sit there and say we’re more talented than some other group. We’re inexperienced in some areas that shows. And we’ve got some experience where we need it. To sit there and compare, it’s hard to do that.

Would that inexperience be in the secondary? That’s where you lost three all-SEC guys from last year.
It showed. It showed Saturday night. We didn’t play very well and that was a big difference in the ballgame.

Richt Tuesday presser quotes

Here are most of coach Richt's comments from today's press conference. I put in some of the questions when I thought they were necessary. I thought he was fairly frank today.

We’re on the mend here, on the rebound after that loss. A lot of things came up that we have had to address or are in the process of addressing. More than anything else, we just want to get better at what we do. Not a lot of personnel changes really at all. We just feel like we’ve got to get better, so we’re gonna work hard on that this week. Our next opponent here, Vanderbilt, is in our opinion a very good football team. They could very easily be 5-1 right now. The thing that kinda scares you after watching what Arkansas did to Auburn, and I watched a good bit of that game, and that was no fluke. Arkansas just lined up and got after ‘em and beat them pretty good. Vanderbilt played them to a 19 to 21 ballgame, in a game that Vanderbilt could have very easily won. Then they play Alabama, I’m not sure in what order. I know they start out with Michigan. Then they play Alabama and I think Alabama’s losing 10-3 at halftime, 10-10 in the fourth quarter, late in the fourth quarter and Alabama’s deep in their territory and basically have to throw the ball on third-and-18. If not they’re gonna have to punt it deep in their territory to Vanderbilt and give them a chance to win the game, and they hit a deep ball where a kid made a great grab and made a nice run after the catch and they end up having to kick a 42-, 43-, 44-yard field goal, just to solidify that win against them, so they’re playing outstanding football. The No. 1 thing we see as a staff is that they’re extremely well-coached. The No. 2 thing we see is that they’re extremely physical. And they’ll run the ball very well. They’re No. 2 in the league in rushing behind Arkansas who we know can really run the rock. They’re physical on offense and defense. Defense, what I see more than anything else is guys that will really light you up, they will really hit you. They’re hitting backs, they’re knocking receivers around. They’re just playing a very physical brand of football. They’re not real fancy, they don’t line up in a whole lot of different looks. They’re just very fundamentally sound and very difficult to move the ball against. Their special teams I think the main thing with them in special teams is the athletes they’re beginning to put on those teams. Sometimes you have your redshirt freshmen and your younger players on those special teams and coach Fabris especially made some remarks about how he felt the athleticism of their players has improved year after year after year. He thinks their young athletes are really outstanding. We think we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ve got high regard for Vanderbilt and what they’re doing and what their coaches are doing. We’ve just gotta try to find a way to win. That’s probably the only way we’re gonna feel a whole lot better anytime soon.

A lot of times you do bring pressure, you’re in more of your one-on-one situations. We did bring pressure. We brought blitzes, they just did a super job of throwing quick during a lot of those times. When you reduce the game to one-on-one situations, then the quarterback – especially a veteran quarterback like Ainge – doesn’t have to hold it very long. All of a sudden, he’s throwing it to his very first read. That’s the tradeoff. We were going into the game thinking let’s make him go through his first, second, maybe third progression in some of those zone looks we were playing and figuring we’d get more pressure than we did. That was one of the bigger disappointments of the ballgame for us, that our defensive ends didn’t pressure the quarterback like we wanted them to. At times when we did get some edge pressure by them, there were times when our front gave him too much of a pocket to step up into and just stay comfortable. We didn’t even squeeze the pocket very much, which is shocking to me that we didn’t do better in that regard. But again, you’ve got to credit Tennessee too. They did a nice job.

Was it just that they had a superior offensive line?
They did that game. They did that game. They beat us up front.

Does Joe T give you the best chance to win Saturday?
I think we can win with Joe, I think we can win with Matt, I think we can win with Joe Cox. I’m not so sure, Blake hadn’t got a lot of work, so I wouldn’t want to say right now with Blake. But I think Blake when given the work, I think we can win. It’s not just the quarterback is basically the point I’m getting to. Everybody around the quarterback’s gotta play good. We’ve gotta play good defense. We’ve gotta play good special teams. We’ve gotta block well up front. We’ve got to provide time and space for the backs to make plays. It’s not a one-man show by any means is what I’m trying to get out, so you guys can quote it anyway you want. That’s what I’m saying is it’s more than one guy. Joe will start for us and I do want Matthew to play though. I do want to get him in there.

Will you have a set rotation planned for this game?
I would say it will be very likely that he will play in the first half.

How did your club respond yesterday?
I think the team responded about as well as they could. The first thing you look for is anybody or any group of players trying to become segmented from the group. You don’t want your unity to be displaced. That’s your biggest thing. If you can’t stay together in a time like this, you’ve got problems. If your staff doesn’t stay together in a time like this, you’ve got problems. I see no evidence of anybody moving away from the group. That was No. 1. No. 2 is you worry about the morale a little bit, but if they didn’t feel bad, you think maybe we don’t have the right guy. So I didn’t mind them being a little bit quiet. We worked ‘em pretty good at the beginning of practice. It was pretty business-like. It was not a lot of enthusiasm, but I didn’t necessarily expect a lot of enthusiasm. Today is Tuesday, we don’t hardly ever have a lot of enthusiasm on Tuesday no matter who we’re playing, but I expect a lot of hard work today and good effort. I saw that yesterday and I’d be really surprised if I didn’t see that today.

After looking over things the last couple days, do you guys feel like you’re doing the right things defensively?
Hindsight is always 20-20. I think there are things we’d do differently if we played them again. It doesn’t look like we’ll get a chance to do that this year. I think we’d have done a few things differently and not provided quite as much space for their receivers when they were running some of their routes. But again, I think with the strategy we had, as much time as we gave Ainge, who’s a very talented kid and mature kid now, you’ve got problems if you don’t pressure him. Any coverage breaks down if you give the quarterback too long.

How much responsibility do the linebackers have in picking up some of the shorter reads, and also putting pressure on the quarterback when the defensive ends aren’t doing that?
If we bring the linebackers, we expect them to get there on some pressures. Quite frankly we were bringing them, we were bringing different stunts inside and twisting them and things that people do. They blocked it well. We didn’t really whip anybody very often. Sometimes we got a back who was on the edge of us a little bit and we were putting a little bit of pressure on them. But Ainge is a 6-6 guy and he sees the field well and anticipates well. If he was more of an inexperienced guy, he might have made a mistake here or there. But he knows exactly where he’s going with the ball and where’s he’s supposed to go with it. One of the touchdown passes where he threw it to the guy right down the middle, I’ve seen a lot of guys miss that ball, but he put it right on the money, right exactly where it needed to be. His accuracy broke us down some too.

Offensively, we started out beautifully. Then with turnovers, regardless of how they happened, they’re drive-killers. You’re not gonna get any more yards and you’re not gonna get any more points when you turn it over and you’re gonna put your defense in a bad way. Most of the time, twice we put them in a real bad way, and the other one, it wasn’t great. The fourth one at the end of the game didn’t mean a whole lot, but the three when the game was on the line hurt us offensively, we couldn’t continue to move the ball, and defensively, it puts them in a bad way. I’ll say this, we did better on defense when we had them backed up. They did come out of there I know at least one time, but for the most part, especially when our kicking team didn’t cover that well or when our kicker kicks it out of bounds, they get it on the 35-yard line or the 40, it gave them momentum to start their drives and it got them going, I think. I will say this about the loss, it was definitely a team loss. We had special teams issues, we had offensive issues, we had defensive issues, we had some people breaking down at different times. If you look at the game overall, we had some outstanding things that happened too. Punt return for a touchdown, kick return for a touchdown, you would have thought that you’d win. But if someone said you’d have a punt blocked for a touchdown, you’d say we probably weren’t going to win the game. If you say we were gonna have three or four turnovers to zero, you can just about assure yourself you’re losing the game.

You mentioned possible personnel changes. Are there any that you can share with us?
There’s really none that I can think of. We haven’t really decided who will start at tailback. We’re kind of letting today and tomorrow answer that question. I’m sure there’s some more competition across the board. I’m not sure between Kade and Ray Gant who might start there. I thought Jeffrey Owens played very well.

Protection was the issue with Lumpkin?
This game it was, absolutely. He reverted back to freshman days. That was a disappointment. He did run the ball well, but again our guys have gotta know they’re not running specialists.

Thomas Brown appears to be running well.
Yeah, he had a great game. He had a great game running the ball, and that return. That guy, he wheeled his way through there. I think he was gonna run through there no matter what was happening up front blocking. We did happen to block it better than we did the entire ballgame, but it wasn’t just a slam-dunk, block-everybody type of deal. He just wasn’t gonna stop and he didn’t. And he did run the ball better. He got a little bit more space when he got the ball, to run it. We were never disappointed in him. People were like, ‘What’s wrong with Thomas? What’s wrong with Thomas?’ and we didn’t think anything was wrong other than that he was playing a little too hard at times and when he was carrying the ball, we just thought he was too fast into the blocking scheme. We wanted him just to slow himself down a little bit, just to see everything and then burst through like he wanted to. I think he’s little by little gotten better as the season’s gone on. While we’re on the subject, another back, you may be getting ready to mention him, but Brannan Southerland, he’s playing great football right now. Short-yardage runner, goalline runner, he’s been blocking really well – run and pass – he’s been catching screens and scoring, he caught the ball downfield last game. We’re actually having him run the ball a little more in situations that aren’t third-down or goal line situations. We’ve just been real pleased with him.

