Richt expects Green decision this week

Georgia head coach Mark Richt expects to hear clarification on A.J. Green’s status this week, he said at his weekly news conference.

“I’d be highly disappointed if we don’t hear something this week,” Richt said. “I would think we will.”

Which way, we still don’t know. But that’s the first time Richt has really said anything tangible on Green’s status.

Richt also said that Green will practice like normal “until we know something one way or another.”

“If A.J. lines up at 1 or a 2, and the other guy lines up at 1 or a 2, he’s gonna be learning the things at the position that A.J. would play,” Richt said. “Kris Durham got a lot of those reps last week in practice, and it turned out he was the one catching the fade at the goal-line, and all those situations. So we’ll just continue to do it that way.”

Durham was Georgia’s leading receiver against Louisiana-Lafayette.

South Carolina also has some uncertainty with players – three potential starters sat out the Gamecocks’ opener. Richt granted that complicates uncertainty on both sides, especially with planning.

“If we know who exactly is playing for us that helps, it makes us feel confident in our plan,” Richt said. “As you’re preparing for someone, you want to know who’s available (for that team.)”

There was a light moment in the news conference, when Richt was asked for the third time about Green, but in a different way. (We media guys have started honing our questions.)

Richt was asked if the uncertainty over Green would have a detrimental affect on his teammates.

“What I’m gonna do is just revert to the old dumb answer,” Richt said. “Even though I know it’s a lot different than what you’re asking. It’s been a lot easier just answering that I’m not gonna make a comment on anything – even though I just did.”

That drew some laughter.

(It was only later in the press conference, in fact the final question, that Richt gave the above answer about expecting to hear something this week.

More nuggets from Richt’s presser:

- With Aaron Murray preparing to play his first road game, the Bulldogs are going to try to have as many plays as possible where he doesn’t have to change plays or do stuff at the line.

- Logan Gray will still get a couple reps “here and there” at quarterback. But he’s a receiver for the foreseeable future.

- Richt also heaped praise on South Carolina’s players:

QB Stephen Garcia “looked like the true leader of that team. He looked like the guy who was in control. … He’s a really talented kid who looks like he’s coming into his own right now.”

Freshman RB Marcus Lattimore is getting hyped and “for a good reason. He’s a good back. Not a good one, he’s a great one.”

Receivers Alshon Jeffery and Tori Gurley are “mismatch issues.” And freshman receiver Ace Sanders was in Georgia’s camp a few years ago. (“I think everybody who ever saw him in a camp situation was super intrigued by him,” Richt said.)

And overall, the Gamecocks “were very impressive. They just looked sharp.”