Notes: Line Will Be Key to Offense

No team in the country returns more experience on its offensive line than Georgia, and head coach Mark Richt is hoping that will mean big things for the Bulldogs’ offense in 2010.

“I feel as good going into this year as I have in a while, but I felt good last year and we had some things that happened,” Richt said. “But if everybody stays healthy, we have (a lot of) different guys who have started.”

Those “things” that happened last year – and in 2008 – helped season a deep pool of talent, with all five starters from last year’s line returning, along with Trinton Sturdivant, who has missed virtually all of the past two seasons with knee injuries, and a handful of up-and-coming talent on the line as well.

“Chris Burnette is a kid that I think is going to be good enough to help us win. Dallas Lee might be another kid,” Richt said. “When you add those two, the two guys who were injured, and all those other guys that got to play, we’re in good shape.”

With a freshman quarterback getting the starting nod, a veteran offensive line might be as important as ever, too. As receiver Kris Durham said, everything about the Bulldogs’ offensive attack will start with the line.

“The run game’s going to open up the passing game, the passing game’s going to open up the run game, but it all starts with the offensive line,” Durham said. “I feel like they’re going to be our rock, the starting point of our offense. We can’t do anything without them. So we’re going to try to throw it and run it, but the offensive line is going to be the key.”

A STRONG PERFORMANCE

Durham saw the talent and potential in Tavarres King early on, but it was also pretty obvious what might hold the lanky receiver back on the field.

“You’ve got to have the speed and intangibles, but you have to have strength, too," Durham said of King. "He’s working on that, and fortunately for us, he has a couple more years for us to see what he can do.”

After a solid season as a redshirt freshman in which King hauled in 18 catches for 377 yards -- the second most on the team -- Durham said King is making similar strides in his strength training, too.

King has worked extensively with Georgia's new nutritionist, Rex Bradberry, and has already begun to see the results on the field. He's added some weight -- up from about 181 pounds at the end of the 2009 season -- without losing his speed and agility.

“I worked out with TK in May, and he’s up to 192, and he’s gotten a lot stronger," Durham said. "Hopefully that will lead to good things on the field.”

FEELING AT HOME

Throughout Richard Samuel’s two-year trial at running back, Richt promised the five-star recruit had all the tools for the job, he just lacked some of those natural instincts that come with years of experience at the position.

Unfortunately, Samuel never really developed those instincts, but now that he’s lining up on the other side of the field, Akeem Dent thinks Samuel is a natural fit at linebacker.

"I feel like he has more instincts at linebacker,” Dent said. “I'm not taking anything away from him at running back, but just watching a little film on him and seeing how he's progressed coming over to linebacker, I've seen the instincts he does have, and he's going to be able to make a lot of plays in the future."

THE HEAT IS ON

With noon kickoffs set for Georgia’s second game of the season against South Carolina and third game against Arkansas, along with a likely early start for the opener against Louisiana-Lafayette, Richt knows his team’s conditioning is going to be tested early.

"It is going to be excruciatingly hot and humid, and I can just picture what it's going to be like these first three ballgames," Richt said. "So I'm hoping for a hot summer so our guys can get used to it."

More than just the heat, Durham said, it’s what Georgia does when the temperatures are soaring. He said this summer’s workouts will be crucial, and with the early start times in September, the Bulldogs will have to prepare better than they have in the past.

“It’s going to rely a lot on our conditioning during the summer,” Durham said. “We’re going to have to get out there in the heat, we’re going to have to run, we’re going to have to do more conditioning than we’re accustomed to and really push ourselves.”

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

The fresh start that came with a new coaching staff on defense has created plenty of excitement in the Georgia locker room this offseason, but there's no doubt that some players were a bit more enthusiastic than others about the changes, Richt said.

"The veterans that had established themselves maybe weren't too excited about having to start over again, but the defense as a whole knew it was going to be a clean slate and there was going to be a chance to prove they can play and prove they deserved a chance to play or start," Richt said. "A guy like Jakar Hamilton coming in, he's brand new and if we didn't change the system, he'd have been behind. But now, he shows up in the spring just like everybody else, learning it from scratch. So a guy like that really benefited."

Of course, the downside the all the change -- for both the veterans and the rookies -- is that there hasn't been anyone with significant experience to lean on during this offseason. It's been more about keeping the veterans a half-a-step ahead on the learning curve.

"During the spring, we implemented the new defense, and we're just trying to pick up where we left off," Dent said. "Right now, in spring ball you get a little bit of an upper hand. Everyone has about the same playing field, but right now, we have a slight advantage over (the younger) guys that gives us a chance to help them make plays."

Notes: Samuel's Success is No Sure Thing

(Be sure to check out my story in today's Telegraph on how Georgia is working to build depth on the offensive line.)

***

Decisions are still a long way off, and the progress hasn’t been disappointing, head coach Mark Richt said. But Richard Samuel, the newly converted inside linebacker, still isn’t guaranteed to see the field in 2010.

“He’s new to the position and we want him to be ready to really compete for us,” Richt said. “If we think he’s ready to do that and produce at a high level, then we want him to play. But if he’s still finding his way a little bit, I don’t think we’ll be in a big rush to get him out there.”

Samuel, who entered Georgia in the spring of 2008 as a 16-year-old running back, played as a true freshman, and thus still has a redshirt year available should coaches choose to let him learn a new position from the sidelines this season.

While Samuel earned the starting tailback job out of fall camp last year, his role diminished significantly down the stretch and it was announced he’d switch to defense for 2010 – a role he played in high school. He opened the spring at outside linebacker, but was moved to the interior early on, and his play in last Saturday’s scrimmage gave Richt some cause for optimism.

“I can envision one play where he took on a fullback on an isolation block and played off the block to make the tackle right there in the hole,” Richt said. “He looked like a linebacker, and he hasn’t played a lot of defense lately.”

Richt said there won’t be a set standard for whether or not Samuel earns playing time this fall, and he’ll likely be evaluated the same way any first-year player would be. For now, Richt said, he wants Samuel to simply keep working, and the evaluation won’t need to be made until the games start being played.

“The big thing is just practice hard, learn what you can,” Richt said. “We have these thoughts but then sometimes by the second scrimmage in the fall, two or three guys are down ahead of you, and you’re playing whether you’re ready to or not.”

HIT MAN MAKES HIS MOVE

The competition at safety has been intense this spring, with four players vying for time with the first team alongside Bacarri Rambo. While Shawn Williams looked like a leading candidate through much of the early spring workouts – and Williams chipped in with a long interception return for a touchdown – that role may now belong to junior college transfer Jakar Hamilton.

“Jakar has really done well,” Richt said. “He’s been playing a good bit with Bacarri, working with the No. 1 unit. They’re trying to find combinations of guys working together that make the most sense, and they’re still trying to work those things out. But those two right now are out front.”

FINDING A BALANCE

Speaking of those scrimmage stats, Georgia’s three quarterbacks are trying not to let the numbers carry too much weight as they move forward.

Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray each had good outings Saturday, while Logan Gray’s numbers were a bit off the pace, but all three quarterbacks are trying to remember that there’s still a long way to go.

“You have to balance it all out because you don’t want to have a great day and think you’re in the lead for the race or you have a bad day and think I fell behind,” Gray said. “You still want to go out and do your best every single day and try to get better. Especially at the quarterback position, if you have a good throw or a bad throw, you’ve got to put it behind you because there’s going to be so many more coming.”

That’s a lesson Murray has learned, too. While he’s aware the scrimmages earn a bit more attention – both from the fans and the coaches – he said he’s been assured that a final decision on the starter will be made only after a thorough evaluation of each day of practice and practically every throw the quarterbacks have made.

“Some days you’re going to have great days, and some days you’re going to have bad days,” Murray said. “One of those days might be the spring game, and that’s the day everybody sees the stats but they don’t see in practice you might do well the rest of the time.”

Practice Notes: Samuel Moving Inside

Richard Samuel is on the move again, although this time it’s not quite as drastic as his switch from offense to defense earlier this offseason.

After a brief tryout at outside linebacker, new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham decided Samuel was a better fit playing inside linebacker, where he’ll be better able to utilize his speed in coverage.

“He can run, he can cover, and by playing inside, you can still blitz, but there’s a little more coverage element involved, and that would utilize his speed,” Grantham said.

Grantham said all his inside linebackers have crosstrained at both inside positions – the Mike and Mo, as Grantham is calling them – and Samuel will work at each.

That still leaves Georgia a bit thin at outside linebacker, but head coach Mark Richt said the staff felt the best option was to put Samuel where he had the best chance to succeed rather than trying to fill out a depth chart.

“It’s probably a little bit more natural for him (to play inside),” Richt said. “We started him outside a little bit because of some issues with numbers at outside linebacker, but to give him a more fair opportunity, we moved him inside.”

NICKEL FOR YOUR THOUGHTS

Georgia’s new-look secondary has been a work in progress so far this spring, with Brandon Boykin, the lone returning starter, switching from boundary corner to field corner, and three other starting jobs up for grabs.

Bacarri Rambo appears to have one of the open safety jobs locked down, but the other two players working with the No. 1 unit have been a bit of a surprise – sophomore Shawn Williams at safety and senior Vance Cuff at corner.