He looks quicker than a year ago.
He was too heavy last year. I was looking at film of last year, I just noticed it on film, it might have been yesterday, watching him in the Vanderbilt game. If you remember last year, he was the only guy. He got every rep in practice, he was a redshirt freshman, he was a little bit – this kid’s not fat, he’s muscled up – but I think he was a little too heavy, not quite as lean as he could be. He’s leaner, he’s in better condition, he knows more of what to do and he’s got more help in practice and even games. We’re subbing a little bit, but last year he was really about the only healthy fullback we had. We were trying to train Stephen White last year but we weren’t real comfortable with Stephen. But all those things have helped him a lot.

Do you think you might sub Brannan out more in games or has it turned out that he’s been far-and-away the best guy?
We probably thought him and Des would share the load a little bit more, but his play has been really super.

Before the game, we just talked about we wanted to start fast. We were hoping we’d get after it really good. At halftime…we knew we were in a battle. We didn’t think, ‘Aw, we’ve got ‘em,’ or anything like that. I thought the most crucial drive of the game was when we were up 24-7 to be honest with you. I thought it after the game. I thought it actually as it was happening and at the end of the night. I thought that was the drive that you’ve got to give Tennessee a lot of credit for. To keep their composure when they got down 24-7 in a hostile environment, our fans were going crazy, we were playing good, there was a punt return that broke again. They were probably, ‘Oh, here’s another one.’ That was the third time in six games that we had a punt return for a touchdown. They needed points and drove the field and scored a touchdown. That was huge for them. Our halftime, we don’t change a whole lot. We’re about business of trying to make adjustments and communicating to players what we expect to do in the second half. We were just trying to finish, which we didn’t do at all. We still had the lead going into the fourth quarter, I guess, but after that we didn’t finish at all.

You said earlier that all the quarterbacks are pretty close. You have a fifth-year senior in Joe T and a freshman in Stafford that you want to mix in there. Should you maybe give him more reps in practice with the first team because right now you’re doing 75, 80 percent with Joe T and give Stafford more?
Give who more reps?

Stafford more reps to get him prepared to play?
First of all, I know you’re not at practice, so you can’t see.

That’s what they say.
That’s what they say? Well, Stafford’s getting a good many reps with the ones. Not as many as Joe. That’s the way it is when you’ve got a first team and a second team. Like with the receivers, for example, I know we have first-team and second-team receivers, but when we’re practicing, we’re rolling them constantly, so they’re getting the same amount of balls from every quarterback, so it doesn’t matter…

Concern that there's no clear No. 1?
You can’t just snap your fingers and make it happen. You can’t wave a magic wand and settle it. It’s gotta be settled on the field through their play. It’s definitely not 100 percent settled at this point. First of all, I don’t want to just give someone something unless they’ve earned it. I want to be very objective, be as even as I can and fair as I can and also try to do what I think gives us the best chance to win. All those things come into play, but there hasn’t been that cut and dry. Joe did get hurt, Stafford got an opportunity to be the starter and played three or four games while Joe was injured. If Stafford would have played lights out, it would have been very difficult to take him out of there. He played about like a freshman would play. He’s learning what to do, he’s getting better. I think he’s better today than he was when he had that first opportunity, to be quite frank with you. It wasn’t like it was clear-cut, that’s the end of it. It hasn’t happened that way. In the Colorado game, we’ve gotta have Cox come off the bench to help seal the victory. If Stafford stayed in there, could we have won? Maybe, but it didn’t happen that way. Then Cox starts the next game because he deserves to start the next game, from what I saw. And then Joe struggled, because he’s a freshman too, and Stafford comes in. They were coming off the bench better than they were as starters, to be quite frank, the young guys. It’s understandable. Then Joe T has done some good things and some things that weren’t quite so good. Nobody has played to the point where we’re like, ‘this guy is THE guy.’

What impact is that having on the team?
I don’t think there’s anything we can do about it other than continue to play this thing through. Is it ideal? Absolutely not. Is it what I’d prefer? No way. But we’re living through that process. If you look at Ainge today and you look at Ainge the last two years, he’s in and out and they’re trying to figure out who. It didn’t help their situation, but that happens when you’re trying to get guys in position to see who’s that solid starter. It doesn’t happen overnight.

Would it be nice to have this thing solidified in the next two weeks before Florida?
I'd get it solidified today if I could.

I know their athletes are better than they were five years ago. They really are well coached. You can tell they’re getting in the weight room. They’re good football players and they love to play the game. They’ve come up just a little bit short, but people aren’t thrashing them around by any means. This is a very good football team that absolutely can beat you. Ole Miss game I think they had 400 and something yards of offense to about 160. Statistically, they kinda drilled Ole Miss but I think they were the ones that turned it over three or four or five times. If we turn it over four times and they turn it over zero, I can just about assure you we won’t win.

Do you change your approach with Joe T this week after last week?
Not really. We’ll have a couple new things, but not because of what happened last week. It’s because there’ll be things we think might have a chance against the way Vanderbilt plays defense.

Tuesday notebook

Our online posting problems continue, so some stuff isn't posting. like my Tuesday notebook. here it is:

ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia’s Gordon Ely-Kelso said last week that the two punts that Ole Miss blocked were the first he’d had blocked since his junior year of high school. Now he’s had three of his last 10 batted down by the opposition.

A week after blocking breakdowns led to the Ole Miss blocks, another one allowed Tennessee to block Ely-Kelso’s only punt attempt last Saturday, resulting in a Volunteers touchdown.

“It was one guy who has basically gotten himself too wide and let somebody undercut him to get inside that pocket,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said.

The block ruined an otherwise stellar night for Georgia’s special teams. Thomas Brown returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Mikey Henderson returned a punt for a score. And Andy Bailey was 3-for-3 on extra point attempts and hit both of his field goal tries in replacing injured all-conference kicker Brandon Coutu.

“Losing ruins the night I guess,” Ely-Kelso said. “We did a lot of good things on special teams, but then we did a lot of bad things also. I think a lot of the bad canceled out the good.”

Georgia’s opponent this weekend, Vanderbilt, is coming off a rough special teams outing as well, after several key mistakes helped Ole Miss beat the Commodores 17-10.

Vandy missed two field goals, fumbled a punt return and punter Brett Upson was forced to hold the ball at his own 17 to avoid an oncoming punt rusher. The turnover on downs gave Ole Miss great field position, leading to a BenJarvus Green-Ellis touchdown that gave the Rebels an early 14-0 lead.

“We were playing pretty good defense, but that just gives them a short field and an opportunity to get out ahead, which they did,” Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said. “Those are critical mistakes and we cannot make those on special teams.”

Ware’s absence
Ever since his third-quarter fumble against Colorado, Georgia tailback Danny Ware has seen his role in the offense decrease. The junior had just four carries against Ole Miss before the ultimate indignity against Tennessee – he didn’t make it on the field for a single down.

“I’m disappointed, of course,” Ware said after Monday’s practice. “I feel like I’m an athlete and I want to go out there and help the team as much as I can.”

Ware said he talked with running backs coach Tony Ball about his disappointment after the game. He said it was more that Kregg Lumpkin and Thomas Brown were both running well than a punishment for Ware.

Lumpkin led the team with just 13 carries and averaged 6 yards per attempt, where Brown averaged more than 7 yards in his eight carries.

“I talked (to Ball), but it was just one of those things where he felt like Kregg was running the ball well and he just didn’t get a chance to get me in,” Ware said.

Ball’s assessment was backed up by Richt on his Sunday media teleconference.

“I don’t know for sure that we went into the game and said, ‘Danny’s not playing.’” coach Mark Richt said. “Lumpkin was running the ball well, as was Thomas.”

Quick hits
Georgia’s Oct. 21 game against Mississippi State will kick off at 1 p.m. It will not be televised. … Injured offensive lineman Zeb McKinzey (shoulder) was limited in Monday’s practice, which has been the case since he reinjured the shoulder in an Aug. 6 preseason practice. McKinzey said the injury is improving, but is still unsure when he’ll be able to return. … Backup center Ian Smith was not at Monday’s practice. McKinzey and Turner said Smith was out sick. … Georgia dropped to No. 14 in both the USA Today coaches poll and Harris Interactive poll and No. 16 in Associated Press poll. ABC’s Craig James was the voter who ranked Georgia the highest at No. 11 among AP voters. John Hoover of the Tulsa (Okla.) World had Georgia lowest at No. 25.

Cherrishinski?

I probably laughed a little too hard at this. The other guys in the writers' room seemed to think so as I read it aloud. still, well done Georgia Sports Blog.

The curse of the Cherrishinskis?

No changes evident

If you’re paying attention, you can tell a lot about the depth chart by where the players are lined up while they stretch before practices and games. The starter at each position lines up along each line, with the first-team offensive players facing the first-team defensive players. The next line on each side is the second-team players. It starts to mix up a little after that.

Anyway, it’s an easy way to figure out who’s getting moved up or down – really, it’s pretty much your only way to figure that out, because they’re probably not going to come out and announce it. You have to notice it and then ask about it.

I say all that to say this: I was looking hard at that today to see how much movement there was on the depth chart, if any. And there was very little:
First-team offense’s line: A.J. Bryant, Mohamed Massaquoi, Martrez Milner, Ken Shackleford, Fernando Velasco, Nick Jones, Chester Adams, Dan Inman, Brannan Southerland, Kregg Lumpkin, Joe Tereshinski

First-team defense’s line: Charles Johnson, Quentin Moses, Ray Gant, Jeff Owens, Brandon Miller, Jarvis Jackson, Tony Taylor, Tra Battle, Kelin Johnson, Ramarcus Brown, Paul Oliver

As I’m sure you can guess, just like last Monday, the first thing I looked for was to see where Tereshinski was lined up. I didn’t think coach Richt gave him much of a vote of confidence with what he said about him on Sunday’s teleconference. But there he was with the first team before practice. He said he took about the same number of snaps today in practice that he was taking last week, so it looks like he’s going to be the starter. We won’t find out for sure about that until at least tomorrow’s press conference, if coach Richt even confirms it then.

