Notes: Sturdivant Question Lingers for O Line

With all five starters returning from last season, Georgia’s offensive line will be among the most experienced in the country this season. Still, there’s one big question mark looming on the horizon that could throw the established line into chaos.

After two years sidelined with injuries, left tackle Trinton Sturdivant is on pace to be ready for the season opener, and that could mean a shake-up among the five starters – Clint Boling, Cordy Glenn, Ben Jones, Chris Davis and Josh Davis – who performed so well down the stretch in 2009.

“Trinton looks good,” Josh Davis said. “I think he’s right on schedule to be back when they said he was. I saw him out there (last week). He looked real good. He’s moving around real well. He told me he feels strong and he thinks he’ll be able to come back and do what he’s supposed to do.”

That’s good news for the Bulldogs, no doubt. Sturdivant was a freshman All-American in 2007 and oozes potential – assuming he’s healthy.

But Georgia’s line jelled nicely in the latter half of last season, and a healthy Sturdivant would likely displace Boling – another potential All-American – and send either Josh or Chris Davis to the bench. That’s a possibility that Josh Davis has done his best to ignore for now.

“It crosses my mind but I have no idea,” Josh Davis said. “I have no clue about what (will happen). That’s why (offensive line) coach (Stacy) Searels gets the big bucks to figure that out. I’m sure the best five will play every week. That’s how we’ll roll with it.”

That’s been Searels’ mantra since he arrived at Georgia, so it’s likely a scenario that the current crop of Bulldogs linemen are familiar with. Still, chemistry matters more on the line than virtually anywhere else on the field, and even Davis admits that there will need to be some adjustments as the season progresses.

“Of course chemistry is important,” Davis said. “We played together the last six games of last year and we did all right. But it’s just as important to have a good player. Trinton is a good player. Any way he plays he’s going to do good. I feel like that about all of us. Most of us can play most of the positions. That’s why we did so well in the past because certain guys moving around just learning new positions. It really won’t matter about chemistry because he’s a good player and everyone that can possibly be put in that slot can play that position.”

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

As Georgia’s starting quarterback, Aaron Murray knows he’ll be viewed as a leader on the offense. As the lone new face on a unit that returns 10 starters, however, he also knows that leadership role won’t simply be handed to him either. So one of Murray’s biggest goals for this offseason is to prove to his teammates that he’s earned the job.

With that in mind, Murray has already been busy prepping for the 2010 season. He’s organizing passing drills twice a week around class schedules. He’s doing rehab and strength training on his shoulder nearly every day to make sure he’s healthy for the season. He’s putting in at least 90 minutes of time in the gym each day, working with receivers and defensive backs with some one-on-one drills, running a handful of seven-on-seven drills with the rest of the offense and then spending more than an hour a day in the film room. It’s a grind, but it’s something he knows he needs to do to earn the respect of the veterans around him.

“I’ve got to find my way of being a leader on this team, my way to motivate people and figure out ways to push them and make them do stuff they never knew they could do,” Murray said. “That’s not going to come in a week or two. It’s going to take some time to better understand the guys and what they can do and motivate them and hopefully by this summer hopefully I’ll make some strides in that category.”

So far, so good on that front. Murray’s teammates are already touting his work ethic and expecting big things from the freshman quarterback when the season gets going in a couple of months.

Last week, after players wrapped up a workout session, Murray got some of his linemen and running backs together to spend a few extra minutes practicing handoffs. He just wanted to work on the little things, lineman Josh Davis said.

“He’s stepping up to the challenge tremendously,” Davis said. “He’s putting in extra work. He’s trying his best to lead because the quarterback is a leadership position. He’s working his butt off to get it done every day.”

BRING THE PAIN

Last year, Justin Houston averaged more sacks per game than anyone in the SEC – and that was under Georgia’s old defensive regime.

This year, he’ll be turned loose on opposing quarterbacks as an outside linebacker – moving from defensive end in Todd Grantham’s new 3-4 scheme – and be given the freedom to play a more aggressive style than in years past.