“I like what I see out of Vance, he’s definitely competing hard,” Boykin said. “I definitely think (Williams) has gotten better and is continuing to compete. Nothing’s set in stone, but I think he could definitely have a shot at that safety spot.”

Nick Williams, Jakar Hamilton and Quintin Banks are also in the running for the vacant starting safety job, while Sanders Commings, Jordan Love and Branden Smith are battling for the open cornerback role.

At nickel, Boykin said he and Smith have gotten the most work, but even that remains an open competition.

“As of right now, we’re the nickels,” Boykin said. “I plan on being the nickel once the season starts, but we really don’t know. Right now we’re just trying to learn the system, so we’ll see.”

NOWHERE MAN

Senior offensive lineman Clint Boling said he has been pleased with the progress of Trinton Sturdivant, who is recovering from his second knee surgery in as many years. Sturdivant has been jogging and doing some light workouts, but won’t be a full participant in spring practice.

That leaves the future for Boling wide open once again. Boling started as a freshman at guard, then shifted to right tackle as a sophomore. After Sturdivant went down, he eventually moved to left tackle, but swapped back to the right side again to start the 2009 season. Midway through last year, however, Boling was on the move again to replace Sturdivant, so by the time his senior season is ready to kick off, he has no idea where he might end up.

“I really don’t know,” Boling said. “I’ve switched around so much that it’s all kind of run together so it doesn’t matter which position I’m playing, I guess.”

BUILDING LEADERSHIP

Georgia held its first character education meetings of the spring on Thursday, and Richt talked to his seniors about developing their leadership on the practice field. The result was the most spirited day of practice so far, Richt said.

Identifying some leaders within the locker room will be a key step this spring. Last year’s veterans – Joe Cox, Jeff Owens and Rennie Curran – are all gone, and while Richt singled out Clint Boling, Darryl Gamble and Akeem Dent as players who have stepped into that leadership role, he said there are plenty of jobs available and plenty of candidates for the gig.

“I don’t want to discourage anybody by not calling him out because all those guys are really doing a good job,” Richt said.

EXTRA POINTS

-- Richt on Thursday’s practice: “It’s a great energy bunch right now. They’ve got a lot of enthusiasm. It was the first day in some form of pads where they could actually hit somebody, I think they were excited about that. But both sides of the ball came out to get better. We’re making a ton of mistakes, I know that. But when we’re making mistakes with the type of tempo and energy we’re having, it’s fun to see. We see really good athletes out there making plays on both sides of the ball, and I’m really encouraged right now.

-- On the injury front, offensive lineman Dallas Lee left practice for about 10 minutes due to some asthma issues, but returned for the completion of workouts. Safety Jakar Hamilton left practice early Tuesday with a foot injury, but he was back to a full workout Thursday.

-- Richt singled out an unnamed blogger who he thought misunderstood how the team planned to use Logan Gray on special teams this season. While Richt didn’t name names and said he “rarely, if ever” reads blogs, he felt the need to clear the air because, “the gentleman just didn’t understand why he was back there returning punts”

“When Logan is back there, it’s a time when the offensive team is punting it in, it’s a pooch kick,” Richt said. “Our defense, our punt return team, is in punt safe to keep them from faking the punt because they’ve crossed our 50-yard line. So all Logan is doing is making the decision on whether to make the fair catch or let the ball hit. The fine gentleman who writes the blog, I don’t think he really understood that very much. I just thought if everybody got educated on that, they might understand a little bit better why Logan would do that. He was 100 percent last year on making those decisions and never bobbled the ball. That’s not a hard thing to do, and we’re not expecting him to return the punt because those punts don’t get returned.”

Re-reading what I wrote Tuesday about Logan, I’m fairly certain I wasn’t the offending party. Then again, Richt was looking in my general direction during his remarks. Or perhaps he was simply checking out the score of the UNLV-Northern Iowa game.

Notes: Dawgs View Sturdivant as 'Luxury'

After missing all but about 40 minutes of the past two seasons, Trinton Sturdivant hasn’t been forgotten by Georgia’s coaches. But just the same, they’re not exactly counting on him either.

After an impressive freshman season at left tackle in 2007, Sturdivant tore multiple ligaments in his left knee in fall camp in 2008, then suffered a torn ACL in Georgia’s opening game last season.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said Sturdivant is ahead of schedule in his recovery from his most recent knee surgery, but the battle plan for the Bulldogs’ offense is to proceed as if their left tackle won’t be around in 2010.

“When we’re talking about our objectives as an offense and what we want to accomplish this spring, we want to establish depth at the offensive line with out counting on Trinton Sturdivant,” Bobo said. “He’s a luxury. We think he’s going to be back, he’s ahead of schedule, he’s doing great, but we have to establish depth besides him.”

In each of the past two seasons, Georgia shuffled replacements at left tackle after Sturdivant’s injuries, and in both cases, it took the offensive line a while to find its groove.

So this season, Bobo hopes to have a group ready to play with or without Sturdivant – which likely means opening with senior Clint Boling filling the left tackle job, where he worked at the ends of both the 2008 and 2009 season and performed well enough to earn All-SEC honors.

Of course, while that’s the plan for now, it’s certainly not etched in stone if that luxury becomes a reality, Bobo said.

“If we get ‘The Luxury,’ he’ll probably be at left tackle,” Bobo said of Sturdivant. “Whoever those best five are, we’re going to put them in the best position where we think they can be successful. If Trinton’s out there, and he’s one of our best five, my bet is he’d be at left tackle.”

QUIETING THE CONTROVERSY

After soon-to-be Tennessee wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers spurned Georgia just days before signing day this year, Bulldogs safety Bacarri Rambo voiced some displeasure with the lack of commitment shown by players who were once committed to coming to Athens.

On his Facebook page, Rambo wrote he though it was “messed up” for players to renege on a commitment at the last minute and promised, “When I catch you on the field I’m going to knock fire from you.”

That started an ongoing war of words between Rambo and Rogers in which the receiver lambasted the safety via Facebook and Twitter and Rambo returned serve with a few quips of his own.

Now that the feud seems to have simmered down, Rambo said it was all a bit of a misunderstanding.

“I wasn’t really directly talking to him,” Rambo said. “I was just shocked that you would say you were going to one school and then change your mind at the last (minute). It wasn’t directed to him. It was directed to no one. I was just confused and curious as to why they would do things like that. But if he wanted to think it was him, I can’t stop him from thinking that, so it’s whatever.”

Regardless of any confusion, Rambo doesn’t think he has much to clear up. He said he has no plans to contact Rogers, but won’t continue the war of words either.

“I’m going to try to be the better man and just let that die down and not say anything to him,” Rambo said.

A GOOD MOVE

A large contingent of Georgia fans that drooled over Richard Samuel’s physical skills but scratched their heads at his inability to avoid contact as a tailback got their wish this offseason when the rising junior was moved to linebacker.

As it turns out, those fans weren’t alone in hoping for a change for the talented former tailback. Junior linebacker Marcus Dowtin said he has been lobbying Samuel to make the switch for two years.

“I spoke to Richard when we first got up here freshman year and told him you should make that switch and come over to linebacker with me,” Dowtin said. “So I always wanted him to do that, and now that he’s over there, he’s definitely going to do something great. He’s an athlete. He’s strong, he’s fast, and I think he’ll be a great complement to me, and I can be a great complement to him out there. He’s made our linebacker corps a lot more athletic and a lot faster.”

EXTRA POINTS

* Tailback Washaun Ealey said he still hopes to swap his uniform number from 24 to 3 – the number he and all of his family members wore during their high-school playing days – but he has yet to get a final OK from head coach Mark Richt.

* Cornerback Chad Gloer was moved to wide receiver this month to help fill in the gaps on a shallow depth chart.

* Despite some rumors that a move to the offensive line could be in store, Bobo said Kwame Geathers is staying put on defense.

* Cornerback Jordan Love is back at work after missing much of last season with a toe injury that has nagged him since high school. He underwent surgery to repair the injury, and fellow corner Branden Smith said the results are encouraging so far. “Right now, he’s feeling good,” Smith said. “He’s ready for the season to start right now. His recovery is coming along very well.”

* Spring practice officially begins Thursday, but Bobo said that is more of an opportunity to meet with the players and maximize their practice time. The team will then take 12 days off during Georgia’s spring break before reconvening – and essentially re-doing the Day 1 workouts – on March 14.

* Bobo was also sporting a black eye during interviews Thursday. The injury came courtesy of grad assistant Mitch Doolittle during Wednesday's pick-up basketball game.

I got lots more info, including plenty on the defensive changes, from today’s meetings with players, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that.

Notes: Gray Sticking at QB

By Tyler Estep

Rumors have abounded in recent weeks that Georgia quarterback Logan Gray would be moving to wide receiver, transferring or a number of other things.

Wednesday, though, Gray said he’s not going anywhere.

“The coaches never even really confronted me about the whole issue,” Gray said. “It was interesting that all this whirlwind talk started brewing up, because it seemed like to me that [offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo] was planning on me playing quarterback the whole time, back through the spring.”

All this talk began for several reasons:

1) Two young quarterbacks in Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger, now redshirt freshmen, are waiting for their shot. Many fans and message boards have already all but anointed Murray, not fourth-year junior Gray, the starter.