We talked to him some after practice, so I figured I’d share some of what Joe said. I only used a couple of his quotes in my stuff for tomorrow.
“I came out doing pretty well, made some plays, but as the game went on, made some mistakes. The best thing about them is that they can be corrected, and they’re gonna have to be.”

Did you feel rusty out there?
“No, not at all. Starting off I felt great. I felt like I was getting a lot of protection from the line and just (wanted to) get it close to our receivers, because our receivers were making plays. I think our emotions led us for most of the first half and as they started to wear off, I feel like we lost a little bit of our poise. You can’t do that in a big-time ballgame.”

Someone asked him if a headline about how Georgia got put in its place was fair:
“Coming from a player, I don’t enjoy seeing that on the front page. But it’s one of those things that when you lose, the only way you can control what’s put up on the headlines is if you win. We didn’t, so I guess it’s fair game.”

What was your assessment of your performance?
“Not the best, but not the worst. I felt like I might not have been going everywhere to the correct spots, but at least I was giving everyone a chance to catch the ball. They were doing that first half, but as the second half came around, I probably needed to get a little more precision on my passes.”

How did your ankle hold up?
“It held up the whole game. The training room staff did a great job of getting it back.
I didn’t know he was behind me, but I’ve got to assume with that kind of blitz that we can’t pick up everybody on our protection. So I’ve got to assume he’s behind me and get the ball out of bounds.”

I talked to Michael Turner for a minute today, who came back from a high ankle sprain and rolled some at tackle. I was just watching a few minutes of the Tennessee game replay on CSS and Turner absolutely buried a guy he was blocking on a second-quarter Thomas Brown run. I’m saying he had the guy flat on his back and Turner’s smothering him. Quite a block. Anyway, he said the offensive line was motivated by people calling them soft (I thought they had a pretty good game against the Vols – ran well and Joe T had time to throw almost the entire night). He must have brought that up two or three times:
“Everybody’s been saying that we’re soft and we just wanted to show people we’re not a soft buncha guys. We’re gonna go out there and try to bust people in the mouths as much as we can. We just didn’t get the job done, I guess.”

On the improvement in the running game, where the backs averaged more than 5 yards per carry:
“I don’t know if it was a lack of focus in the other games or whatever it was, but after comments had been made about us being soft, we just wanted to pick it up a little bit and show that we’re not soft as an offensive line as a whole.”

On how the injured ankle held up. It was his first game in a month:
“It’s gonna be sore for a while, but it held up good during the game and held up today at practice, so I feel pretty good.”

Gordon Ely-Kelso, on what happened on the punt that got blocked:
“It’s a one-on-one situation where if you don’t do it perfect you’re gonna have trouble, and we just missed a block.”

We also talked to Danny Ware about how he didn’t play against Tennessee. I find that very strange. He said coach Ball just said they never got to him because Lumpkin and Brown were running well, which is also what coach Richt said on Sunday’s teleconference. They were running well, but that just doesn’t make sense to me. Ware’s been pretty productive, particularly catching passes out of the backfield. I know he’s fumbled some, but not to even get on the field for one play? Hmmm.

“It was frustrating, but you can’t dwell on it, just go and get ready for this week and go out there and prepare.”

“I talked (to Ball), but it was just one of those things where he felt like Kregg was running the ball well and he just didn’t get a chance to get me in.”

“I’m disappointed, of course. I feel like I’m an athlete and I want to go out there and help the team as much as I can. Not being able to get a chance to get a snap and go out there and fight with my guys in a losing battle, it’s just very frustrating.”

I asked Danny if he thought they’d make a greater effort to run the ball in the next few weeks:
“I would hope so. I don’t really know. The passing game stepped up last weekend and opened up a whole lot more things, so as long as we keep playing the way we’re playing, I think we’ll be all right.”

That’s all I got today. We’ll see what tomorrow’s press conference day brings.

No TV for Mississippi State

I was talking to Claude Felton, Georgia's all-star sports communications director, tonight about TV for the Bulldogs' Oct. 21 home game against Mississippi State...or at least the lack thereof. The game will kick off at 1 p.m. and will not be televised, either on regular TV or on pay-per-view.

I thought that was interesting, so I asked him to explain that. He said if they want to have a PPV game that conflicts with the time window of games being carried on regular TV (either the Lincoln Financial lunchtime game, the 3:30 CBS game or the ESPN night game), league broadcast rules say they can only do it once per time window all season. Basically, if they want to do a 1 p.m. PPV game, they can only go up against the LF Sports game once this season, which they've already done with the UAB game. They could have done a PPV broadcast of the Mississippi State game later in the day because they haven't had a PPV that conflicted with the CBS or ESPN time windows this year. But he said the school's just not interested in playing something like a 5 p.m. game that day, just so they can carry it on PPV.

So if you want to see the Bulldogs take on the Bulldogs, you're gonna have to buy a ticket. Otherwise you'll be forced to let Larry Munson set the scene, which isn't such a horrible predicament, come to think of it.

Arkansas, national team of the week

I thought this might provide some solace for some of the folks who are taking the Tennessee loss especially hard: Arkansas was named the Football Writers Association of America's national team of the week after manhandling Auburn on Saturday. You know how it is. If your team can't win, revel in the failures of others.

DALLAS (FWAA) – With their 27-10 win at Auburn, the Arkansas Razorbacks (4-1) are the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl National Team of the Week, as selected by the pollsters of the FWAA's Grantland Rice Super 16 Poll for games of the weekend of Oct. 7.
Darren McFadden and Felix Jones combined for 249 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and Arkansas registered five sacks while holding the Tigers to 60 yards rushing.
Auburn is the highest ranked team to fall to the Razorbacks since Arkansas knocked off No. 1 Texas in 1981. The Tigers entered the game ranked second in the Associated Press poll.
"We were just trying to come out and earn some respect and show the world we're not a pushover," said Arkansas receiver Marcus Monk after the game.
Other Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Bowl National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Oct. 7 included:
• California (5-1): Nate Longshore threw three touchdown passes and Justin Forsett added 163 yards on the ground as the Golden Bears dominated Oregon, 45-24.
• Florida (6-0): Tim Tebow threw two touchdown passes and ran for another as Florida moved to 6-0 for the first time in ten years with a 23- 10 win over LSU.
The FWAA has named a national team of the week since the 2002 season. This is the second season that the award has been sponsored by the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

Master Coaches Poll 10/8

I've got to say I find the concept of the Master Coaches Poll intriguing. Particularly since coaches Dooley, Dye and Stallings are involved. I found out the other day that I know a guy who's involved with publishing the poll, dating back to my first newspaper job. It's funny how small the world seems sometimes. Anyway, they publish the poll every Sunday, so I figured I'd start posting it on here for if any of the readers want to see it.

• 1. Ohio State (17)
• 2. (tie) Florida
• 2. (tie) Michigan
• 4. Southern Cal
• 5. West Virginia
• 6. Texas
• 7. Louisville
• 8. Tennessee
• 9. California
• 10. Notre Dame
• 11. Auburn
• 12. (tie) Georgia Tech
• 12. (tie) Iowa
• 14. Clemson
• 15. LSU
• 16. Georgia
• 17. Oregon
• 18. Missouri
• 19. Nebraska
• 20. Virginia Tech
• 21. Boise State
• 22. Rutgers
• 23. Wisconsin
• 24. Arkansas
• 25. Oklahoma

Other teams receiving votes ... Boston College, Florida State, Penn State, Washington, Pitt, Miami, UCLA, Alabama, Navy

Tennessee thoughts

That might have been one of the most interesting football games I've ever seen in person. You had one team go up big early, only to have the other team score 50 points and come back to win, a punt blocked for a touchdown, a punt returned for a touchdown and a kickoff returned for a touchdown. That's just insane.

Here's some interesting stats for you:
* Obviously the big one: Georgia had four second-half turnovers, Tennessee had none
* Tennessee's third-down conversions in the second half: 4 out of 5
Georgia's: 1 out of 5
* I'm sure Georgia's defense is going to get a lot of blame, and certainly they didn't get any pressure on Ainge and got carved up, but here are the lengths of the Vols' four touchdown drives in the second half:
Five plays, 19 yards
Four plays, 36 yards
Eight plays, 55 yards
Nine plays, 44 yards (plus they had the blocked punt in the end zone for a TD)
So only one of those touchdown drives started in Tennessee territory, and that was at the Vols' 45-yard line. That's called handcuffing your defense, and Tennessee's offense didn't need any favors.
* Conversely, here's how Georgia's six drives ended in the second half:
Interception at the Georgia 19, field goal, Interception at the Georgia 36, blocked punt for TD, Fumble at the Georgia 44, Interception at the Tennessee 37
* Average starting field position in the second half:
Tennessee: The Tennessee 48
Georgia: The Georgia 29

I'm sure the wingnuts out there are calling for the coaching staff's heads at this point. Truthfully, Georgia's not as bad as that score indicates. They let themselves get caught up in a game they had no business trying to play and it caught up with them in the second half. The way to win that game was to pound the run and control the clock. But after it seemed like everything Joe Tereshinski threw up in the first half found a Georgia receiver's hands, Georgia threw it 19 times in the second half against 11 runs. I guess the number's actually 20 if you take into account the pass play where Joe T fumbled as he threw.

