Monday Practice Notes (Now With 20% More Corvey Irvin Smack Talk)

Corvey Irvin isn't one to mince words, and there's two things he's sure of: Georgia's defensive line played well against Vanderbilt, and if they do it again, the Bulldogs will win at LSU.

While the Bulldogs didn't have a sack against the Commodores on Saturday, they did have quarterback Mackenzi Adams on the run all day, something that led to a bevy of bad passes.

"There was about 15 pressures," Irvin said. "We had two interceptions, but we dropped three. If you want to say that, that would be five interceptions. Pressure is as good as a sack because we're hurrying them out of the pocket. He's not comfortable, he's not ready to throw the ball. We would love to get sacks but pressure is also good."

If they can do that against LSU -- a team with no clear starter at quarterback -- Irvin said the results will be just as good or better this week.

"We're going down to LSU, and they don't really have a veteran quarterback," Irvin said. "They're struggling at the quarterback position right now, and I believe that will be a big favor for Georgia. That will help us out a lot, going down there without a quarterback that's really good, that can kill you. That's going to be really good to stop the run, get them in some third-down situations and see if we can get some sacks."

So, is Irvin willing to guarantee a win for Georgia? Not quite... but close.

"It's going to be up to us to make up our minds and figure out what we want to do as a defensive line," Irvin said. "I believe if we go out there and focus on what we have to do, we'll be successful. We know they're going to try to pound us with the run, and if we stop the run and make then one-dimensional, I don't believe they can beat us."

-- Vance Cuff spent the majority of the second half of Georgia's win over Vanderbilt on the field, getting the most playing time he had in any game this season. It should have been a proud moment. Instead, his dropped interception on a ball that hit him squarely in the chest meant that, instead of pats on the back from friends and family, he got a hard time instead.

"I heard about it bad," Cuff said. "Coaches from back home, parents, teammates, friends."

Of course, no one was a harsher critic than he was. It was his first opportunity at a game-changing play since the sophomore arrived at Georgia, and he let it slip through his hands – literally.

"That was a pick six, and it would have been my first pick ever at Georgia," Cuff said. "That's a crusher right there. That hurt my pride, I let my team down, I'm crushed by that."
While Cuff missed his first chance at a pick, he figured to get a few more as the season goes along.

Bryan Evans was beaten twice for touchdowns and Cuff saw nearly all the action as a third corner in the second half, and head coach Mark Richt said that role could increase going forward.

"Those young guys, Coach (Willie) Martinez has been really wanting to play Cuff more and play (freshman Brandon) Boykin more because they are high-energy guys who've got ability," Richt said, "but games get so tight sometimes that you can't play as many guys as you want."

Richt said the change on the depth chart isn't official just yet, but Cuff would be excited for any opportunity that comes his way. After all, he enjoyed his taste of success against Vanderbilt, but he still has to redeem himself for the one that got away.

"It just felt good giving back to Georgia," Cuff said. "For me to just give back with the little talent I do have, that just felt good."

-- While Cuff may be seeing more playing time, Evans' spot on the depth chart could take a tumble.

The junior cornerback has been on the wrong end of a number of scoring drives by the opposition this season and has drawn the ire of quite a few Georgia fans. His fellow DBs, however, said he's taken the criticism well and isn't letting the bad plays overwhelm him.

Said Cuff: "The thing that surprised me, Bryan's got to be the fastest guy out there, might be the fastest guy on our team. His technique was good. But when you're playing DB, you've got to just forget plays. He's a good player, and I don't know what was going on, but I told him just to think about all he'd done for Georgia in the past, forget about that play and move on to the next one."

Said Prince Miller: "He's a competitor, just as we all are. Some days you don't play up to your abilities and some days you do. There's been plenty of days where other people haven't had their best games. He's going to come out and be fired up. He's not worried about it."

-- Trainers decided Monday that wide receiver Kris Durham could return to action this week after he missed the past two games with an ankle sprain.

Durham hoped to play against Vanderbilt last week, but his practice session Thursday convinced him a bit more time off would be helpful.

"I practiced Thursday, and I realized that when I tried to break down and stop that I just wasn't physically to do it yet, but with an extra week, I'll be ready," Durham said.

His work against LSU on Saturday will likely be limited to offense, he said, but he expects to return to special-teams duty the following week against Florida.

-- Georgia finally cut its penalties against Vanderbilt, and the reward was a lot less hard work on the practice field. But Miller said the possibility of punishment didn't affect the team during the game, it was just a big relief afterward.

"I don't think guys were even thinking about the penalties until after the game," Miller said, "because I think if you're thinking about it on the field it takes away from aggressive play. Fortunately we didn't go over the limit."