“It’s going to allow me to get more pressure on the quarterback,” Houston said. I’m a stand up guy, so this defense is pretty much a pressure defense so it’s going to allow me to rush more.”

So, if he was already among the best in the SEC last year, how much better might he be now that he’s playing in a scheme that focuses his skills on getting to the quarterback?

Houston isn’t exactly giving away any answers to that question just yet other than to say he’ll do what it takes to win.

“I don’t have an individual goal really,” Houston said. “I just want to do my part and whatever that is to win I just want to do that. I haven’t really looked at individual goals lately. If it takes for me to get 15 sacks for us to win, I’ll get 15 sacks. That’s my goal.”

ON AN ISLAND

New defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos thinks he has a pretty strong corps of cornerbacks, and he’s planning to let their talents take over on the field in 2010 by waving goodbye to a lot of zone coverage and rolling the dice with a lot more man-to-man.

“He’s basically saying that my guy is better than your guy, and we’re going to see what happens,” junior Brandon Boykin said. “He’s basically putting you out there on that island, and you just have to have confidence in yourself. I think that’s something that he’s trying to build in us. If we make mistakes we just have to have that short memory, so he’s kind of teaching all those things.”

Those are some lessons Boykin is thrilled to learn. After two straight years with few takeaways and too many big plays allowed, Boykin thinks the new scheme plays to the Bulldogs’ strengths and will make the secondary a lot more dangerous.

“That’s what every corner wants is to get that one-on-one matchup,” Boykin said. “That’s what people get their respect from – not playing zone as much. It gives you a chance to just go out there and show what you have.”

Of course, Boykin also knows that the trust Lakatos has put in his corners has to be rewarded with a lot of effort by the players. The increased man coverage every Saturday means an increased level of importance in how Georgia’s defensive backs prepare for those one-on-one battles during the week.

“No matter how good you are, you still have to work on our technique,” Boykin said. “It’s something that you got to continually work on because everybody is different as far as receivers. You have to see what their strengths are. It will require watching film and things like that. I think we’re doing a good job of that early, and I think we’ll see those improvements going into the fall.”

NEW KID IN TOWN

In terms of hype entering their freshmen years, there probably isn’t much that Branden Smith has in common with the newest member of the Georgia secondary, but that doesn’t mean Derek Owens hasn’t already drawn some comparisons to his speedy teammate.

“He reminds me a lot of Branden Smith,” Boykin said of the 5-11, 180-pound Owens. “He’s quick, great hips. He doesn’t have a lot of technique right now but his quickness makes up for all of that. Really, really quick and has fluid hips. Once he gets the technique he’s going to be really good.”

Owens will likely be competing with Jordan Love and Sanders Commings for a backup role among the cornerbacks in 2010.

DIFFERENT STYLE, SAME RESULTS

As they did at the end of 2009, the Bulldogs figure to open this season with an even split in carries between tailbacks Washaun Ealey and Caleb King, and that’s OK with the offensive line.

For the line, Josh Davis said it doesn’t matter which player gets the football, the blocking schemes are still the same. The only difference between King and Ealey, as far as he’s concerned, is how much smack talk he hears coming from the backfield.

“The only difference we can tell between those two guys in the backfield is Washaun is more lively, and he talks more than Caleb,” Davis said. “You know Caleb is a quiet guy, and Washaun will be talking a little more trash. That’s the only difference to me is the personalities. They both have good speed, good power and a little swagger about them. It’s good having both of them.”

Notes: Boykin Sets Goals High

Brandon Boykin isn’t interested in tempering expectations heading into the 2010 season. Instead, he’s raising the bar just about as high as possible.

After a stellar sophomore campaign in which Boykin in which he picked off three passes and returned three kickoffs for touchdowns, he’s not just looking to surpass those numbers. Boykin wants to obliterate them.

“My goal is, I’m trying to get to 10 picks this year,” Boykin said. “That’s a pretty high goal, but if I get anywhere near it, I think that’s pretty good. Kick return I want to get at least three or four (touchdowns). I’m setting it pretty high and we’ll see what happens.”