2) Gray was ineffective in his appearances in relief of Joe Cox last season, albeit usually brief ones and in tough situations.

3) Gray’s mobility, speed and elusiveness, which were attempted to be displayed on select punt returns in 2009, make him a natural fit elsewhere.

But Gray said Wednesday, like Murray and Mettenberger, that he’s still aiming for the Georgia quarterback role, it’s still an open competition, and he’s still in.

“I thought about it some,” Gray said. “I think ultimately I just want to try to do what’s best for me and what’s best for our team, and helping out the team. I’ve thought about it, and nothing’s really changed dating back to any time really. I’m planning on playing quarterback. If it doesn’t work, I’m not opposed to playing receiver, trying to play defense or whatever it may be. Ultimately I just want to try and help the team win, contribute.”

With a three-horse race headed into spring practice, the three quarterbacks weren’t sure exactly what will the deciding factor would be between them — but they knew they better be good.

“I think it’s pretty much whoever just does the best that’s going to be the starter, really,” Murray said. “He hasn’t said if you throw this many touchdowns or this many picks you’re not going to be the starter.”

Added Gray: “I’ve just been trying to work hard this offseason and do what I can to get better. Just get stronger, get faster and make sure there’s no way they can keep me off the field, even if it’s not quarterback. So we’ll see.”

SAMUEL 'MORE COMFORTABLE' AT LB

After lots of talk and plenty of speculation, Richard Samuel made his transition from tailback to linebacker official earlier this month. Wednesday, the former two-way high school star from Cartersville spoke with the media for the first time since.

“I missed it a lot,” Samuel said of playing defense. “Just the whole being able to play free instead of worrying about certain fundamentals. And the whole enjoyment of tackling and all that. I missed it a lot.”

Samuel was Georgia’s starting tailback in its season opener with Oklahoma State. But Caleb King got healthy, freshman Washaun Ealey burst onto the scene and the Bulldog ground game began to flourish, and Samuel’s carries dwindled.

“I didn’t have tremendous playing time [at tailback],” Samuel said. “I didn’t get very many snaps. Plus how well the backs were doing last year, my future wasn’t looking too good at running back.”

But, he said, it wasn’t a move necessitated by lack of success running the ball, or one coaches approached him with. It was a comfort thing, and it was blocking that he just couldn’t get a handle on.

“I felt uncomfortable because, all throughout high school, most of the backs didn’t have to block a whole lot,” Samuel said. “That was something I had to come in and learn, and the fundamental steps, for some reason I couldn’t get it down right.”

Samuel, who’s already put on about 10 pounds since last season, said he wasn’t sure yet whether he would be one the inside or outside of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s new 3-4 scheme. He did, however, say he planned to be a starter come the fall. His transition should be eased because, well, in a way, all the linebackers are transitioning.

“I feel like it’s a good advantage,” Samuel said. “We’re all back to ground zero, nobody knows the playbook, nobody knows the scheme. Everybody’s at zero again.”

BROWN HUNGRY FOR IMPROVED 2010

To say Marlon Brown’s freshman season was a disappointing one would be a gross understatement.

One of the nation’s most highly-touted receivers out of high school rarely saw the field in 2009, and looked utterly lost at times when he did. With Georgia being snubbed by a few big-name wide receiver prospects on national signing day, even more pressure will be put on him to perform come August.

Bring it on, he says.

“I’m real hungry. Really hungry,” Brown said. “I’m in the weight room, just sitting there lifting weights thinking about playing next season. I’m in the film room damn near every day just trying to get everything played out in my mind. Learning defenses, learning coverages, learning routes, all of that.”

Brown didn’t chart a reception until Week 6 against Tennessee last year, while fellow youngsters Rantavious Wooten, Tavarres King and Orson Charles excelled in the passing game. He finished the season with two catches for 15 yards, both against the Vols.

“I like playing football, that’s why I came here,” Brown said. “I was kind of upset after a while [in 2009]. It was a setback, but it was like, my time will come. I just started grinding. It’s just gaining the confidence in coach Bobo and [receivers coach Tony Ball], that when I’m out there they’re like, ‘Oh, OK, he’s Marlon, he knows what to do on this play, he knows what to do on that play.’”

UGA Notes: Samuel Expects to Stay at RB

He opened the year as Georgia’s bell-cow tailback, but the pickings got slim for Richard Samuel by midseason, and 2010 remains a bit of a mystery at this point.

But while rumors have swirled surrounding a potential move to linebacker for the rising junior, Samuel said he’s happy to stay right where he’s at. In fact, that’s the plan – for now.

“Going into spring my thought is that I’m still going to be playing running back,” Samuel said. “If coaches decide to do anything with me, I’ll be glad to do whatever helps the team win.”

Head coach Mark Richt said that there could be several position changes in the works for Georgia players, but he declined to comment on any specifics, saying those announcements would likely come following national signing day when the Bulldogs have a better idea of what their new recruiting class will look like.

“I'm not saying there's some certainty that there'll be some changes but there's going to be some thought about that as a staff,” Richt said. “What you want to do at this point of the season, which is very young and brand new, is to get everybody in the right spot where they'll have the greatest chance of success.”

That’s the lingering question surrounding Samuel, who landed the starting tailback job to start the year after a strong fall camp coupled with an injury to Caleb King made the decision easy.

Samuel had 51 carries in Georgia’s first three games and had more than 85 yards of total offense in each, including a 16-carry, 104-yard game against Arkansas. But his yards-per-carry slipped throughout the early season, and when King returned from injury and freshman Washaun Ealey exploded onto the scene, Samuel’s role virtually disappeared. He failed to earn a single touch in any of the Bulldogs’ final four games.

Georgia has two running back commitments for 2010 so far -- Ken Malcolme and Alexander Ogletree (who is likely to end up at fullback or linebacker) -- and King and Ealey appeared to have secured the bulk of the carries out of the backfield by year's end.

“He got some nagging injuries, and I think he lost a little confidence at times,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “Richard’s a guy who needs some confidence, too. He’s relatively new at playing the position and developing those instincts. We’re not disappointed in Richard that he’ll never play running back. I think he has a bright future and a lot of ability, but it’s growing into his role. He just hasn’t figured it out totally yet, but I would not say Richard Samuel’s done and he’ll never play running back.”

He may not be done, but Richt publicly acknowledged that a move to linebacker, where Samuel played in high school, was a possibility earlier in the season. So the speculation continues, and that’s fine with Samuel.

While he wants to stay at running back, and he believes he can ultimately succeed there, he said the difference between playing tailback and linebacker isn’t such a broad leap for him.
“I liked both of them about the same,” Samuel said of his high school days. “It’s hard to choose between running back and linebacker.”

QB BATTLE BEGINS

When Georgia left the field following an Independence Bowl win over Texas A&M, it officially marked the end of Joe Cox’s career at Georgia and the start of a new era at the quarterback position.

Rising junior Logan Gray will enter the spring as the Bulldogs’ only experienced quarterback, but the Georgia coaches are still waiting to learn whether Gray even plans to play quarterback when practice begins again.

"I think he's trying to make a decision right now,” head coach Mark Richt said of Gray, who has considered moving to wide receiver where he could earn more playing time down the road. “I don't know for certain what he'll come up with but we want to respect what he wants to do. We didn't put a timetable on that."

Whether or not Gray swaps positions, it appears that freshmen Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger are far enough along that the coaching staff believes Georgia can win with one of them as the starter in 2010.

While both redshirted last season, Cox said they both showed enough on the practice field to inspire confidence.

“They both have the ability and they’re both really smart kids,” Cox said. “I look at them and I know that both of them are past where I was my true freshman year in understanding what’s going on. They adjusted rather quickly, and once both of them get a chance to compete with the first team and understand that it’s open and this is their chance to play, that does a lot for your confidence level.”

Confidence has been a key for both young quarterbacks, but both have made strides, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said.

For Mettenberger, the goal was to improve his footwork and fundamentals to match his impressive arm.

“He’s got to continue to improve with his foot quickness,” Bobo said. “Just seeing a lot of strides there, and he’s not just relying completely on his arm.”

Murray was clearly the better performer in Georgia’s scrimmages, and his preparation has been lauded by coaches and teammates, despite his role as a redshirt. But there are still small things to polish, Bobo said, if Murray wants to step into the starter’s role with confidence.

“Being able to progress faster, seeing it faster and understand the concepts, and that will come with reps,” Bobo said. “He can move in the pocket, he can use his legs and he has a really quick release. He can get rid of the ball quickly. He’s got a lot of confidence and belief that he can get it done, and that carries over when he’s in the huddle.”

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT?

It’s hard for coaches to ask much more of A.J. Green, the All-SEC wide receiver who was virtually Georgia’s only playmaker during the early part of the 2009 season. But when putting his entire season into context, Bobo thinks there are still a few chinks in the armor that Green could improve upon during the offseason.

“He’s got to stay healthy for a full season,” Bobo said. “He’s got to get bigger and stronger. He’s got to be able to run routes with a little more consistency. There’s no denying his playmaking ability of catching the ball in the air and doing things when he has the ball in his hands. But it’s being more consistent and being able to finish the season and a good offseason in the weight room will help that.”