And it's not like Tennessee was shutting down the run. Thomas Brown had seven carries for 55 yards at halftime. Know what he finished with? Eight carries for 57 yards. That's a shame because he was running really well on the drive they let him have in the second quarter -- that's where six carries and 48 of his yards came -- leading up to Brannan Southerland's touchdown catch. Lumpkin ran fairly well in the second half, with seven of his 13 total carries and 48 of his 78 yards. But they decided they were gonna be in a shootout, which plays directly into Tennessee's hands. And they got shot out.

I know this loss stings Georgia fans, but the Bulldogs are neither as good as they looked in the first half nor as bad as they looked in the second. The first half was Georgia about as good as it can be this year. The second was the Georgia we've seen the previous two weeks. It's just that Colorado and Ole Miss aren't good enough to do what Tennessee did. The Bulldogs are somewhere between those two extremes, which is certainly good enough to win nine or 10 games and remain in the hunt for the SEC East title. The coaches just have to decide whether they want to look pretty or whether they want to win games.

Georgia is fully capable of running the ball and playing enough defense to beat good teams. They just don't seem like they're willing to play that way.

(by the way, 5-2 on straight-up picks and 4-3 against the spread, making me 44-8 straight-up and 25-24 ATS this season. blah.)

Big SEC weekend picks

There are some great matchups this weekend. This is one time I'm glad Georgia plays at night so I can watch some games during the day. Normally, I'd be fine if they played at noon every week...particularly next week. I'd like to watch that 7:45 Auburn-Florida game from the comfort of my couch, pizza slice in one hand, Bud Light in the other.

Anyway, here's some picks for ya. Right now, I'm 39-6 straight-up and 21-21 against the spread. Outside of the Alabama and Mississippi State games, not only do I feel unconfident about Saturday's spreads, I'm not very comfortable picking winners in any of these. There should be some great games tomorrow. I'm psyched.

Arkansas at Auburn, Noon Saturday, CBS
Line: Auburn by 15.5
My guess: My dad is convinced Arkansas is going to give Auburn everything it can handle. I'm not so sure about that, but the Razorbacks are coming off a bye week and Auburn is beat up. They'll be playing a new center and Brandon Cox hobbles around like he needs crutches between plays. And if that doesn't worry an Auburn fan, Arkansas has two of the best young running backs in the nation in Darren McFadden (102 yards per game) and Felix Jones (65) and the best rushing offense in the SEC. Auburn hasn't played a complete game yet and Arkansas will give the Tigers a tough time again. I think Auburn wins, but it won't be especially pretty. Auburn 24, Arkansas 17

Vanderbilt at Ole Miss, 2 p.m. Saturday, None
Line: Vandy by 1.5
My guess: I admit it. I kind of like old Vandy. I like their coach, Bobby Johnson, and I like what I've seen of their quarterback, Chris Nickson. You figure Ole Miss is going to try to pound the run with BenJarvus Green-Ellis like they did last week against Georgia, with him running for 135 yards, and use that to set up play-action passes for Brent Schaeffer. Vandy isn't especially great against the run or the pass, so I'd think if the Rebs get the running game going, they'll win. My inclination is to pick Ole Miss, but since they've screwed up my pick in their game for four straight weeks, I'm going with Vandy. Apparently I was thinking Ole Miss was better than it is. Vanderbilt 20, Ole Miss 17

West Virginia at Mississippi State, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, PPV
Line: West Virginia by 21.5
My guess: This one looks like the lead-pipe lock of the week. West Virginia's averaging 42 points per game. Mississippi State has scored 63 points -- in FIVE GAMES, nearly half of which came in a loss to crappy Tulane. I like the Bulldogs' run defense, but their offense stinks and Steve Slaton's a machine. Like most every Mississippi State game, this one has the potential to get ugly. West Virginia 48, Mississippi State 10

LSU at Florida, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, CBS
Line: The site I go by has this one as a pick em. You can get Florida minus-2 in some places.
My guess: These may be the two most talented teams in the SEC. Florida's got dangerous offensive skill players all over the field and has a strong defense. They're a little vulnerable to the pass, and LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell has played very well this year. He's second in the nation in passing efficiency. Because they're at home, I think Florida will win this one, but it'll be a great game. Florida 17, LSU 14

South Carolina at Kentucky, 7 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2
Line: South Carolina by 5
My guess: Obviously I won't see any of this one, but it's an intriguing game. I'm surprised they're giving South Carolina 5 in this one since both teams are 3-2 and they're playing at Kentucky. The Gamecocks played great against Auburn last week and Kentucky has actually played fairly well this year. I really believe both these teams could qualify for bowl appearances. After watching Syvelle Newton torch Auburn's secondary, count me as a believer that South Carolina's offense has gotten it together. I think they'll beat the Wildcats, but it wouldn't surprise me if Kentucky pulls it off. South Carolina 27, Kentucky 23

Duke at Alabama, 7:07 p.m. Saturday, CTSN PPV
Line: Alabama by 29
My guess: After a two-week hiatus, the Tide's back to playing patsies. This is a horrible, horrible matchup. The only draw for me would be the chance to watch Duke punter Alex Feinberg, whom I covered in high school in Thomasville, play. And he's sure to be on the field a lot. Duke has been shut out in three of four games, including by Division I-AA Richmond and crappy Virginia. Alabama's not that hot, but they'll add to that streak. Alabama 35, Duke 0

Tennessee at Georgia, 7:52 p.m. Saturday, ESPN
Line: Tennessee by 2.5
My guess: Georgia's only chance is to keep the score low. And that's certainly achievable, considering the Dawgs have the nation's top scoring defense at 6.8 points allowed per game. But Georgia hasn't run into an offense with anywhere near the capabilities of Tennessee. Georgia could just play defense and eke out a win against the first five opponents, but they've got to score in this one, at least a little. Joe Tereshinski will make a difference, I think, but it will hurt not having Brandon Coutu and I think Tennessee's just got a few too many weapons. Tennessee 20, Georgia 17

Coutu story UPDATED -- severely torn hamstring

ATHENS, Ga. – All-SEC Georgia place-kicker Brandon Coutu will miss the rest of the season after severely tearing his hamstring in Thursday’s practice.
Georgia coach Mark Richt knew Thursday that Coutu would miss at least Saturday’s game against Tennessee, but an MRI revealed it was more serious.
The injury will not require surgery, said Ron Courson, Georgia’s director of sports medicine. There will be a period of immobilization before he can begin rehabilitating the injury, but is expected to make a full recovery before next season.
“I feel sorry for Brandon and we’ll miss him for sure, but it’s a reminder that injuries are a part of football,” Richt said in a statement. “The good news is that it looks like a full recovery is expected and we look forward to getting him back at full speed in time for next season.”
The injury was a freak accident of sorts, where Coutu was trying out a new method of kicking onside kicks when he felt the pop behind his right knee, his kicking leg.
“I think (it) put his leg in a little different position than he’s used to,” Richt said. “I think it’s something that he saw in the NFL, someone popped one up real high and he was trying to do that in case we needed it.”
Junior Andy Bailey, who lost the job to Coutu late in the 2004 season, will take over field goal and extra point duties. Walk-on Ben Wilson will continue to handle kickoffs. Bailey led Georgia in scoring in 2004 and was 14-for-20 on field goals, with a long from 46 yards, and 36-for-37 on extra points.
Bailey missed some time in practice last week with an undisclosed injury, but Richt said he has kicked well since returning.
“The bad news is Coutu, that injury happened to him, the good news is Bailey’s been kicking beautifully,” Richt said. “And you know, he was a little hurt last week, but on Tuesday I thought he kicked fantastic.”
Bailey isn’t the weapon that Coutu was, however. Coutu made a 58-yard field goal last year against Louisiana-Monroe and had the second-longest field goal in the nation this year with a 55-yarder against UAB. Rated the nation’s No. 2 place-kicker by Lindy’s magazine and No. 3 by The Sporting News, Coutu was 7-for-8 on field goals, his only miss from 53 yards against Colorado.
Richt said he wouldn’t be as likely to try a long field goal with Bailey, but believes he has comparable range to Coutu.
“I wouldn’t say it’s much different,” Richt said. “We’ve seen Brandon do it. I wouldn’t be as likely to try as long. But if we had to go for one at the end of the game, he’d be the guy.”

Other Richt Thursday postpractice comments

Other postpractice Richt quotes, including a little more on kickers. By the way, Coutu walked past me on his way to the dressing room after he hurt himself. I didn't realize he was hurt, not until coach Richt told us after practice that he'd hurt himself, at least. So what I'm saying is it wasn't something that required him being carted off or anything.Whatever it is, he was still able to walk relatively normally because he wasn't carrying himself like it was bothering him.

I watched OT Michael Turner some in practice today. He's out of the green jersey, which meant he's been cleared to play. The linemen were running a drill where the starters all lined up to block and he was lining up with them, as were Georgia's only other two tackles, Ken Shackleford and Dan Inman. I think the plan is to rotate the three if Turner's up to it on Saturday.

So here's the rest of Richt's comments:

On the kickoff return team -- which has struggled the last few years -- ranking second in the SEC and No. 19 in the national rankings with an average of 25.4 yards per return.
"Yeah that’s huge. About 100 spots almost. We were trying to just get into the ninety nines, you know? We said if we get into the double digits we were gonna start getting excited and now we’re top 20."

"When I watch practice every day and I see the plan come together, I’ve been watching them and coach Ball’s just done a fantastic job of putting in a scheme and teaching it to where our guys understood it. And we’ve got some pretty good players on there. If you look at that personnel, there’s some guys that play a lot of scrimmage downs too. And of course Thomas, you’ve got to have a guy with speed and bravery and a guy that will wrap up the ball and he’s been doing all those things for us. I’ve not been surprised. As I watch practice, I was getting my hopes up because I just it coming together. They looked very organized and confident in who to block and all that. It’s been great."