Only three players in Georgia history have intercepted at least 10 passes in a season – Ben Smith was the last in 1989 – so Boykin knows he’s aiming high. And realistically, he said, there probably won’t be enough opportunities for him to top that mark if he starts the season on a hot streak.

“I figure by the time I get about five or six they’ll probably stop throwing my way,” Boykin said.

But even while he doubts he’ll attain his lofty goal, he thinks the possibility remains. After all, he made huge strides in his first season as a starter a year ago, despite a lot of learning on the fly.

This time around Boykin will be armed with a much better understanding of what being a shut-down cornerback requires in the SEC, and a defensive philosophy under new secondary coach Scott Lakatos that allows him to flourish.

“I feel like I could have done a lot more last year because I wasn’t as knowledgeable as I feel like I am now just because I was kind of learning on the go being the newcomer to the secondary,” Boykin said. “(This year) it’s a lot more man-to-man at the corners, not as much zone. (Lakatos) is basically saying that my guy is better than your guy, and we’re going to see what happens. He’s basically putting you out there on that island, and you just have to have confidence in yourself.”

FINALLY FEELING GOOD

When Josh Davis hit the weight room in January, it had been nearly a year since he had done any serious weight training. Two offseason shoulder surgeries following the 2008 season kept him from lifting weights, and when he was finally recovered last fall, the season was already in full swing and there was little time to catch up.

“I really didn’t get to touch a weight until about (fall) camp,” Davis said of his rehabilitation last summer. “Then it was still like lifts, and I couldn’t do much weight because the surgeries hurt.”

Despite the setbacks, Davis stepped into the starting lineup on Georgia’s offensive line midway through the season, and the Bulldogs’ running game was instantly transformed. Georgia averaged more than 100 yards more on the ground per game after Davis was inserted at right tackle, and the offense finally began to click.

Now firmly established as a cornerstone on the Bulldogs’ line, Davis is bulking up and feeling good for the first time in nearly two years. He’s added nearly 20 pounds to his frame from his playing weight of about 290 last year, and the shoulder feels as good as new.

“I’m absolutely 100 times better than last year because last year I had shoulder surgeries,” Davis said. “I feel much better, my body feels healthy and I feel stronger.”

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

T.J. Stripling arrived at Georgia at about 220 pounds, a weight head coach Mark Richt said likely won’t cut it at outside linebacker over the long haul. But while Stripling, one of Georgia’s top recruits in the class of 2010, might have some work to do to get physically ready for the SEC, fellow linebacker Justin Houston said adding weight just takes time.

“I came in weighing at 218 so I wasn’t the biggest guy,” said Houston, who now checks in at a robust 255. “I came in pretty small. I think he’s at least 220, so he actually weighs more than me coming in.”

Of course, the other lesson Houston has learned over the years is that size isn’t everything.

“I learned from Marcus Howard,” Houston said. “He’s not one of the biggest guys but he plays hard, fast and strong. It’s not always about the size; it’s about the technique and strength. If you can get your strength and technique just as good as the next guy, you’ll be all right.”

WHERE'S LOGAN?

One of the biggest questions of the offseason still doesn’t seem to have a definitive answer.
For the past two months, Richt has said he expects junior Logan Gray to get most of his summer reps at wide receiver after Gray failed to win the starting quarterback job in spring practice. But after the first few days of drills and voluntary practices, Aaron Murray, the likely starting quarterback, said he’s still not sure what Gray’s future might hold.

“We’ve only had a week-and-a-half of workouts and only done (pass drills) twice, and he’s been back and forth,” Murray said of Gray. “So I wouldn’t say he’s favoring one or the other at this point. I guess he’s going to feel it out the first couple weeks and see what he wants to do from there.”

FINDING A HOME

Of Georgia’s new batch of linebackers, only Demetre Baker appears destined for a role in the middle.

Recent transfer Jarvis Jones said he will open practices at outside linebacker, but could switch down the road. Houston said that Stripling, Brandon Burrows and Dexter Morant – all three of whom played defensive end in high school – are also working at outside linebacker this summer.

“I think Baker is at inside right now,” Houston said. Pretty much the rest of them are at outside.”