Green finished his freshman campaign by nearly eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark, but a nagging groin injury hampered him throughout the year.

As a sophomore, Green finished with 53 catches and 808 yards receiving, but he missed three of Georgia’s final five games and reached the end zone just once after Oct. 3.

“He’s a tough kid and a physical kid,” Bobo said. “I think he wants to stay healthy for the entire season so he can do what he does for 12 games, and there’s no telling how good he can be or how many plays he can make for a full season.”

SURGERY-FREE SPRING

A year ago, January was filled with doctor’s visits and trips to the hospital for many of Georgia’s players. This year, Richt said the Bulldogs are hopeful that they’ll avoid the operating table altogether before spring practice begins in March.

“I don’t think there’s any,” Richt said. “The surgeries that have already happened are the only ones we anticipate this offseason, and that would be tremendous for us.”

Right tackle Josh Davis, who underwent two offseason shoulder surgeries last year, missed Georgia’s bowl game against Texas A&M, but Richt said he should be fine to return for spring practice.

Left tackle Trinton Sturdivant, who tore his ACL for the second straight season in Georgia’s opener against Oklahoma State, isn’t likely to participate in spring drills, Richt said, but is recovering quickly.

“I am glad it’s nothing serious with Josh and that he’ll be back and won’t have to deal with any offseason surgery,” Richt said. “I don’t think we expect Trinton to participate in any live contact in the spring, although we think he’ll be far enough along to do some walkthroughs.”

ON THEIR OWN

For the past four years, Kade Weston, Jeff Owens and Geno Atkins have been virtually inseparable as Georgia’s big three defensive tackles. But now all three are preparing for the NFL draft, and Weston said he’s still getting used to the idea of life without his partners in crime.

"Right now, it’s starting to be a business," Weston said. "It can’t be, oh, we want to go here together. It’s what’s best for me from a business perspective.”

TOUGH LOVE

In the wake of scandals at Texas Tech and Kansas, coaches are getting a more critical look at how they motivate and push their players, but Richt said that won’t make much difference in Georgia’s preparations.

“It won’t change one thing in regard to what we’re trying to get accomplished on the field,” Richt said. “I want our coaches to push the young men to do their very best. Not many young men can be at their best unless someone pushes them beyond their comfort zone. But there’s a way to do that that’s well within what every parent would want to be done.”

Practice Notes: Christmas Comes Early for Bobo

With five children between ages 2 and 5, Christmas is an exciting time of year in Mike Bobo’s house. But with Georgia set to depart for Shreveport, La. on Thursday, the normal holiday routine had to change a bit.

Since Bobo and his family will be in Shreveport on Christmas day with the Bulldogs preparing for their bowl date with Texas A&M, the schedule was moved up a bit. The Bobos held Christmas Eve festivities tonight and Christmas day comes Wednesday.

“My kids are jacked, and I’m jacked, too,” Bobo said.

While Bobo admits his wife did most of the shopping, he had the crucial job of ensuring that Santa was aware of the tweaked holiday schedule at his house. Luckily for him, Santa was happy to oblige.

“It just happens that we’re playing the 28th, so Santa’s coming early,” Bobo said. “We wrote him a letter, and he wrote back and said if they’re nice to mom, he’ll come early.”

GRADES ARE IN

Georgia head coach Mark Richt got some good news on the academic front as the Bulldogs wrapped up their final practice of the year in Athens. No players have been ruled academically ineligible for the bowl game on Dec. 28, and the overall efforts of the team in the classroom during the fall semester were exceptional, he said.

While results aren’t official yet, Richt said he was told 43 players earned a 3.0 GPA or better during the fall semester, and the overall team GPA was better than 2.7.

“No one has really any issues going into the spring as far as grade point average and all the number of hours needed is very manageable,” Richt said. “So it was really a very successful semester academically.”

TALKING IT OVER

While Georgia will bid farewell to a large group of seniors after the Independence Bowl, two juniors on defense could be departing, too.

Linebacker Rennie Curran and safety Reshad Jones are both considering leaving school a year early for the NFL draft, and Richt said he has spoken with both players about their decisions. While he said he’s offered advice to both Curran and Jones, he said neither has made up their mind and both are focused on ending the season – and possibly their careers – on a high note against Texas A&M.

“We’ve had some conversations, but more of the trying to make sure we’re getting good information and not putting this decision before finishing out their careers in a very positive way,” Richt said. “They’re definitely thinking about it. But neither one has definitely said I’m doing one thing or the other at this point.”

BOYKIN TO THE RESCUE

Georgia held its final practice in Athens this season on Tuesday with a morning workout that focused primarily on special teams. The practice ended, however, with the annual pre-Christmas conditioning in which Richt made the team run 10 half-gassers – across the width of the football field and back – unless a player stepped up to sing a Christmas carol in front of his teammates.

“Somebody had to stand up in front of the team and sing at least a verse or two of a song,” Richt said. “It was Chester Adams for years. He would sing ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire,’ and he’d do a great job of that.”

This year, the volunteers were sparse, but finally cornerback Brandon Boykin stepped up to offer his voice to save some running – about 500 yards worth, according to Richt – for his teammates.

“He sang something about a mistletoe, I’m not quite sure,” Richt said. “But he sang it well. He cut those gassers in half, so that was a good deal.”

TUNING IN FOR BOWDEN

Bobby Bowden, will be coaching the final game of his career on Jan. 1, and his former protégé hasn’t ruled out a trip to watch.

Richt said he’ll definitely tune in for the game, but wouldn’t rule out a trip to Jacksonville to watch it in person. The truth is, he said, he hadn’t yet considered the fact that he would be off work on the first of the year.

“I haven’t thought about it,” Richt said. “I guess I’m so used to playing on the first you don’t think about being able to do something like that.”

SIMMER DOWN

With the Christmas holiday looming and Georgia’s bowl game less than a week away, Richt said his search for a new defensive coordinator is likely to take a backseat for a few days, at least.

“We’ll work on that more after the bowl games,” Richt said. “But we’ll get it done.”

EXTRA POINTS

-- Richt noted that things would look a quite different on Georgia's practice fields the next time the Bulldogs got together in Athens for a full practice. Construction is ongoing at the Butts-Mehre facility, with concrete being poured and steel being put into place for an expansion to the football facilities. In the meantime, team meeting rooms have been moved to trailers and the team set up a temporary weight room in Stegeman Coliseum that Richt dubbed, "the dungeon."

-- Richard Samuel said he's feeling back to normal after suffering a concussion during practice prior to the Georgia Tech game last month. “I remembered everything that happened, but at the beginning of it, I didn’t think it was that bad," Samuel said of the injury. "But the symptoms kept reoccurring.” That has since cleared up, and he said he'll be able to play in Georgia's bowl game, where he is expected to start on several special teams units as well as back up Caleb King and Washaun Ealey at tailback.

Practice Notes: Green, Rambo Downgraded to Doubtful

Hope gave way to reality Wednesday, as Georgia head coach Mark Richt announced both safety Bacarri Rambo and receiver A.J. Green were likely to miss Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech.

Just a day earlier, Richt said he was confident that Rambo, who suffered a concussion against Auburn two weeks ago, would be ready in time for Tech, but the redshirt freshman was not cleared to play by trainer Ron Courson, putting his chances of playing at almost none.

“Ron just says he’s not ready yet, so he’s not ready,” Richt said. “I don’t think he’ll play.”

The same is true for Green, Georgia’s leading receiver who has missed two of the past three games with varying injuries. A sprained shoulder suffered against Auburn had Green questionable for action already, but with just one practice session remaining before Saturday’s kickoff against the Yellow Jackets, Richt said there was little chance the star receiver would see action.

“My term is hopeful because you hope he makes it, but he’s doubtful, too,” Richt said. “I wouldn’t rule him out, but the chances aren’t very good at all.”

SCARY MOMENT FOR SAMUEL, NORTON

Georgia will be without third-string tailback Richard Samuel for this weekend’s game against Tech after the sophomore collided with walk-on cornerback Christian Norton in practice Tuesday, sending both players to the hospital.

Samuel was running a route in the flat, but after catching the football, Norton delivered a hard hit to the tailback that sent both players to the ground.

“It was a pretty hard collision for both of them, and both of them ended up getting a concussion," Richt said. "For safety sake, we sent them over to the hospital for X-rays and to get looked at.”

Norton was knocked unconscious, and both players suffered concussions and minor neck injuries, Richt said.

None of the injuries were considered severe, and both players were released from the hospital the same day.

“We don’t think either one of them is going to have any kind of long-lasting issues from it but it was scary there for a minute,” Richt said.

Samuel had been Georgia’s starting tailback for much of the season but has seen his playing time dwindle in recent weeks. Still, he was a starter on both the kickoff return unit and punt return unit on special teams.

Richt said he was unsure if either player would be ready for Georgia’s bowl game.

AVOIDING THE RUMOR MILL

Despite rampant speculation about the future of many of Georgia’s assistant coaches, Richt said the energy at practice this week has remained high and players are avoiding the rumors about resignations and terminations on the staff.