Do you think you guys have Tennessee’s number?
"Not really. I don’t think so. Most of the games have been pretty close. Every once in a while a game got broken open a bit. I think we just played good on that particular day. I think our kicking teams have been outstanding on that day. Hopefully we’ll be able to do it again."

"(Offensive tackle Michael Turner’s) ready to play. I think he believes he is. Neil’s gonna kinda make that…he’s gonna play him early and kinda watch him. If he warms up good and he plays good and seems fine, he’ll probably roll him. If he goes in there and looks like he’s struggling or laboring to move a little bit, then we’ll probably take him out of the rotation."

(Kevin Perez) dislocated his elbow yesterday. He’s probably four to six weeks.
"It’s amazing on those. It’s not a very pretty thing to watch happen at all, it’s just a real weird-looking thing when it happens, but some guys come back as fast as two weeks on that. I remember Snoop Minnis at Florida State had one one time and I said, ‘Man, that guy’s not playing for a LONG time,’ because I was actually right there when it happened. It seemed like two weeks, three weeks, four weeks later – not long after – he was playing again and didn’t seem worried about a thing."

"We’re fortunate. It’s terrible for Brandon, he’s one of the best in the country and that’s been pretty well documented. But Andy, even the first year, it was just a dead-heat battle. It was very difficult to decide. We went with Andy and then at the end of the year we went with Brandon. We stuck with Brandon, but we kind of just stopped the competition then too. If we’d have sat there and competed again and said it’s wide open, it would have been a tough call again. Once we settled on Brandon we just kind of left it that way because he was performing well. But if you’d just said let’s go kick-for-kick, chart it all and decide at the end who to put in there, he might have edged him out, it was that close. And this Wilson kid is very talented. Ben’s very talented on kickoff. He hasn’t gotten quite as many reps on extra point/field goal."

"Rodney would have a better idea (how many recruits will be in Athens for the Tennessee game), but it’s gonna be a bunch of highly regarded people, I can promise you. It’s gonna be a huge group to manage and it’ll be tough to do."

How does Bailey’s range compare?
"I wouldn’t say it’s much different. We’ve seen Brandon do it. I wouldn’t be as likely to try as long. But if we had to go for one at the end of the game, he’d be the guy. I wouldn’t send Ben or anything, because he’s got a very strong leg. He boomed it Tuesday."

Richt's comments on Coutu's leg injury

I don’t know how severe it is, but it’s severe enough for him not to kick this week and it could be more, just depending as we check into it.

I think it’s highly doubtful that he will kick in the game, so Bailey will kick extra point/field goal and Wilson will continue to kick off. He’s kind of been doing that the last few games.

Bad news is Coutu, that injury happened to him, the good news is Bailey’s been kicking beautifully. And you know, he was a little hurt last week, but on Tuesday I thought he kicked fantastic. We were gonna put Wilson as the No. 2 extra point/field goal, then on Tuesday Bailey kicked extremely well, looked like he was ready to go. Of course, he finished the day kicking, kicked very well at the end, too.

He’s been getting all the work with the snapper, holder. We always work two guys all the time, so Bailey will be that guy and Wilson’s also very capable. Last week we worked him there. He’s a very talented kid too, as you can see by his kickoffs. He hasn’t had quite as much reps on extra point/field goal.

He actually was attempting a new onside kick technique, which I think put his leg in a little different position than he’s used to. I think it’s something that he saw in the NFL, someone popped one up real high and he was trying to do that in case we needed it. Quite frankly, I noticed that ball. It popped WAY up. It was perfect. I was wondering if he like punted it, but I think he banged (his leg) into the ground. I noticed it was new, at least it was different than the kicks I’d been watching, but I didn’t think anything of it until Ron came up to me maybe 15, 20 30 minutes ago.

He’s gonna take an MRI. He’s probably on the way right now.

coutu out

Coach Richt says kicker Brandon Coutu injured his kicking leg in practice today and is out at least for Tennessee, possibly longer. He's having an MRI tonight.
Andy Bailey will handle field goal/extra point.

Wednesday notebook

We've been having some difficulty getting some things to post, so here's the notebook I wrote for today that didn't make it online.

ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia’s tailback “three-headed monster” of Kregg Lumpkin, Danny Ware and Thomas Brown seems to be tapering down to one, with Lumpkin emerging as the Bulldogs’ feature back.
Lumpkin rushed 13 times for 103 yards last week against Ole Miss, the first Georgia player to break the 100-yard plateau since Ware had 109 against Louisiana-Monroe 14 games ago.
Meanwhile, Tennessee is likely to continue sharing carries between three players, LaMarcus Coker, Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty, who are listed as co-No. 1 tailbacks for Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs.
It’s an approach that has served Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer well through the years, like the 1998 championship season when Travis Henry, Travis Stephens, Shawn Bryson and Jamal Lewis all played a significant role.
“When we’ve been at our best, we’ve had two or three backs that have played well for us,” Fulmer said.
Redshirt freshman Coker may have taken hold of the starting job with consecutive 100-yard outings against Marshall (eight carries for 146 yards) and Memphis (26-125). But the 5-foot-11 speedster says he doesn’t mind sharing time with Foster, who opened the season as the starter before missing the last two games with an ankle injury, or Hardesty, who leads the team in carries.
Some running backs say they need several carries to warm up, which a rotation can hinder, but Coker says that isn’t a problem for him. His average of 7.2 yards per carry attests to that.
“That depends on the player and how long they take to adjust,” Coker said. “But I have no problem splitting carries with Arian and Montario and they feel the same way.”

Kicking battle
Typically Georgia has a decided special teams advantage over its opponent with punter Gordon Ely-Kelso and kicker Brandon Coutu on the Bulldogs’ sidelines. But Tennessee’s pairing of Britton Colquitt and James Wilhoit is right there with the Georgia duo.
“When you’ve got Colquitt and Wilhoit as a punter-kicker combination, that certainly rivals what we have, and I feel like we’ve got a tremendous duo,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “Statistically, they’re really better than us.”
Wilhoit is the Southeastern Conference’s active scoring leader with 267 career points and has hit 14 of his last 15 field goal tries dating back to last season. The senior is this week’s SEC Special Teams Player of the Week after hitting two field goals and five extra points in a win over Memphis.
Colquitt would rank among the SEC leaders in punting average with 47.1 yards per punt, but has not had enough attempts (13) to be considered. Instead, that honor falls to Ely-Kelso, who’s averaging 43.1 in 21 kicks.
“They’re right up there (at the top of the SEC),” Ely-Kelso said. “The winner of this game has traditionally won the special teams battle, so we know it’s important.”
Special teams is more of a question mark than it has been recently for the Bulldogs, after Ole Miss blocked two Ely-Kelso punts last week – one that was called back on a penalty. It was the first time a Georgia punt had been blocked since 1999 and the first time Ely-Kelso had a punt blocked since he was in the 11th grade.
“On the first one, I didn’t realize what was going on until I hit the ground,” Ely-Kelso laughed.

Injury update
Offensive tackle Michael Turner (ankle) said he has not been completely cleared by doctors to play Saturday, but Richt believes he’ll play.
The senior made it through Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices and would give the Bulldogs three available tackles if he’s cleared, along with Dan Inman and Ken Shackleford.
“Inman and Shackleford had a big ole grin on their face when he came back because they had someone to roll with them,” Richt said. “They’d been taking all the snaps with the ones and the twos.”
Quarterback Joe Tereshinski (ankle) continues to practice with the first-team offense and should be fine to play Saturday.
“I’d think if (the ankle) was gonna give in, it’d have done that by now,” Richt said.
Defensive tackle Marquis Elmore (neck strain) practiced in a green no-contact jersey and is questionable, Richt said.
Three Tennessee offensive linemen, Arron Sears (ankle, elbow), Anthony Parker (ankle) and Michael Frogg (ankle), have been hobbled by injuries, but Fulmer believes all three will play.
Foster is also back, after an ankle injury suffered against Air Force kept him out of all of the last two games and most of the Florida game. He will share time with Coker and Hardesty.

Quick hits
Georgia’s Antonio Sims has left the team. Sims was academically ineligible for the 2006 season after a spring suspension for his misuse of a student parking pass and a separate DUI incident caused him to lose the credit hours necessary to remain eligible. The 6-foot safety from Hiram, Ga., would have been a sophomore this year. … Freshmen NaDerris Ward and Brandon Wood both have their arms in slings after recent shoulder surgeries. Neither will return this season and Richt said they will likely be held out of contact throughout the spring.

Long Wednesday

Today on the SEC teleconference, good ole John Kaltefleiter from the Athens Banner-Herald asked Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer why the Tennessee-Georgia rivalry doesn't seem quite as "sexy" as Tennessee-Florida. When Fulmer's response included that he thought Georgia-Florida was "as sexy as it gets," I actually laughed aloud. Some phrases just don't sound right coming out of certain people's mouths.

On the injury front, I think you'd call Michael Turner probable to play Saturday. He joked that he's been cleared by coach Callaway, but there's still that obstacle of being completely cleared by the medical staff. He practiced in green today, but he's been going through everything so it looks like there will actually be a tackle rotation against Tennessee, instead of just Dan Inman and Ken Shackleford playing every down because they don't have any other tackles.

Marquis Elmore was also in green today at practice with a neck strain. Otherwise things look pretty good. Joe Tereshinski's ankle is apparently holding up. Coach Richt said it would have probably already given him trouble by now if it was going to.

We saw redshirt freshmen Brandon Wood and NaDerris Ward today, both with their arms in slings. Wood had been out since preseason before surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Ward had surgery to repair the AC joint in his shoulder. Coach Richt said they're both out for the year and will probably be forced to have a contact-free spring.