Freshman Alec Ogletree, Georgia’s highest-rated recruit, might also have a future at linebacker, but for now he’s working at safety, Boykin said.

“I saw him break out up a pass the other day, and just seeing that I’ll know he’ll be able to compete with the speed,” Boykin said. “As he learns the technique I think he’ll be fine.”

Video Blog: Learning the Defense

Linebacker Reuben Faloughi talks about the teaching style of Todd Grantham, and corner Brandon Boykin discusses how quickly the defense is learning the new scheme.



*Video courtesy of Brandon Spoon

Notes: New Beginnings for UGA's Ends

By FLETCHER PAGE

Former Georgia defensive ends Cornelius Washington, Justin Houston and Montez Robinson were pegged as perfectly suited to play outside linebacker in Todd Grantham’s 3-4 scheme.

All reports indicate the trio is thriving, but in their absence, the defense end corps is a bit of a mystery. Outside of senior Demarcus Dobbs, there aren’t many proven players at the position. Dobbs said that’s OK.

“I think we’re holding up pretty well,” he said. “The defense ends that have moved down to end from last year for the 3-4, I think we’re getting it. It’s takes time to get used to the spacing, and the 3-technique. It’s different. It’s a different experience, but in due time, with the help of coach [Rodney Garner] I think we’re getting it.”

The 3-technique differs from last season’s normal 5-technique look. Grantham’s scheme employs both techniques, but the end slated to use each differs from play-to-play.

Ends in the 3-technique line up outside of the offense guard, and are responsible for maintaining outside leverage. Those in the five, line up outside of the offense tackle. The change sounds easy, but it’s fairly complicated for a group who played only the 5-technique for years.

“It’s more quick,” Dobbs said of the 3-technique. “It’s more fast, and it’s kind of hard to adjust to. [Garner] doesn’t have us moving around that much, but those are the two positions that we mainly play.”

Dobbs is a projected starter, but points to a few other names who, although unproven, have done well thus far in spring.

“I think Brandon Wood is coming along well,” he said. “There’s a couple of mental errors here and there, but his physical ability, you can see it on film. You can tell the guy has a bunch of potential.

“Kiante Tripp, he has that big body. He has an NFL-type body. All he needed was an opportunity, and I think he’s taking advantage of this opportunity to really shine.”

BOYKIN IN AT NICKEL

With his play last season cornerback Brandon Boykin essentially locked up a starting position for this season.

Nothing is guaranteed, but Boykin doesn’t plan on relinquishing the spot he grabbed three interceptions from in 2009.

With his play, Boykin also earned added responsibility.

When Georgia employs nickel coverage, with an added defensive back, it’s Boykin who slids down to cover the slot receiver.

“It’s not much of a difference because when the corner moves into the slot, it’s just like the nickel,” Boykin said.

The real change, Boykin said, is learning the blitzing packages. From his nickel spot, Boykin will be asked to cover bigger receivers in the slot, and at times, to rush the quarterback. The added tasks matches Boykin’s style, since he says he loves to plays physical.

“There’s a lot of similarities, but for me personally, it’s learning the nickel,” Boykin said. “My freshman year I played the nickel, but it was in coach [Willie] Martinez’ scheme and it was a little different. In this scheme, we have more blitzes and man-to-man schemes, so that’s what’s changing.”

FRIENDLY RIVALRY

It might be the least intriguing spring practice battle, but even if being the nominal starter at tailback isn’t particularly riveting material for fans to discuss, it’s something Washaun Ealey and Caleb King are following closely.

“It’s a friendly rivalry,” said Ealey, the rising sophomore who thrived down the stretch last season. “We try to outdo each other in everything we do, whether it’s playing basketball or playing video games or just hanging around. We just always like to kid around about stuff like that, about who’s the best.”

In Saturday’s scrimmage, both tailbacks impressed, but neither exactly separated himself. King carried six times for 79 yards, while Ealey ran nine times and picked up 64 yards.
At this point, however, head coach Mark Richt isn’t exactly worrying about who the starter will be. Instead, he’s simply enthused by the effort both runners have turned in.