“What I’ve found is they’re going to go about as hard as we go,” Richt said. “I think the coaches still kind of make the weather for the guys. If we go out there and we get to work and coach ‘em up and have the same expectations we’ve always had, then they’ll rise to that.”

Of course, the rumors have spread beyond the locker room, and Richt said he’s sure that other schools are using the speculation as a recruiting tool with many top prospects.

“I’m sure people do that, and people are going to use whatever they can use,” he said. “Right now, again, we’ve just got to focus on this ballgame. All these things we’re talking about aren’t going to help us win, so that’s what we’re focusing on right now.”

Georgia’s coaching staff is scheduled to take a furlough day prior to the end of the month as part of the state’s mandatory furloughs, but most are expected to hit the road for the start of the NCAA’s open contact period for recruiting as early as Sunday.

As for addressing those rumors about his assistant coaches, Richt said he’s doing his best not to listen to the rumblings.

“You can’t let public opinion run your program is probably the best way to say it,” Richt said.

EXTRA POINTS

Georgia defensive tackle Jeff Owens was named to the SEC Football Community Service team for his work with Habitat for Humanity, the Boys and Girls Club and numerous other charity organizations.

Notes: Uga VII Dies Suddenly

After less than two seasons as Georgia’s mascot, Uga VII died of heart-related causes Thursday.

The English bulldog took the reins as one of the nation’s most well known mascots just last year. The death came as a surprise to Uga VII’s owner, Frank W. “Sonny” Seiler.

“We are all in a state of shock,” Seiler said in a statement released by the university. “We had no warning whatsoever.”

There will be no mascot present on the sidelines at Saturday’s final regular-season home game for Georgia, a rarity since the first Uga was officially introduced in 1956.

Georgia head coach Mark Richt was informed of the news Thursday afternoon and spoke with Seiler soon after.

“I was sad to hear about Uga VII,” Richt said. “You never think something like that can happen that quickly, and I’m sad we won’t have him on the sideline anymore.”

Uga VII presided over 23 games, with Georgia posting a record of 16-7 during that span – the fourth best winning percentage the Bulldogs have had with any of the Uga mascots.

The dog was a popular figure among Georgia fans following his introduction in August of 2008 prior to the Bulldogs’ home opener against Georgia Southern. Richt said the line of fans waiting for their photos with the dog dwarfed the amount hoping for a snapshot with the Georgia coaches or players.

Uga VII was known for his more laid-back personality, rarely showing as much playfulness as his father, who gained a reputation for a mischievous personality.

Seiler said there are several options for Uga VIII, but noted that no replacement would be made official until next year.

Georgia’s players were not made available for comment Thursday, but after news of Uga VII’s death, several players including Jeff Owens and Michael Moore expressed sadness and sympathy and posted photos of their time with the dog on their Facebook and Twitter pages.

“This is a very sad day for the Seiler family, but also for all Georgia people,” athletics director Damon Evans said. “Just as his ancestors, (Uga VII) had captured the hearts of college football fans everywhere as the country’s No. 1 mascot. He had been truly embraced by all those who follow the Georgia Bulldogs across the country.”

ON THE MOVE?

There will be five senior defensive tackles who take the field before Georgia’s final game of the season Saturday to be honored as part of the team’s senior day festivities, which means there will be a serious blow to the Bulldogs’ depth at that position next season.

Meanwhile, Georgia figures to return all five starters on its offensive line, which makes for a crowded depth chart ahead of A.J. Harmon, the burly redshirt freshman who switched from the defensive to offensive line prior to the season.

But while a switch back might make perfect sense for Harmon and the Bulldogs in terms of numbers, head coach Mark Richt said it isn’t likely to happen.

“I have talked to him about that throughout the year, and you never say never, only because you never know what kind of injuries may hit your team,” Richt said. “But right now, we have no thoughts at all about moving him. We feel like he’s making good progress.”

Georgia will return just four scholarship defensive tackles next year, including three true freshmen -- Derrick Lott, Kwame Geathers and Abry Jones. Deangelo Tyson and Jones are the only two to receive playing time this season.

Harmon has seen minimal playing time this season, but he has shown significant progress in shedding weight and getting into better shape after entering school at nearly 330 pounds.

“A.J.’s come a long way at O line,” Richt said. “He’s reshaped his body. He needs more strength, but we like how he’s been progressing so we think we’ll keep him there.”

While Harmon appears unlikely to swap positions, the door is still open for tailback Richard Samuel to make the move to linebacker, but Richt said no official decisions on that will be made until after the season, when coaches can do a thorough review of the scenario.

“I don’t want to get into that because I don’t want to disrupt his life right now, but we’re going to look at everything in totality once this season’s over,” Richt said. “We’ll look at some things when there’s a little breathing room and some time to think about it.”

RECRUITING HYPE HEATS UP

What looked like an already crowded signing class for next season could get bigger for two reasons.

First, Georgia may have more scholarships to offer than previously assumed. With Tony Wilson, Bryce Ros and Neland Ball all earning medical disqualifications in the past seven months, a few more scholarships have opened up. Add to that the departure of juniors Kevin Perez and Ricardo Crawford, who both will graduate and leave the program despite having an additional season of eligibility remaining, and the Bulldogs have a bit more room to maneuver.

Still, Richt said the increased scholarships available won’t change the approach he has taken toward recruiting this season.

“I wouldn’t say that, oh now we can go get two more,” Richt said. “We’re recruiting the same guys we’ve been recruiting all along, so that hasn’t changed.”

While the extra scholarships may help boost Georgia’s signing class, which already has 18 commitments according to Rivals.com, it was the atmosphere from last week’s game against Auburn that may have an even bigger impact.

Georgia hosted one of its biggest crowds of recruits at the game, and Richt said the emotion of the win and the enthusiasm of the crowd, including an emotional moment when they chanted the name of injured safety Bacarri Rambo, did plenty to wow the potential future Bulldogs.

“It was fantastic … just how the crowd reacted to our team, to the Dawg Walk, to the play of our team and of course how they chanted Rambo’s name and just how loud they got at the end,” Richt said. “And for the official visits, they were in the locker room after the game and got to see how we celebrate in there. It was just a perfect night for football, and we played well against a very good team. It was a great representation of what Georgia football is about, so I couldn’t have asked for more on that one.”

DAWGS WON'T GO GREEN

It won’t be the first time this season that Georgia has gone to battle without A.J. Green, and the Bulldogs managed to post 31 points a week ago without their star receiver. Still, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said there’s no replacing a player of Green’s caliber without changing the battle plan.

“It was good to see and get those guys in there to have opportunities, and they made plays,” Bobo said. “It’s a little bit difficult in the sense that you have a guy that was pretty dependable when the ball came his way in his ability to make plays and cause defenses to account for him.”

Bobo said he still was unsure who would get the start opposite Tavarres King this week, with Michael Moore, Rantavious Wooten and Israel Troupe all in the mix.

Regardless of who plays in Green’s place, Bobo said the key will be for Georgia to continue running the ball effectively, even with Kentucky’s defense likely to put extra defenders in the box to stop the run.

“We’ll still probably get a little bit more one-on-one that we did when he was out there, but we’re still going to have to be able to run the ball efficiently,” Bobo said.

MIXED BAG FOR COX

Bobo has made no secret that he believes Joe Cox is Georgia’s best quarterback, but he’s not going so far as to call Cox’s senior season a complete success.

Through 10 games, Cox has completed 58 percent of his passes, throwing 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Cox’s season has been marked by inconsistency, from his five-touchdown performance against Arkansas to his dismal three-interception game in a loss to Florida.

“He’s been up and down,” Bobo said. “There’s been flashes of playing very well and leading this football team, but there’s been some inconsistency in throwing the ball accurately.”

Bobo said the lack of accuracy has been a surprise, given Cox’s history throughout his first four seasons in the program, but said the problems have usually been a result of hesitancy rather than judgment.

“Going into this season, he was a very accurate passer, knows his progressions,” Bobo said. “But a lot has to do with not trusting it, worrying about making the mistake, and then we’re making mistakes. You’ve got to play ball. If it’s not there, you’ve got to protect it, and there’s a fine line there. There’s going to be tight windows … and you’ve got to be willing to throw the ball in tight spaces, and then there’s going to be times when you’ve got to take a sack.”

FUTURE UNCLEAR FOR PUGH

Before the season began, redshirt freshman Makiri Pugh hoped he might be in line for significant playing time at both safety and nickel corner, but 10 games into the season, those opportunities have not developed.

Pugh has seen limited action on special teams but has made only the rare appearance on defense this season, and the lack of playing time has been frustrating.

“It’s been kind of rough really,” Pugh said. “I’ve only seen time on punt return and block, so I’ve just been trying to keep a positive attitude. I have guys ahead of me, so I’ve just got to keep on working. I’m just focused on getting better at the things I’m weak at to get that opportunity. Obviously the season is winding down, but you never know what can happen, so I’ve just got to stay prepared.”

With freshman Bacarri Rambo set to miss this week’s game, Pugh is hopeful he could see action as a potential replacement, but after a season of waiting, he has learned not to predict playing time.

“We’ll see how it goes,” he said. “I’ve been second team at safety and nickel the entire season, so I’m just going to prepare like I usually do, know the game plan and be ready. Playing is more of a reality. If one guy or two guys get nicked up, and I’m in there.”