On the Tennessee side, Fulmer said he feels pretty confident that tackle Arron Sears (ankle/elbow) will be able to play on Saturday. He believes Anthony Parker (ankle) and Michael Frogg (ankle) will play, but he's not as certain how quickly they'll recover from their injuries. Tailback Arian Foster (ankle) is back, but freshman phenom LaMarcus Coker will start. Foster was first injured in the Air Force game and tried to play the next week against Florida, but had just two carries for 2 yards. He has missed the last two games, where Coker has gone off for more than 125 yards each game. Their three running backs are going to be tough.

Last thing, I'm sure the most rabid Georgia fans already know that Antonio Sims has left the team. I read something about it on the Dawgvent several days ago, but let it slip my mind. You never know what to take seriously off a message board, but I should have remembered to follow up on it. Anyway, Kelly Quinlan from UGAsports.com reminded me of it today, so props to him for that. Sims was suspended in the spring for misusing a parking pass and for getting a DUI and that left him ineligible in the fall, so he was out for the season. He would have been a sophomore. I'm sure he'll catch on somewhere else.

Monday practice notebook

I wrote a very lengthy notebook yesterday that didn't make it online, so I thought I'd post it here.

ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia’s coaches say their defense missed too many tackles last week against Ole Miss and one player, Danny Verdun Wheeler, is paying a price for those missteps.
Verdun Wheeler had eight tackles against Ole Miss, but it was his missed tackles that helped BenJarvus Green-Ellis rush for 135 yards and resulted in his demotion from the starting lineup for this week’s game against No. 13 Tennessee.
“I think Danny Verdun understood what to do, pretty much,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said Tuesday, “but when it came to the moment of truth, the human equation, linebacker versus running back, we didn’t knock him back, he knocked us back.
“It wasn’t just Danny, but Danny was at the point maybe more than some of the other guys were.”
Linebackers coach John Jancek agreed, saying, “We’ve lacked production at (middle linebacker) and that’s what that we’re trying to shore up right now.”
Verdun Wheeler started in place of Jarvis Jackson at middle linebacker last week after starting every other game at strongside linebacker, but will now rotate as a backup at middle and weakside.
He has started Georgia’s last seven games and is third on the team with 25 tackles, but realizes he didn’t perform well enough against the Rebels.
“I was in position, I just missed the tackle,” Verdun Wheeler said. “I’ve just got to work hard this week and prepare a whole lot better this week.”
Although he has been slowed for much of the season by plantar fasciitis, Jackson will return to his starting spot in the middle, with Tony Taylor starting at weakside and Brandon Miller at strongside.
Richt said Georgia’s defense has missed having an enforcer in the middle since Jackson has struggled with the nagging injury. His sore left heel knocked Jackson out of the last week’s starting lineup, but he said Tuesday it’s feeling better.
“Jarvis has been the guy I think can really run through ballcarriers,” Richt said. “He tends to really be the big-hit guy for us. I’m thankful he’ll get the opportunity to get back in.”

Certain starter
Richt had indicated he would start Joe Tereshinski against Tennessee, but the strongest statement he’d made on the subject prior to Tuesday was that he was “leaning towards” that decision.
Richt was more to-the-point at Tuesday’s weekly press conference, saying the fifth-year senior is his starter, barring further injury to the injured ankle that kept Tereshinski out for most of the last four games.
“If he practices the next couple days like he did yesterday, as far as movement, he’ll start for us in this game and (Matthew) Stafford will be No. 2,” Richt said. “I don’t think anything would happen that would change that unless he rolled his ankle again or something like that.”
Richt said on Sunday that he wanted to see how Tereshinski’s ankle would hold up before naming him the starter, but was comfortable making his decision after Tereshinski was sharp in Monday’s practice and did not show signs the ankle was bothering him.
“I wouldn’t say it’s 100 percent, but he’s moving around pretty good and I would think by the end of the week he’d be close to full speed,” Richt said.
In addition, Richt said he does not plan to rotate quarterbacks the way he has recently with Stafford and Joe Cox, the duo who started the three games Tereshinski was out. He said he will try to get Stafford in the game, but didn’t guarantee it would happen at all.
“We won’t roll, try to go two series or anything like that,” Richt said. “I would probably be inclined to want to get Stafford some work like I try to do over the years, hopefully sometime in the first half a series, but I wouldn’t promise that either.”

Case of the drops
Georgia’s maligned receiving corps practiced catching passes shot out of a JUGS Football Throwing Machine at Monday’s workout. The JUGS machine returned Tuesday, and was accompanied by a pair of tennis ball machines also used to help receivers refine their catching skills by firing balls at them at high speeds.
According to Richt, the group can use all the help they can get.
“I can’t remember it being quite this much of a struggle before at this point,” he said.
The coaching staff’s official count has the Bulldogs with 14 dropped passes this season, including four last week against Ole Miss – which might be a conservative total. Mohamed Massaquoi has been responsible for several of those drops lately, but Richt said the sophomore will be the Bulldogs’ No. 1 receiver this weekend, pointing out “he’s had a couple drops – more than a couple drops – but we think he gives us the best chance.”
Since drops have plagued Georgia’s receivers in the past, Richt believes it gets in the player’s heads once a drop occurs. And then more follow.
“If a guy makes the play, then things seem to loosen up and everybody seems to feel better. And when you don’t make the play, guys get tight, so if you drop one, the next one’s even more important and it can snowball on you a bit,” he said. “They’ve got to just turn it loose and try to enjoy the doggone thing.”

Quick hits
The U.S. Army Infantry Command Exhibition Parachute Team from Ft. Benning, known as the “Silver Wings,” will parachute into Sanford Stadium approximately 20 minutes before Saturday night’s game carrying the United States flag and the flags of the universities of Tennessee and Georgia. 1SG Frank Pacheco, SFC Bryan Patrick and SSG Pete White will be the jumpers and SFC Raymond Draper will emcee the jump. The group also performed before last year’s Auburn-Georgia game and delivered the game ball. … Georgia basketball legend Dominique Wilkins will be honored before Saturday’s game for his recent induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 8. The two-time all-American and former Atlanta Hawks superstar is the first Georgia product to receive that honor. … Georgia maintained its spot at No. 10 in this week’s Associated Press poll. Most of the 65 poll voters had the Bulldogs between No. 9 and 11. The voter who had the Bulldogs ranked highest was David Birkett of the Oakland (Mich.) Press, who ranked Georgia seventh. John Hoover of the Tulsa (Okla.) World had Georgia ranked lowest at No. 22.

Tuesday leftovers and whatnot

In 88 words today at his weekly press conference, Mark Richt summed up what pretty much every Georgia fan is thinking as the Bulldogs get ready to host Tennessee this weekend:
“I was feeling like we were coming right along as a team, but then we hit these last two games and I’m not sure we’ve progressed. In some areas we have, but we’ve regressed in others, offensively especially. I just don’t know how good we are. And defensively, we’re gonna get challenged this week like we have not been challenged by any team, with the ability to run and throw the football, veteran quarterback with very dangerous receivers. It’s gonna be a great test for our defense too.”

That pretty much covers it. He talked a lot today, and then I talked to several players and later. Here are some of the many things said that interested me, beginning with Richt:

“There are some chinks in the armor here. We’re working towards correcting them and everything is correctable, but it’s tough to get well versus a team the caliber of Tennessee. That’s gonna be a great challenge for us.”

“They’re definitely a lot better on offense than they were a year ago. I think two of the main reasons is, Erik Ainge has really come of age in my opinion. Coach Cutcliffe has really done a great job getting him to think properly and make good decisions. He rarely takes a sack. The other thing is how their receivers are really making plays. Just every single game, a receiver is making a play on a deep ball or taking a short throw and going quite some distance with it.”

On the decision to start Joe T at quarterback:
“From what I saw yesterday from Joe and the fact that he didn’t really have any setbacks, or after practice that it didn’t get really stiff on him, it really responded well. If he practices the next couple days like he did yesterday, as far as movement, he’ll start for us in this game and Stafford will be No. 2. I don’t think anything would happen that would change that unless he rolled his ankle again or something like that. I wouldn’t say it’s 100 percent, but he’s moving around pretty good and I would think by the end of the week he’d be close to full speed.”

“We need some more leadership on offense. Nick Jones has done a good job and our quarterbacks, for being young, have handled things pretty well. But to be that confident leader, it’s tough to do that when you’re really just feeling your way. That’s exactly what Cox and Stafford have been doing. Again, no disappointment on my part, but just a normal progression of young quarterbacks, first-year guys trying to get their feet wet and trying to get comfortable. Joe, he’s very confident. He knows exactly what he’s doing and guys will respond to his leadership I’m sure.”

On how much, or if, Stafford will play:
“We won’t roll, try to go two series or anything like that. I would probably be inclined to want to get Stafford some work like I try to do over the years – hopefully sometime in the first half a series – but I wouldn’t promise that either.”

Obviously there was a lot of receiver drops talk. I checked their board today where they tally every statistic you can think of. By the coaching staff’s count, Georgia’s got 14 drops this season, four against Ole Miss. Normally sure-handed Mohamed Massaquoi has been responsible for several of them lately, but coach Richt said he’ll be the No. 1 wideout this week. Someone asked for my opinion on that. I think it’s probably the right move. Drops are almost always a mental thing and if they punish him for it right now, it might make the problem grow worse. Give him another game or two to get it going:
“We’re putting Mohamed as our No. 1 receiver for this game. We think Mo, he’s had a couple bumps in the road for Mo. The one thing that separated Mohamed last year is he would snatch that ball. He’s had a couple drops – more than a couple drops – but we think he gives us the best chance.”

