Pregame blog

More pregame updates

Branden Smith and Marcus Dowtin went through pregame warmups without any apparent limitations. Smith has apparently been cleared to play, after sitting out last week with a concussion.

It's a bit harder to get a read on fullback Shaun Chapas, who is in uniform and testing out his ankle. He wasn't working with the first-team offense, so he's probably not starting, but he was drilling with the second-teamers, so he at least looks to be available.

And just because you never know: Caleb King looks to be a full-go at tailback, and was working with the first-teamers.

6:19 p.m.: Chapas tests ankle while cowbells ring in my ears

Cowbell rule? What cowbell rule?

They're ringing the cowbells incessantly here in the stadium - and it's just pregame warmups. For awhile they were showing the Arkansas-Alabama game - and fans reacted to positive Razorback plays by ringing them. Now they're showing great moments in Mississippi State history (shut up) and fans ring them after every highlight.

I'm not particularly bothered by it right now, but ask me again in three hours.

Anyway, Georgia is on the field warming up, and I'll be keeping an eye for the injured players. One, Shaun Chapas, is dressed out and running the sideline, testing his ankle.

Back to the cowbells: The SEC passed a rule against artificial noisemakers, but Mississippi State is still allowed to ring its traditional noise instruments during lulls in the game, and after MSU touchdowns.

They can still ring them all they want during pregame, and right now, they're ringing them all they want.

5:50 p.m.: Dress list update

No major surprises. We already reported Friday that Branden Smith, Marcus Dowtin and Shaun Chapas had boarded the plane for Starkville, but we probably won't know until warmups are over if they're playing. I'll let you know.

Otherwise, freshman WR Michael Bennett is also here, but still mainly for insurance purposes. they're aiming for a redshirt. Walk-on WR Taylor Bradberry is also on the trip, probably for depth reasons, as A.J. Green has one more game left in his suspension.

Tackle Kenarious Gates, also a true freshman planning to redshirt, is also on the trip, just in case.

Another walk-on here for depth reasons is Jeremy Sulek. He plays inside linebacker, a position quite lacking in available reserves, with Richard Samuel out and Dowtin questionable.

The team is also listing Charles White, normally a fullback, at inside linebacker. He very quietly moved there from fullback at the end of preseason camp. White, who played little offense, was a linebacker in high school and started his Bulldog career there.

The emergency quarterback is probably still Logan Gray, but walk-on Parker Welch is also here. Greg Bingham, the other freshman walk-on QB, is not on the dress list.



5:44 p.m.: Welcome to Stark-Vegas

I'm staring out at the beautiful vista of Davis Wade Stadium, with a rainbow and panoramic green trees on the left ... and Arkansas beating Alabama on the right.

Yup, they're showing the Bama-Arky game on the stadium scoreboard here, offering up some interesting pregame viewing. As I write this at press time (press time being the second I push the "publish post" button) Arkansas is leading the nation's top-ranked team, 17-7.

Does this make Georgia look a bit better? It just might, no matter what happens the rest of the way. If Arkansas had been run off the field, it definitely would've made Georgia look pretty bad. But the fact they're outplaying them for more than a half says something.

Of course the biggest statement the Bulldogs can make tonight is by defeating the other Bulldogs.

(That's gonna be a difficult thing to navigate all night, by the way. You're gonna see a lot more "Georgia" in my copy than usual.)