With Georgia struggling to a 6-4 record, Pugh said it has been difficult to remain on the sideline, despite the losses. Richt has said he plans to continue playing starters for the remainder of the season rather than giving playing time to younger players in order to prepare them for the future – a plan Pugh at least tentatively endorses.

“We want to win, that’s the bottom line,” Pugh said. “But I think being on the bench on an undefeated team is a little different than being on the bench on a team that’s 6-4. But we care about winning and if they feel they have the guys out there that are giving us the best chance to win, then you have to go along with it. You’ve just got to work.”

What that means for Pugh’s future is still to be determined. The safety said he has not given serious consideration to a transfer, but will evaluate his situation once the season is over.

“I’m trying not to look ahead,” Pugh said. “We know we’re going to lose some seniors this year, but we don’t really know exactly how it’s going to work out. I haven’t really looked ahead too much because we’re in the middle of the season and I still have responsibilities this season.”

CLEARING UP THE CONTROVERSY

I had a couple people inquire about a moment on the sideline during Georgia's win over Auburn last week when defensive coordinator Willie Martinez was discussing a play with safety Reshad Jones and linebacker Rennie Curran appeared to shove Martinez away from Jones.

Some folks thought it was a sign of issues brewing between Georgia's defensive coordinator and its top defensive player, but Curran said it was nothing more than playful roughhousing that occurs all the time.

“I always try to get Coach Martinez pumped up, so I’ll come up and chest bump him sometimes," Curran said. "Before the game, we’ll be jumping up and getting rowdy and I’ll come up and push Coach Martinez just to get fired up. It’s perception, man. You see one thing and think another and take it out of proportion.”

(One other note... My latest Twitter updates are available along the right hand side of this page. For breaking info such as Uga's death, I may not have time immediately to post a story, but I'll typically post updates via Twitter that you can access.)

Short Cuts: How Bad a Runner is Richard Samuel?

The biggest UGA story during my week off might have been Mark Richt's admission that there was at least a chance Richard Samuel would be moved to linebacker next season. The rationale is simple: Samuel is big, strong and fast, but he just doesn't have those natural instincts a running back needs to hit the hole and break tackles. The evidence is simple, too: He makes contact, then goes down. Too many short runs, not enough first downs. But is it true?

Here's a rundown of the runs made by each of Georgia's four primary tailbacks this season:

Player	Total Runs	0/Neg. (Pct)	1-3 yds (Pct)	4-6 yds (Pct)	7-9 yds (Pct)	10+ yds (Pct)
R.Samuel	77	16 (20.7%)	31 (40.3%)	15 (19.5%)	9 (11.6%)	6 (7.8%)
C. King	35	9 (25.7%)	13 (37.1%)	6 (17.1 %)	1 (2.9%)	6 (17.1%)
W. Ealey	31	6 (19.3%)	15 (48.4%)	6 (19.3%)	3 (9.6%)	1 (3.2%)
C.Thomas	19	3 (15.8%)	5 (26.3%)	5 (26.3%)	2 (13.2%)	4 (21.1%)

Well, it's hard to argue with the notion that Samuel does, indeed, provide a hefty dose of short runs. In fact, 61 percent of the time Samuel carries the football, he picks up fewer than 3 yards. That's not going to get it done.

But is that Samuel's fault or are there other forces at work here?

Look at Georgia's other three tailbacks: Caleb King picks up 3 yards or fewer on 62.8 percent of his carries. Washaun Ealey fails to top 3 yards on a whopping 67.7 percent of his carries. Only Carlton Thomas has had more success at picking up consistent yardage on his runs than Samuel, and his numbers are dubious for several reasons including both a small sample size and the fact that the majority of his work has come during "garbage time" efforts.

So is Samuel really more prone to going down on first contact? These numbers say no. The problem is either a.) All of Georgia's tailbacks fail to break tackles or b.) Georgia's O line simply isn't making longer runs an option.

Of course, there's also the other end of the scale. What about those really long runs -- the ones that seriously erode a defense's confidence and set the offense up with strong field position? On that end, King is the clear winner, and Samuel doesn't seem to have much success. Perhaps that is a better indication of "instincts." Perhaps those real running lanes have been a rarity this season, but when they do appear, King has taken advantage of them while Samuel has not.

That seems reasonable, but if we expand our definition of "big play" to include any of more than 7 yards, suddenly the difference between Samuel and King disappears. So maybe it's not first contact that Samuel has more trouble with than others, but second contact.

Again, none of this is a foolproof answer to the question, but at the same time it does sort of dampen that conventional wisdom that Samuel simply isn't cut out to play tailback.

A few other points worth noting from this data:

-- If Georgia does move Samuel, I'm not sure the coaching staff can be criticized for a failed experiment. What does seem perplexing, however, is why -- if Samuel needed time to develop his skills as a runner -- he wasn't redshirted last year when he was just 17 and had minimal tailback experience.

-- Washaun Ealey seems to be the ray of hope for most fans, but while he has had a couple of more memorable runs, his overall body of work is clearly the worst of the four.

-- Carlton Thomas needs more touches. He's not a traditional runner, but when given a chance to succeed, he does it. Coaches need to stop looking at him as a third or fourth option and start viewing him as a real weapon for the offense.

I did a good bit more research on the running game as well, and we'll get to that later today and tomorrow, so stay tuned.

ADDENDUM: I should also note that perhaps the most stinging indictment of Samuel is not his short runs but rather his propensity for fumbles. I'll take a series of 2-yard totes over a turnover any day.

Practice Notes: Dawgs Look to Jump Start Running Game

There have been plenty of problems on offense in the past three games for Georgia, but the biggest stumbling block has been the team’s inability to run the football.

Against Tennessee last week, the Bulldogs mustered just 89 yards rushing – more than half of which came in the fourth quarter after the Volunteers had the game well in hand – and for the season, their ground game ranks 104th in the country.

With those kinds of numbers, quarterback Joe Cox said, getting the rest of the offense to click can be a difficult task.

“It is tough just because a lot of people feel that they can just come at us when we’re in passing situations, especially once you get down,” Cox said. “It’s tough when you feel like you’ve become one-dimensional and we definitely need to pick up our running game.”

Turning around the moribund rushing attack has been a mystery to Georgia’s coaches so far. In six games, five different players have tallied the day’s longest run, and while Richard Samuel has started each game, Georgia has relied heavily on four different runners already.

“No one has really stood out. No one has really asserted himself to the point where he’s our guy,” head coach Mark Richt said. “No one really has made the offensive line look better than maybe they are blocking at times. We have pretty much been getting what we’ve been blocking for, which statistically hasn’t been a whole heck of a lot.”

Samuel will get another shot this week to prove he can handle the load, but Richt said he doesn’t expect anyone to get a bulk of the work. Still, of all the backs, Samuel has met with the most consistent success – even if that hasn’t been much.

“His deal is confidence,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “Coming into this year, he had a lot of expectations on him, and he kind of takes everything to heart sometimes when he doesn’t have success. But we think he’s a talented back, and we think he’s got to help us in the run game for us to be successful.”

For any of Georgia’s backs to be successful, however, the blocking up front needs to improve. While the Bulldogs’ offensive line has been reshuffled due to injuries since the start of the year, Bobo said the bottom line remains attitude.

“We need to play with more passion up front, we need to finish blocks and we need to have a sense of urgency when we’re running the football,” Bobo said. “That’s offensive linemen, that’s tight ends and that’s running backs. You’ve got to take pride in it, and you’ve got to play hard and physical.”

While there haven’t been many highlights, there have been glimpses of what the tailbacks and the line can do when everything clicks into place this season, highlighted by an 80-yard run for Samuel against Arkansas.

That’s what has been so maddening, Cox said, but it also offers some hope for improvement down the line.

“That’s probably been the most frustrating thing is that we know it’s there but it hasn’t been working,” Cox said. “It’s something that we got to just keep chipping away at. We know we have good backs, we know we have a good line and we just got to get it going so we know we can do it.”

FIGGINS TAKES REDSHIRT

Junior tight end Bruce Figgins missed the first six games of the season following a suspension for a violation of team rules, but he decided this week that he’ll instead sit out the entire season.

Figgins underwent offseason shoulder surgery, but he said the redshirt decision was based on more than health. Having already missed half the season, Figgins decided it was best to finish his rehabilitation and start with a clean slate in 2010.

“There’s pros and cons to either, but Coach Richt came to the conclusion that I should take a red shirt and we’re rolling with that, and I’m looking forward to next year,” Figgins said.

While the decision was ultimately Figgins’, he said he got input from family, friends and his coaches before signing off on the plan. He said the success of freshman Orson Charles and sophomore Aron White at tight end this season didn’t factor into his final decision.

“The coaches put in their input, but I was the last to decide,” Figgins said. “I was the last say so.”

KIDS TO SEE MORE ACTION

With Georgia’s hopes of a conference title nearly vanished, Richt said he isn’t giving up on the season, but he may give some of the younger players a chance to see a bit more action.

Richt said redshirt freshman Baccari Rambo will see an increase in his playing time at safety, establishing a three-man rotation with Bryan Evans and Reshad Jones.