“It’s been interesting to say the least. If a guy makes the play, then things seem to loosen up and everybody seems to feel better. And when you don’t make the play, guys get tight, so if you drop one, the next one’s even more important and it can snowball on you a bit. They’ve got to just turn it loose and try to enjoy the doggone thing. I might tell ‘em, ‘you guys can drop five balls before I get mad,’ or whatever, just to ease the pain for them. No, I can’t remember it being quite this much of a struggle before at this point.”

“They’ve caught it pretty well in practice. If you recall in camp, I was pretty excited about how we were catching the ball. Most of them haven’t been that tough catches. Most have been very, very catchable balls. There have been a few that were a little bit tough that could have been made.”

Here are a couple on Danny Verdun Wheeler missing some tackles against Ole Miss and how Jarvis Jackson is returning to the starting lineup and replacing Danny in the middle:
“I think Danny Verdun understood what to do, pretty much, but when it came to the moment of truth, the human equation, linebacker versus running back, we didn’t knock him back, he knocked us back. It wasn’t just Danny, but Danny was at the point maybe more than some of the other guys were. We’ve got to be more physical tacklers.”

“Jarvis has been the guy I think can really run through ballcarriers. He tends to really be the big-hit guy for us. I’m thankful he’ll get the opportunity to get back in.”

That’s about all I’ve got from Richt. Here’s some Tra Battle on some defense stuff:
“Whenever you’re in the position to make a tackle, you have to make the tackle. Missed tackles are one of the plagues of defenses and it can really destroy anything about the season. That’s one of the things I said before that we have to correct and improve upon.”

“I kind of like being the underdog. It’s kind of the story of me. I was the underdog and I always like to prove people wrong. Us being the underdogs is not an insult at all to me. I think I can pretty much say for the rest of the team that it’s not an insult to any of us. That’s just something that we have to take in stride and say hey, we know that we’re good enough to perform at the level that we can win. We’ve just got to go out there and perform that way.”

On how angry he was after the Ole Miss game:
“I’d have to say that’s my most disappointing win since I’ve been at Georgia. I really wasn’t happy at the performance as a whole. That was kinda relayed from the coaching staff to the players and the seniors. We made a lot of mistakes that game. A top 10 team can’t play that way and expect to stay top 10 for long.”

“I don’t think it was one individual moment or individual action. I think it’s the accumulation of everything that happened throughout that game. I was really ticked off, plus I was hungry and tired. It was kinda late.”

Danny Verdun Wheeler on whether the mood in the locker room is positive or negative right now:
“You kinda (feel) a little negative, you know? You wonder what’s going on. We all as players are wondering what’s going on right now. Pretty much, we’ve got a powerhouse coming into our stadium and we’re just trying to get past the powerhouse. It’s gonna be a struggle.”

Linebackers coach John Jancek, on how the linebackers are playing:
“I think they’ve played very well for the most part. The mike linebacker position for the last couple games, we’ve lacked production at that spot, and that’s one that we’re trying to shore up right now.”

On Jarvis Jackson and his injury:
“Jarvis is back in the middle and looked good today. Hopefully he’ll have a great game Saturday.
“The type of injury that he has, it’s a nagging-type injury. It doesn’t go away and there’s really not a whole lot they can do for it. The bottom line is Jarvis has to play through it.”

Jancek on Verdun Wheeler’s role this week, since being demoted from the starting lineup:
“Danny’s gonna rotate in at mike and will. We’re gonna go with Jarvis and Tony and play it from there.”

Charles Johnson, on who the leaders of the defense are:
“To me it’s like Tony Taylor, the linebacker, he’s been playing a lot and Q (Quentin Moses). They have a leadership role they have to participate in. For them to come out and lead every game and keep our defense humble and keep us staying hungry and practicing hard, you have to say they’re the leaders and probably the best players.”

Johnson, on whether they get keyed up to face a pocket passer:
“We do get keyed up. You see the offensive line, you got to start thinking, ‘What can we do to get pressure?’ because their offensive line is huge. They’re very talented up front, so we’ve got to prepare for that.”

On whether being an underdog bothers him:
“Tennessee’s a great team, so I wouldn’t be surprised for them to put us as an underdog. Look at what kind of things they’ve been doing. They’ve been making all kinds of big plays this year and they’re very talented on the offensive side. I don’t watch film on defense, so I really don’t know, but I heard they’re pretty good too, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they put us as underdogs.”

“People should underestimate. Look what we’ve done. We haven’t been playing that great, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they underestimate us. It just depends on what we’ve gotta do and what the players are prepared to do on Saturday.”

Johnson on Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge:
“I think he’s just coming out to prove a point to everybody, and I think he’s gonna try to do that Saturday. For his offensive line to block the way they’re doing now and for his receivers to make big plays the way they’re doing now, I think he’s been able to get comfortable back there.”

Joe T's back. So what now?

Joe Tereshinski took about 80 percent of the first-team reps in practice today, so Georgia's coaches don't appear to be taking things too easy on him this week, as he tries to play for the first time in a month since a high ankle sprain suffered on the first drive against South Carolina.

I wonder how many of the people currently pissing and moaning about the freshman quarterbacks were the same ones trying to push Joe T out the door about a month ago? Well he's back and that's probably a good thing for the mental health of Matthew Stafford and Joe Cox. If the offense continued to play this weekend the way it has for the last three weeks, the beating Georgia would likely take against Tennessee would be a big shot for the freshmen's confidence. It's probably best to have a veteran in there for this one, even if all the shortcomings some folks so frequently pointed out about Joe T are still there, along with rust that will surely accompany a month away from the field. But frankly, the way the receivers are playing, it doesn't matter whether the quarterback can throw the ball 80 yards like Stafford or not -- they aren't holding onto the ball and Tennessee will surely try to stop the run first by crowding the line. You might as well have a guy under center whose knowledge of the offense is such that Richt will give him a full complement of checks he can make.

I stuck around for the first few minutes that Joe T answered questions before I needed to move on and talk to a couple other people. Here are some of his responses:
"I felt pretty good today. I’ve got it taped and braced pretty good. Going out there, I felt comfortable with my drops and (how I’m) delivering the ball, so so far so good."

"I ran mostly with the ones today. I felt good. Any drops, any bootlegs, really anything that we did, I felt good doing them."

On Richt saying he's leaning toward starting him:
"That gives me a lot of confidence and that makes me want to work that much more. Having that said, it does put a lot of pressure on you, knowing that you’ve got to come in here and you’ve got to lead the team that’s now 5-0, which is a great way to be coming out. I couldn’t ask for anything more right now. I’ve just got to watch a lot of film and stay in the training room."

"I’ve got to do like I did those first two games – prepare a lot, make sure I know my checks and get it to our playmakers. We’ve got a lot of potential. Everyone’s gonna push a little bit harder this week because we know we haven’t reached our full potential yet. So everyone’s gonna kick it up. We know who we’re playing – Tennessee’s got a great team and they’re coming off a lot of energy and they’re having to win right now, so we’re gonna have to step it up."

"Just being out, I realized how much I love this game and how much I love this team. It’s hard preparing all those months and now going into the season and having to sit out those games while your boys are in there playing ball. It hurts you emotionally, but thankfully it wasn’t season-ending. I had a goal in sight and that was this game. That’s the one I wanted to reach and that’s why I’ve been in the training room so much and I’m gonna achieve that one."

Does he think the ankle will be ready to go on Saturday?
"I’m gonna be. That’s the way I’m preparing and that’s the way I’m gonna stick to it."

And he will. He'd be out there this week biting through his lip trying to play even if the ankle was really hurting him. After all, he's not going to get the chance to start against Tennessee again. The kid doesn't have amazing physical tools, but he's a tough sonofagun.

Stafford said he doesn't know how much he'll play against Tennessee, but my guess is that he'll get in there somewhere. It could be that that's dictated by what's happening in the game. We might find out more about that from coach Richt at tomorrow's press conference, but I doubt it.
"It’s not up to me. I really don’t know, to tell you the truth, right now," Stafford said on the playing time subject. "I’m just trying to keep working hard. If (Tereshinski is) feeling good, I’m sure he’ll get in there and play some."

In other high ankle sprain news, Michael Turner was also back at practice today. He tried to come back to play last Tuesday, but re-injured the ankle and hadn't really practiced since. He was out there in a green no-contact jersey today and said he thinks he'll be able to play against Tennessee, although the ankle's still sore:
"It’s coming along real well. It’s still painful here and there. I did warm-ups with the team Saturday and it was painful, but it’s something I’ve got to work through. You’ve got to hurt to get better."

They're only in helmets and shorts on Mondays, so he acknowledged there's only so much he can tell after the first day back. Today's practice will be a better indicator:
"It feels a lot better than it did a week ago. Tomorrow is a big test for me to get back out there and get moving again."

So with that, I guess I'm done. As always, tomorrow will be a busy Tuesday. There are a ton of players on the press conference interview list tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll have plenty left over to post here.

Monday news

Here's a release sent out this afternoon concerning kickoff for the Georgia-Vanderbilt game. My gut feeling is that CBS will take the Ole Miss-Alabama game, but maybe Kentucky-LSU since Kentucky's showing a pulse for the first time in a while. Either way, I think Georgia-Vandy will be the 12:30 LF Sports Game:

CBS has elected to use a six-day selection for games of October 14, 2006. CBS will televise one of three games: Ole Miss at Alabama,Vanderbilt at Georgia or Kentucky at LSU. Lincoln Financial Sports will televise either Ole Miss at Alabama or Vanderbilt at Georgia based on selections by CBS. Based on the outcome of games on October 7, all selections should be made by Sunday afternoon, October 8. The Florida at Auburn game was an ESPN priority selection and will be televised by ESPN at 7:45 ET.