“Caleb and Washaun have a very good friendship, and I think they both want to be the starter,” Richt said. “They both want to prove they deserve the most carries, and I really like they way they’re practicing. Both of them, you can tell they enjoy each other’s friendship, but they are really practicing with a lot of tempo.”

Video Blog: Talking DBs and Recruiting

Jordan Love, Brandon Boykin and Rodney Garner talk about better fundamentals, position battles in the secondary and a new look on the recruiting trail...



Video courtesy of Brandon Spoon

Notes: Howard's Legacy Stays With Lakatos

In his first few meetings with recruits in Georgia, the Bulldogs’ newest coach didn’t have to pass out copies of his resume for players to be familiar with his accomplishments.

Defensive backs coach Scott Lakatos, who was officially hired last Monday and spent his first few days on the recruiting trail last week, already had a few fans in the state after his Connecticut team thumped South Carolina in the PapaJohns.com Bowl on Jan. 2.

“I didn’t get called out on my accent at all,” said Lakatos, a New Jersey native who spent his entire career in the Northeast. “They were interested in UConn, and some of the guys down here, they know about our program. They saw our bowl game, and they were very receptive.”

Of course, while the big bowl performance may have turned a few heads in SEC country, it was hardly the most memorable part of the Huskies’ season. Unfortunately, the defining memories of 2009 were all about what UConn lost.

Junior cornerback Jasper Howard was stabbed to death in mid-October, leaving Lakatos and the rest of the Connecticut coaching staff to rally their team in the face of tragedy.

“We got that phone call at 3:30 in the morning, and that certainly wasn’t easy to deal with,” Lakatos said. “We had to get our team together. We had great kids at UConn. Somehow we managed to pull through that thing and get turned around and get the season back on track. But it was difficult.”

The Huskies lost three straight games in the immediate aftermath of Howard’s death, but as the initial shock wore off, the legacy of their fallen friend helped turn the season around.

“One of the things that Jasper was is, Jasper was a guy who showed up every day and worked,” Lakatos said. “He loved football, and his teammates knew that about him. They took it upon themselves that, ‘We’re going to approach this thing like he did. Let’s get ourselves ready every day and work.’”

The result was a four-game winning streak to wrap up an eight-win season – including that bowl victory over South Carolina.

On the recruiting trail, Lakatos said he hasn’t heard much so far about the tragedy he helped his team overcome last season, but that doesn’t mean players weren’t paying attention. In fact, while Georgia cornerback Brandon Boykin said he didn’t know a lot about Lakatos when his hiring was announced, the way Connecticut responded to tragedy spoke volumes about the Bulldogs’ newest hire.

“When I saw he was from UConn, that was the first thing I thought of, the guy getting killed,” Boykin said. “Just the way his team responded and getting to go to a good bowl game and actually win despite all that adversity that happened. The defense played well in that game against South Carolina, which was a great team that put up plenty of points against us. I knew that, and I liked that about him.”

ROUNDING OUT THE STAFF

New defensive coordinator Todd Grantham isn’t in a hurry to complete his defensive coaching staff, which still has one more opening yet to be filled.

Grantham said he expects the hire to be another linebackers coach – although he said it could be either an inside or outside linebackers coach – but there isn’t a timetable on the hire. The important thing, he said, is finding someone whose personality fits well at Georgia, and he’s grateful to head coach Mark Richt for giving him some say in making the final judgment.

“When you can have access to the hiring, I think all that’s a positive,” Grantham said. “Because coaching is teaching … so I think it’s important to hire good teachers and good motivators and guys who are on the same page to get things done.”

Of course, the hiring of a linebackers coach puts to rest any speculation about the possibility of bringing in a full-time special teams coordinator. That means Georgia will continue to divvy up the responsibilities for special teams among the entire staff – and that’s fine with Grantham’s first hire.

“I’ve been at UConn and coached on all the special teams except PAT and field goal,” Lakatos said. “I’ve had specific areas up there, so I’ve had access to those things. I did the same thing at Rutgers and was the special teams coordinator at Maine for a couple years. That’s coaching. It’s no different than defense. Make sure guys know what they’re doing and get out there and play fast and execute.”