Freshman Branden Smith should see more work at corner, too, spelling senior Prince Miller.

Richt said his two freshman receivers, Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten had earned more playing time, too, following Brown’s first significant action of the season last week.

“Marlon is smoothing out his game, I guess is the best way to put it,” Richt said. “He is a talent, he just needed to get more reps to become a smooth competitor, a smooth receiver. He has proved to be a pretty tenacious blocker. You can tell he wants it, you can tell he’s getting better. He has earned a right to play more snaps for us and hopefully he’ll get more opportunities to catch the ball because he has good hands.”

INJURY UPDATES

Tavarres King and Caleb King each returned to limited practice Tuesday after both missed last week’s game with concussions.

Caleb King figures to be in the mix at tailback, where Bobo said there will be an open competition for carries this week.

Tavarres King expects to step back into his role as the team’s starting receiver opposite A.J. Green. King’s absence last week left Georgia with just five healthy receivers, and watching his offense struggle without him was difficult, he said.

“It hurt really bad watching my teammates and wanting to be out there,” he said.
While neither player participated in contact drills Tuesday, Tavarres King said he’s on track to play against Vanderbilt.

“I did everything that I could, just limited contact,” he said. “I expect to play.”

Cornerback Vance Cuff saw limited action last week following a knee injury, but Richt said he should get in a full week of practice this week and is in line for an increased role on defense against the Commodores.

Linebackers Akeem Dent and Marcus Dowtin are both unlikely to play this week, Richt said. Both are expected back after the team’s off week.

DAWGS DON’T DO DOME

After some speculation earlier this month that Georgia could move its annual matchup against in-state rival Georgia Tech to the Georgia Dome for the 2011 season opener, athletics director Damon Evans said Tuesday that the school had decided against the plan.

“After careful consideration, we did not think in the final analysis it was in the best interest of our football program to play the game as a season opener in 2011,” Evans said. “I think the most significant factor was that we did not want to give up the home game that year and make a change in the current home game rotation with Georgia Tech.”

SHADES OF GRAY?

With Cox struggling in his past three games, Richt said there was a chance backup quarterback Logan Gray could see more work in the coming weeks.

Richt was quick to endorse Cox as his starter, but he wouldn’t rule out handing a series or two to Gray as a change of pace.

“He’s been practicing well the past two weeks, I know that,” Richt said. “I wouldn’t say that’s out of the question.”

Gray ran Georgia’s offense on its final two drives against Tennessee, completing just 1-of-4 passes for six yards. The Bulldogs did have their most success running the football when Gray was in the game, however.

“Logan’s done a nice job,” Bobo said. “He’s done an extremely good job getting better as a quarterback. I think he’s ready if he gets into the game. Obviously if we continue to struggle, he could be something that could spark our offense.”

REPEAT PERFORMANCE

Georgia doesn't have to look too far into the past to find a template for how the rest of its season could unfold.

The Bulldogs were 5-4 following four losses in five games 2006, but rebounded to beat three straight ranked teams, including a Chick-fil-A Bowl victory over Virginia Tech.

While a turnaround of that magnitude may still be a long way off, Cox said the team may actually be in better shape to accomplish the feat this season.

“I think our unity is better than 2006, and I think we could end up having a better season than 2006, but as far as hitting a tough stretch and how everything is around you, it’s about the same," Cox said. "People around here are used to winning. We’ve had some really successful teams the past nine years, and people expect us to win every game. We do, too. And when it doesn’t happen, everybody’s mad, including us. It’s something that does remind me of 2006, but it’s something we can definitely get turned around and have a successful season.”

The key to the improvement down the stretch in 2006 was tenacity, Richt said. While demands for immediate changes to the coaching staff and player personnel by fans followed the Bulldogs' most recent defeat at Tennssee, Richt said the dedication of his coaches and players will be the turning point in whether the Bulldogs can rebound this season.

“It’s hard to measure a team’s ability to withstand pressure," he said. "I think a lot of teams fold under that kind of pressure. A lot of coaching staffs fold under that kind of pressure and we never did. We were very resilient. We were very persistent. We stayed the course. We didn’t make a bunch of wholesale changes, whether it was players, coaches or anything like that. We just kept grinding, we kept banging away. You just never know how close you are to success until you live it out."

EXTRA POINTS

-- I know I said I'd have some commentary from Rennie Curran on the defensive effort, but it turned out to be a little more than a note. I'll have the full text tomorrow.

A few notes on the basketball teams from today's preseason news conference:

-- Travis Leslie is cleared to play this season, according to coach Mark Fox. Leslie missed the tail end of last season for academic reasons.

-- Albert Jackson is wearing a cast to protect an injured finger, but Fox said he'll be ready to practice when camp opens Friday.

-- Ricky McPhee was given a scholarship for his senior season, as was Tyler Whatley.

-- Dustin Ware on Trey Thompkins: "Trey is looking like he’s just ready to be a monster this year. He came back and I almost didn’t recognize him his body looked so good."

-- On the women's side, Angel Robinson had to have her knee scoped, but Andy Landers said she should be ready to practice fully before the season begins.

-- Landers also said he expects all seven of his freshmen to play significantly this season.

Analyzing the O Line

One of the problems with my job is that I'm hardly qualified to explain the more technical Xs and Os of football, but issues like Georgia's offensive line problems remain an issue I feel obligated to explore. That job is made tougher because Georgia's line coach is, well, not a big fan of folks like me.

One of the great aspects of my job, however, is that when I can't get answers firsthand, I still get to call someone else who knows a great deal about the issues and get their insight instead.

So when it comes to explaining Georgia's problems running the ball behind what was expected to be a solid offensive line, I knew just who to ask -- former Georgia lineman Matt Stinchcomb.

Stinchcomb is not only one of the top linemen in Georgia history and a recent Circle of Honor inductee, but he's also an analyst for the SEC Network. Be sure to check him out on the pregame show at noon this week before Georgia takes on Tennessee.

In the meantime, Stinchcomb was kind enough to break down some of the problems we're seeing with Georgia's line. Here's what he had to say...

David Hale: So I'm assuming you've seen a bit of Georgia this year. What gives with the offensive line?

Matt Stinchcomb: It started this year against Oklahoma State with the injury to Sturdivant, and you start moving guys around trying to plug and play. Vince Vance is coming off a knee injury. There's still some instability in their lineup. Cordy Glenn was the left tackle the last two games. What was thought to be a strength was compromised in Week 1. Ben was injured at the center spot in training camp. It shows up mainly, I think, in the run game. They're protecting the passer pretty well. You look at the South Carolina game, Vance had some difficulties in that game in pass protection, but by and large, they've done a good job of keeping Cox clean, but the running game has struggled. Losing one of the best running backs we've see in a while -- Knowshon Moreno was a unique talent, and it's been a challenge for Georgia to replace him.

DH: I don't claim to know much about the Xs and Os of blocking, but why would a line struggle in run blocking but be so successful at pass blocking?

MS: It's difficult to say because it's not as if in pass protection they're just running man protections and you know who you've got so there's very little tradeoff. You've got to work in symphony with the guy next to you as well in the passing game. So that's a challenging question that's hard for me to answer.

When you look at the running game, there is a more assertive aspect of your blocking scheme. If you're unfamiliar with the position that you're playing, maybe that leads to some hesitancy. That being said you really didn't see that manifested in years past when Georgia had to move guys around. It's not been just a static lineup, but they were able to overcome that. Maybe that's because they had more stability at the tailback position.

You look at it this year, going into the season, you know you're going to have a new quarterback -- it doesn't matter if he's a fifth-year senior, he doesn't have a lot of starting experience. Richard Samuel and Caleb King, neither had a really substantial role in the running game in years past, so you have new faces at the running back position. The mainstay, you thought, was going to be the offensive line, but that changes early in the second half of the opener. So you get two quarters and some change out of your lone known commodity, and now all of a sudden that's in flux.

So really offensively the only established face that you know of that's a playmaker is the guy that's been making plays, and that's A.J. Green. It's not that everybody else is not capable of it, it's just it's new to them. You have new tailbacks and guys in new positions. Cordy Glenn played guard and right tackle at times, but now all of a sudden he's protecting his quarterback's blind side. It's not as if this is the offense they anticipated going into the season -- certainly not in terms of production, but also the roles and personnel. It was different starting in the opener.

DH: There's been problems beyond just running the ball for the O line. For a good bit of the season, they've struggled with penalties, too. False starts and stuff like that, it seems really surprising from a unit coached by a stickler for details like Stacy Searels. But I was thinking maybe all the shifting around and concern over the offensive struggles, does it almost become a situation where, as a lineman, you're thinking about so many other things that that first step sort of slips your mind?

MS: You got it. Absolutely. My senior year when I was at Georgia -- I struggled with false starts really throughout my career. I was so anxious. There's a number of reasons why it goes on, but ultimately it comes down to a lack of focus. You get so honed in on other aspects of your play that there you are, up at the line of scrimmage, and dang if you don't forget the snap count because you're thinking about what will happen post-snap. Next thing you know, you've got guys flinching, especially in passing downs, especially when you're in shotgun, but even in short yardage.