Also, Charles Johnson was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his play against Ole Miss. He was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week after the South Carolina game, so he's off to quite a start.

More after practice...

Postgame thoughts

So it was another week and another unnecessarily close win. When I was a little kid, one of my neighbors was from Chicago and was a huge White Sox fan. One year, I think it was 1983, the Sox had a slogan: "Winning ugly," which I'll speculate had something to do with how Ron Kittle, Greg Luzinski and Lamar Hoyt won't be doing underwear ads anytime soon. And thank the good lord for that. Anyway, Georgia football should adopt that slogan for 2006. None of these games are going in the ESPN Classic vault. They've done nothing but win, but let's remember those five wins are against opponents with a combined 8-16 record. Playtime ended tonight. If Georgia plays next week against Tennessee the way it played the last two games, the Bulldogs won't just lose, they'll get blown out. Tennessee can score in bunches and 14 points is probably not going to beat the Vols. Whether Georgia wins rests on whether the Bulldogs can run the ball.

* But that brings up the most positive thing about the game: Once coach Richt stopped playing around by rotating quarterbacks in and out and winging the ball all over the field, he started letting Kregg Lumpkin win the game for them. The guy played a great game. Truthfully, Georgia doesn't win if they don't start letting him do his thing in the second half.
* That's one thing that would frustrate me about Georgia's offense if I were a fan. I hate that zone option stuff from shotgun spread formations. It seems to me that the quarterback's got to be a threat to run for that handoff play to work. And Joe Cox and Matthew Stafford aren't going to compete in a track meet anytime soon. If you want to run the ball, and Georgia needs to be doing a heck of a lot more of that, what's wrong with getting in the I, letting your fullback clear space and slamming the ball in there? Maybe I've just watched old-school SEC football for too long, but that's what I think Georgia should be doing.
* The receivers were horrible again. Demiko Goodman made a great catch, but a good defense has to be licking its chops when it sees all those drops. Count on Tennessee putting eight men in the box next week to stop Lumpkin because the Vols are going to dare Georgia to put the ball in the air. They have to start holding onto the ball to keep defenses honest and back them off the running game.
* The defense didn't have a good night and they still only gave up 9 points. And three of those came when Ole Miss started a drive on the Georgia 10-yard line. Most games I catch myself thinking the defense isn't looking very good, but to their credit, they'll bend but don't break. The other team gets close to scoring territory and they'll come up with a way to keep points off the board -- a big sack, a pass breakup, an interception. Granted, most of these opposing offense haven't exactly put it together this year, but Georgia's D is doing what it takes to win the game. That's all you can ask of them.
* It was a so-so week on the picks. I was 7-0 straight up, but only 3-4 against the spread. That puts me at 39-6 straight up and 21-21 against the spread. It's LATE, so I'm going to sleep. Tomorrow will be a very long day.

Richt postgame comments

Here's coach Richt's entire postgame interview. Truthfully this is the first I've gotten to listen back to it, because it's incredibly hectic trying to get done after a night game. I asked him the last question, which I thought was the most important one -- about forcing Ole Miss to try to stop the run. That's why Georgia won. Ole Miss couldn't stop Kregg Lumpkin. Clearly coach Richt wants to put the ball in the air, so I found his answer to the question interesting. Throwing wasn't working. He even admits it -- he wasn't sticking with it enough. That could have cost them tonight. Anyway, I got two good quotes out of that one response. And since it was the last question, a lot of the writers had already run back to the pressbox to file their stories, so I got a quote that most of them missed, which I was glad to get.

So here's what he said, word-for-word:

Not much other to say than (we’re) very thankful for the win. Football’s a strange game sometimes. You think you might have some things figured out and you really don’t. We’ve got a long way to go, that’s for sure. First of all, I do want to give credit to Ole Miss. They had a very good plan on both sides of the ball. Their special teams did a fantastic job. They played really very well. We were very fortunate to come out of here with a victory. I think coach O is doing a great job with his team and his staff. They’re well on their way, I think, to becoming a very good football team. We got a ways to go. We’re thankful definitely to be 5-0, but it’s very evident there’s a lot of things we’ve gotta get better at and probably in a hurry I would think. If we don’t, we’re not gonna stay undefeated very long. But again, we do have time to improve. Every game is a new day. Hopefully we’ll start out a little quicker than we’ve been starting, really on both sides of the ball, the last two games, especially offensively. We’ve really just not gotten much going at all. I’d like to see a couple first downs in the first half. That’d be good. But anyway, we’re very thankful for the victory and I’ll answer any questions you’ve got.

Are you discouraged with your quarterback situation?
Not really. I thought Matthew played pretty good. I think Joe had some moments where he played well too. We gotta catch the football if we’re gonna have any consistency at all. Maybe we can pound it every down, I don’t know. We may try that, see how it goes. But overall, I thought Matthew played a pretty good ballgame, really.

When you say you think you’ve got things figured out and you really don’t, what are you talking about?
I’m not even sure what I was saying, other than the game of football itself. (We all start laughing). I was struggling for something to say. It sounded profound, but it really wasn’t.

Have you found a starting tailback with Kregg?
Well yeah, he ran very well, and he’s been doing that all year long. He’s been securing the ball and he’s been pass-protecting. He’s just a quiet, confident football player. I just like the way he goes about his business on and off the field. He’s doing a good job. Again, we’ve got good backs. Those other backs are good too, but I think he’s definitely deserving of another starting nod after that performance.

Coach, Joe T, I assume he’s gonna be back in the mix this week…
Yes, from what I’ve seen. From what I’ve seen, he’ll be back. The biggest question about Joe, I think, is gonna be is he really full-speed. I know he’s healthy enough to practice. It’s gonna be interesting to see if he can really move and cut either direction and do all the things it’s gonna take to win this week. That’s gonna be the big thing. From what I’ve seen so far, I think he’ll be able to practice, like I said. But I haven’t seen…I still think this week he was still favoring it a little bit, but not a lot. I’ll say this, in pregame warm-ups today, he didn’t look like he was favoring anything. He was doing some full-speed drops, where you go to your left and you’ve gotta spin around and get set quick. I thought today, really, he looked as close to full-speed since the injury.

Is his Tuesday practice what you’ll go by?
Well I don’t know, if he’s progressing towards being full-speed, I think we’ll take that into consideration. If he’s hobbling on Tuesday, I think he’d be doubtful. But from what I’ve seen, I think he’s got a very good chance of being ready to play.

What were they able to do against y’all’s defense. I know last week they struggled running the ball against Wake, but it seemed like BenJarvus really…
I’ll tell you what, they just stuck a hat on everybody and created enough space for that guy to get a little momentum and he was a very physical back. We didn’t tackle very good on him. We didn’t wrap him up very good. We were wanting to take it to him and I thought he was taking it to us to be quite frank with you. I just saw a lot of yards after contact and I didn’t like that much. But you know, to their credit, they blocked well. I’ve been knowing Art Kehoe forever. He was an O-line coach at Miami for the longest and he’s one of the best line coaches in the United States. It doesn’t surprise me that they’re beginning to really gel up front.

Talk about the punt blocks. I know last week you said you’re just kind of a spectator on all that.
Well, we had two things happen to us. One is a guy kind of gave an upfield rush and slipped underneath and got one. I think that ended up getting called back on a penalty. I don’t know what the heck happened.

Defensive holding.
Defensive holding. And the second one, we were blocking it properly, we just didn’t block it well enough. Assignment-wise we were fine, it was nothing out of the ordinary, and it was a great effort by their defender. But all we had to do is just push him outside a little bit longer before we went to release. We just released a little too soon and we just didn’t hang in there as long, and it was really the guys that struggled were guys that haven’t gotten an awful lot of reps on the punt team.

Ellerbe being one of them?
Yeah.

Did you see something from Demiko this week in practice that led to all that time or was it just rotating through?
It was rotation partially. Of course, first half we had a drop or two, and then Demiko makes a play and we’re getting ready to think, ‘He’s the hot one today.’ He was hot for one play.

Was that one of the better catches you’ve seen this season from your receivers?
It was great. He made a great play. He gave us a spark by making that play and then we started slinging a few more balls his way. A lot of the reason why we were throwing the ball there too was certain blitzes they were bringing, we felt like the protection that we were running with those routes could block anything they brought.

Were they in man on those?
Some of the drops? There was only man coverage…the takeoff, they were in man coverage. That was one of those times where the ball wasn’t thrown all that well and he made a great play. And then we started throwing the ball very well and we just couldn’t catch it.

Was it an effort thing with the first half, where the last two weeks have been a little slow?
I don’t think it’s an effort thing. I think it’s just an execution thing. We’ve got to take care of the details, and I’m sure we’ll look at the film and say, ‘Boy, if we’d done this, this would have happened.’ Then when you add a few dropped balls, and I’m not talking about just one or two and a holding penalty here, you’re punting. You’re punting too much.

After the way things went in the first half coach, was your attitude coming out in the third quarter just, ‘The heck with this, we’re gonna make them stop our running game.’ Is that it?
Yeah, I wanted to try to hammer the ball more and get ourselves out of the long-yardage situations. Thankfully we did run the ball well. I’ve gotta be more patient with that, to be honest with you. I know if we’re gonna be really good offensively we must have balance. If it means grinding the ball and slowing the game down and playing defense and special teams – if that’s what we’ve gotta do, then maybe that’s what we’ve gotta do. But I’ve been trying to get some momentum offensively and in order do to that I think you’ve gotta be able to run and throw equally well. At this point, we’re just not throwing and catching very good.