CLOSE TO HOME

Lakatos is just beginning to get his feet wet on the recruiting trail, but he said the future isn’t likely to take him back to his roots too often.

Although Lakatos spent his entire coaching career in the Northeast at places like Connecticut, Rutgers and Syracuse, he said his priority now is landing the top recruits in his new home.

“If there’s a player up there that’s interested in Georgia that can help us win an SEC championship, then we’ll go back up to New Jersey or Pennsylvania or wherever it is to see what we can do to get them down here,” Lakatos said. “But my knowledge of this area is that there’s a lot of players in the state of Georgia, so if you can get the players in this state to stay here, you may not have to go too far.”

FIRST THINGS FIRST

Georgia defensive end Demarcus Dobbs is eager to see how the Bulldogs’ new defense will look in spring practice, but that doesn’t mean he’s looking ahead too far. With offseason conditioning about to begin, the grueling pace of mat drills remains first and foremost in his concerns.

“In the back of my head, all the excitement and everything is there, but I know we have mat drills coming around, and that’s been the biggest thing on my mind,” Dobbs said. “But as far as anticipation, I’m just excited to see what’s going to happen, and I’m ready to work.”

Notebook: New Scheme Creates Plenty of Questions

Abry Jones admits it has been a popular topic of conversation among Georgia’s defensive linemen and linebackers. As the Bulldogs prepare to switch schemes to a 3-4 defense, no one is quite sure where they’ll end up or what their role will be, which makes for an interesting, if somewhat anxious, guessing game among the holdovers.

“It’s pretty much just talking about where we could play,” Jones said. “But mostly we’re just waiting to see.”

Jones played exclusively at defensive tackle last year but said he’s prepared to play defensive end in new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s 3-4 scheme that features just three down linemen.

Other players could find themselves on the move, too. Some of Georgia’s defensive ends from a year ago could make the move to linebacker, while the Bulldogs are still in search of a player to fill the void at nose tackle.

While the process has made for a confusing few days for players still unsure of what lies ahead, senior Demarcus Dobbs said the change in scheme could create some new opportunities, particularly for some underutilized reserves like Cornelius Washington and Kiante Tripp.

“Cornelius being the athlete he is, he’s excited he could be a stand-up guy and play outside (linebacker),” Dobbs said. “But it’s all where your heart is. Those are talented guys, and with the coaching change, everybody’s on a clean slate. People are out to compete again, and that’s going to make everybody else better. A guy like Cornelius, an undersized D end, he might get a lot better. It gives us options.”

Options are nice. Answers might be a bit better for Georgia’s defenders.

But that will come in time as Grantham and his new staff get settled – their first team meeting is slated for Friday – and begin to implement their scheme during spring practice.

What isn’t a concern, Jones said, is the Bulldogs’ ability to adapt. While few players are certain of what’s in store for the 2010 season, he’s sure there is enough athleticism and talent on the roster to navigate any early turmoil.

“At Georgia, we have a lot of athletic players, so I’m pretty sure we’re all going to be able to adjust,” Jones said. “The athletic ability is still going to be there. It’s just catching up to learning the scheme as well as we knew the last scheme.”

AN EARLY START

Two of Georgia’s rookies for 2010 are already getting started in their preparations for the coming season.

Offensive lineman Kolton Houston and safety Jakar Hamilton, a junior college transfer from Georgia Military College, enrolled early and have spent the past two weeks in school, getting accustomed to classes while hitting the weight room and working out with teammates.

“I just wanted to get an edge on some of the other players and get stronger and faster and learn the playbook, so when they get in here, I already know all that stuff,” Houston said. “Just adjust to the college life without all the practice stress in the summer and fall.”

The adjustment to college isn’t quite as big a transition for Hamilton, who spent two years studying for the role under the strict rules at GMC and head football coach Bert Williams.
So when his new teammates warned him about the big obstacles ahead, he hasn’t gotten particularly stressed about meeting the challenge.