Whenever you see a unit, and this might be what's happening, you start to press a little bit. You can see it when a quarterback is pressing, he's maybe forcing some throws and floating the ball a little bit. In offensive line play, when guys get anxious and they know they're being counted upon, and next thing you know, they're getting a little bit of a head start against the rules.

I think it's probably a combination of a lot of things, but it's basically what you pointed out, that it ends up being a lack of focus on the first thing that has to happen, and that's getting off on the ball.

DH: Mark Richt and Mike Bobo have mentioned that the problems can certainly go beyond just the line and the tailbacks. Obviously play calling comes into it, but the tight ends are young and the fullbacks have to handle their jobs. Does everyone sort of share in some of the blame?

MS: Here's the thing about football in general -- it's pretty tightly strung. You're going to have difficulty establishing any silos where there isn't any interdependence. It's hard to say, oh our defense is playing great, and it's got absolutely nothing to do with our offensive play or vice versa. That's a bunch of bull. One impacts the other, incredibly so. The three phases of the game interact tremendously.

The same can be said for subsets of those phases. You look at the running game, you can go out there and say the offensive line has played poorly, but it very easily could have been that the backs haven't done a very good job of hitting the hole. Or the opposite is true where you may have a great running game, where your running back has a tremendous outing, and you didn't block that great. He just made them look really good.

I think it goes back to what I was trying to point out before. You come into the season, and you think you know what you've got. You know you're going to have some new faces in other spots, but you think you know what you've got at least on the offensive line, and now all of a sudden, even that has some new faces and some new roles for those faces.

It's got a cumulative effect. You have a couple tailbacks who aren't used to having as significant or as substantial a role, you have some guys playing different positions up front, and it's a little bit disjointed. Everybody hasn't played a lot together, hasn't played next to this guy very much, you have Caleb King coming in a couple games into the season and he's still trying to get into a rhythm. Everybody is still trying to develop some kind of a, you don't want to say a routine, but a rhythm. That's kind of what it looks like out on the field is that they've yet to have the right mix to where everything starts to click a little bit outside of, well, throw to 8.

DH: I did some research and looking at the five games so far, well over half of Georgia's drives are five plays or less -- either three-and-outs or turnovers or quick scores. Does having so many short drives make it hard for the line or the runners to get in a rhythm and maybe that's a reason they'd be struggling?

MS: It's true. That's exactly right. All of these are reasons. None of them can really be excuses, nor do I think anyone is going to propose they are. But absolutely that's part of it. Guys, especially at the running back position, the more they play, the more they get a feel for the game, I know as a player, that's one of the hardest things in the world to do. As a freshman, I platooned with another guy and you kind of get out of a rhythm. When you get a little bit removed from the game, it's hard to kind of re-introduce yourself to it. I've always wondered how defensive players do it where they can come in and out of the game when you have no idea what the flow of the game feels like.

You don't play a guy the same way in the first quarter as you do in the third quarter. You only get a feel for that as the game evolves, and you only get a feel for that as the game evolves. That's the same for the running backs. Maybe the holes seem to be developing on the back side a lot more than the front side. You can see that from the sideline maybe, but you can't feel that from the sideline, and there's a difference there.

DH: So looking forward, what's the longterm prognosis?

MS: Offensively, these guys -- with Ealey coming in there, there's a potential for there to be an establishment of something. At the end of the day, it's like skipping engines. You can see it there, but you see it in flashes. It's not synchronized. I think that's the ultimate overall assessment for Georgia, especially on offense. It hasn't lined up yet.

It's like an in-line six. You can see one or two cylinders are hitting and you're dropping a cylinder. It's not going to run smooth, but it's going to run. You see these guys, and they're able to put it up, they're just not able to put it up with any consistency yet. I think that shows up in the lack of long drives and with the spotty play. It doesn't mean they're not capable of it. They lack consistency, not capability. I view it how I view my golf game. It's frustrating why every once in a while I'll hit a decent shot and wonder why in the world I only do that three or four times a round. But that's a heck of a lot better than going out there and having no glimmer of anything whatsoever and shelving my clubs.

----

Big thanks to Matt for his help. That's what makes a great analyst -- you don't have to understand all the technical stuff about playing on the line, but if you've played golf or changed a set of spark plugs, he's got you covered.

Along these same lines, I also have a story in today's Telegraph on Georgia's problems with its running game and a whole bunch of additional quotes from the folks involved on what needs to change to get the ground game going.

Practice Notes: Patience a Virtue for Samuel

A big preseason earned Richard Samuel the starting tailback job to open the season, but beyond an 80-yard run against Arkansas, his numbers have been declining each week since.

The sophomore tailback tallied 87 yards in his first career start against Oklahoma State and chipped in with several impressive runs against South Carolina a week later. But outside of his 80-yarder, Samuel has averaged just two yards per carry in his last two games, and head coach Mark Richt thinks the solution may be patience.

“I guess he’s similar to a quarterback who can throw it extremely hard,” Richt said. “They’ve got to understand sometimes how to use the touch. He’s a back who has to learn at times to gear it down a little bit until he really sees it, and then hit it.”

Richt said he remains confident that Samuel can develop into a star running back, and he isn’t asking him to change his style – just his approach.

“I think he’s getting a better feel of the vision of the running schemes and where it should go, but it’s hard to slow him down,” Richt said. “He really runs hard, and there’s a lot of value to that if you start knocking people back and breaking tackles. It’s just a different style of running.”

Samuel arrived at Georgia as a 16-year-old last season, and his football pedigree was primarily on the defensive side of the ball rather than tailback. So while Samuel hasn’t demonstrated all the subtleties of being a star running back yet, Richt said the coaches and fans should remain patient, too.

“That’s something they probably learn as they’re growing up if they’re runners all throughout their careers and they just kind of get the hang of it,” Richt said. “You could see where Richard is still in the process because he hasn’t been a running back his whole life. He’s a big, strong, fast guy, very smart and is tough and wants to do it just right, but it just takes reps until they get the feel of it.”

BOYKIN MISSES PRACTICE

Sophomore cornerback Brandon Boykin sat out Wednesday’s practice session because of an undisclosed illness, Richt said.

Boykin has started all four games for Georgia this season and has one of the team’s two interceptions. Following Tuesday’s practice, however, Richt said Boykin wasn’t feeling well, and coaches kept him out for precautionary reasons Wednesday.

“He doesn’t feel good, but we think he’ll practice (Thursday),” Richt said. “We think he’ll be fine.”

Georgia’s secondary was already thin thanks to a knee sprain suffered by junior Vance Cuff against Arkansas. Cuff missed last week’s game against Arizona State but returned to a limited practice Wednesday.

“Vance is practicing, and I would say he’s probable also,” Richt said. “I don’t think he had a setback (Wednesday). He doesn’t look full speed when it comes to change of direction yet, but he was out there working with the scouts and I think he finished.”

CONFIDENCE IS KEY

Freshman receiver Marlon Brown hasn’t seen much action in his first four games at Georgia, but that could change soon.

Richt said he chatted with Brown following Wednesday’s practice to offer some encouragement, and he said he has been pleased with the progress Brown has made since the season began.

“I’m seeing a tremendous improvement in Marlon,” Richt said. “He’s smoothing his game out, and it’s coming. (Tight end) Artie Lynch, same way. He’s a guy who is improving rapidly, and their futures are very, very bright.”

Still, for a highly recruited receiver on a team without much depth at the position, the lack of playing time came as a surprise, Brown said.

“I came in working hard. I knew I needed to lift a little more weights and get a little faster,” Brown said. “Then camp came, and I was like, OK I had a pretty good camp. Then the season started, and I wasn’t playing. I got down a little bit, but after a while I was like, ‘Forget it,’ and I just decided I’d go out and grind every day at practice.”

Brown said the biggest hurdle now is simply gaining some confidence in his ability to understand the offense and make plays when called upon. He said that was driven home by some advice from a couple of his teammates.

“I talked to Mike (Moore) and A.J. (Green) about it, and they said to keep grinding,” Brown said. “A.J. said just to have confidence in yourself out there on the field.”

MURRAY THROWING AGAIN

Freshman quarterback Aaron Murray is back to throwing again after missing nearly two weeks with triceps tendonitis.

Murray said he began short tosses last week, progressing slowly each day.

“I started about 10 yards, the next day 20 yards, 30 yards,” Murray said. “I pretty much did most of practice (Wednesday). It’s feeling pretty good. No pain, no soreness, nothing.”

Still, the time off was tough, Murray said. The freshman was hoping to avoid a redshirt and earn some playing time as the season progressed, but with two weeks on the sidelines, he admits hurt his chances.

“It was kind of a bummer because I missed the whole month so I didn’t get to continue progressing,” Murray said. “I kind of took a little step back, but now I’ve just got to get out there and keep doing my thing.”

GOOD DAY OF WORK

With the weather cooling and No. 4 LSU on the horizon, Richt said Wednesday's practice was among the best of the year for Georgia.

"It was probably the best Wednesday we've had all year. I say that because of the effort, but also they just had a lot of enthusiasm out there. They seemed to enjoy it for a change. Instead of us feeling like we're riding herd, they just got into it and competed and seemed to really enjoy, so it was maybe more fun today. You can actually get your work done and enjoy it, and maybe they found that out today."