“Coach Williams is a great coach, and I know he pushes everybody there that plays football hard,” Hamilton said. “Everybody kept talking about mat drills. We did mat drills there, too, but it was like 5:30 in the morning outside in the cold.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean Hamilton sees his new life at Georgia as a walk in the park. Quite the opposite, actually.

“It’s been pretty busy lately,” Hamilton said. “Everybody’s been trying to call me and I tell them, ‘I’m pretty busy right now so I’m going to have to hit you up later.’”

GETTING TOUGH

Grantham’s introductory news conference last week met with a fond reaction from fans who drooled at his promises of an aggressive, attacking defense. Those promises weren’t lost on his players either.

“You want to have that mentality as a player and when you hear that, it gets you excited,” cornerback Brandon Boykin said. “I remember last year in spring football, we were real aggressive. So if we can bring that same excitement, I think it’ll be able to carry over to next season.”

As aggressive as Georgia may have been last spring, the evidence didn’t show up on the field in the fall. The Bulldogs ranked second-to-last nationally with just 12 takeaways all season and in their five losses mustered just two interceptions and didn’t recover a single fumble.

That’s an issue Grantham and new secondary coach Scott Lakatos hope to address immediately.

"I think those takeaways come basically with guys being in position to make those plays when they come about,” Lakatos said. “I think you put yourself in position by being fundamentally sound and that's one of the things I bring to the table with those guys on the back end. … That's something we'll definitely emphasize and practice and hopefully it will carry over into a game situation."

Grantham said his hope was to create a defense that left the opponents glad to see a game end, and that’s music to the ears of Georgia’s defenders, including newcomer Hamilton.

“On defense, you’ve got to be aggressive,” Hamilton said. “I’m one of those players who just doesn’t care. I’ll throw my whole body even if I have to break something to do it. If I have to catch a concussion, I’ll do it. And having (Grantham) coming in, I’m real excited to see what he’s bringing to the table.”

NEW LOOK FOR DBs

A year ago, Boykin was trying desperately to soak up all the knowledge he could as the lone newcomer in Georgia’s secondary.

As the Bulldogs begin their offseason workouts in preparation for spring practice, Boykin now finds himself as the lone holdover from last year’s unit.

“It’s a quick change,” Boykin said. “I’m trying to take over that leadership role like they did, but it’s going to be fun. A lot of us are going to be young out there -- me, (Bacarri) Rambo, Branden Smith. It’s going to be a challenge for us, but I think we’re up to it.”

Seniors Prince Miller and Bryan Evans and junior Reshad Jones are all gone – Jones leaving a year early to enter the NFL draft – meaning a big shakeup among the defensive backs. Smith and Rambo are likely to land two of the open spots, and Hamilton, a junior college transfer, is hoping to secure the free safety job as an early enrollee.

“I knew nobody was going to give me a starting position,” Hamilton said. “I knew I was going to have to come in and work hard and earn that starting position, and that’s what I’m doing now.”

Veterans Vance Cuff and Quintin Banks figure to be in the mix for starting jobs along with youngsters Sanders Commings, Jordan Love, Shawn Williams and Makiri Pugh and incoming freshman Alec Ogletree.

Grantham has promised that the depth chart starts fresh upon his arrival, and no jobs are secure. So while Boykin remains the lone holdover among Georgia’s starting defensive backs, he’s also one of the biggest proponents of the newfound competition at the position.

“I think it’s an opportunity for people who didn’t really play a lot last year to have a fresh new start and for the people who played last year not to get complacent,” Boykin said. “I think it’ll definitely help us as a team.”

THE PRO PERSPECTIVE

Beyond Grantham’s hard-nosed approach to defense, he brings another big plus for Georgia’s defenders: A road map to the NFL.

Grantham has spent the past 11 years coaching in the NFL, including his last stop with the Dallas Cowboys as a defensive line coach. Those are credentials that look awfully impressive to Georgia’s players hoping to turn their performance in Athens into a professional contract in the coming years.

“It’s exciting knowing that he came from the NFL so he can give us tips and tools to get us where we want to go,” Jones said. “He’s a person who’s been there before and he knows how it’s done.”

Even for seniors like Dobbs, who might otherwise have some concerns about adjusting to a new defense in his final year at Georgia, Grantham’s resume offers a measure of enthusiasm about the lessons that can be learned from a former NFL defensive coordinator.

“Being my senior year, you want somebody to steer you right,” Dobbs said. “With all his experience, you know he has a lot to share with all of us, and I’m just trying to learn as much as I can. It’s good to have somebody like him come in, and I think it’s going to work out for the better.”

Notebook: Players Eagerly Await Coaches' Arrival

When he first heard the news that Scott Lakatos had been hired as Georgia’s new secondary coach, cornerback Brandon Boykin did a quick image search on the Internet, just to find out what his new coach looked like. Beyond that, however, Lakatos remains a mystery.

The same is true of new defensive coordinator Todd Grantham, who like Lakatos has yet to meet any of his new players, despite extensive anticipation on the part of the current crop of Bulldogs.

“The anticipation comes and goes, but I’m ready for the coaches to be here, and ready for everybody to settle down and get rolling,” defensive end Demarcus Dobbs said. “I’m ready to know what position I’m going to be in, what position I need to play, so I can try to be the best at that and learn as much as I can.”

Dobbs’ eagerness is understandable. With a brand new set of coaches and a brand new defensive scheme, the 2010 season could look a good bit different from the 2009 version of the Georgia defense, and like the rest of his teammates, he’s anxious to learn how he’ll fit into the big picture.

While Dobbs is a senior wondering what his final year has in store, freshman Jakar Hamilton arrived on campus just two weeks ago without even knowing who his first college coach would be.

“It was difficult but I knew Coach Mark Richt was going to get the job done,” Hamilton said. “Fortunately we got (Grantham) from the Cowboys who has been in the league for 11 years, and I’m just excited and ready to meet him.”

Georgia has a team meeting scheduled for Friday, which is likely to be the first time most of the players meet their new coaches in person. With recruiting season coming to an end and Georgia’s staff playing catch up, time has been limited for the coaching staff as a whole, and Grantham just wrapped up his NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys last weekend.

So while it will no doubt be a busy few weeks before offseason conditioning shifts into high gear in early February, the excitement and the jitters are both evident, defensive tackle Abry Jones said.

“It’s a little bit excitement and nerves,” Jones said. “It’s exciting that we finally got a new coach and a new scheme but we’re also nervous because we’ve never run it before, so it’ll be like a first time.

ON THE MOVE?

Grantham brings with him a brand new scheme on defense, and many of Georgia’s players are still a bit up in the air about where they’ll fit into the 3-4 defense.

One player who is a bit more excited than concerned, however, is Jones, the former Northside star, who thinks the changeover in scheme could mean a move to a position he played extensively in high school.

“I could play defensive end because I played in high school,” Jones said. “It wouldn’t be much of a jump.”

Jones said he hasn’t heard any indication of how the depth chart will shake out in Grantham’s new 3-4 look, but he said if it’s up to him, defensive end would be his preference.

Either way, Jones said his role will change a bit in 2010 with an increased responsibility in stopping the run with just three down linemen. Still, it will be a new experience for the sophomore.

“I played in high school in a three down linemen type of scheme, but never in a real 3-4,” Jones said. “Seeing that I came in as a freshman and had to learn one new defense, the only bear would be learning a whole other defense. Other than that I don’t see a problem with it.”

A NEW ATTITUDE

After two arrests and an indefinite suspension in early December, the future looked bleak for rising sophomore defensive end Montez Robinson. But Georgia announced last week that Robinson had been reinstated – save a two-game suspension to open the 2010 season – and Dobbs said the time away has worked wonders for Robinson’s outlook.

“You can just tell the guy has a total change of attitude,” Dobbs said. “I don’t know if it was him going home for the bowl game and talking to his family or whatever it was, he has a great attitude.”

Robinson played sparingly last season but was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team at year’s end. He was arrested on multiple charges last month, however, and was immediately suspended from the team.

Since his return, however, Dobbs said Robinson has worked hard and shown a far more outgoing personality.

“He’s happy. He’s upbeat. Before he was never like that,” Dobbs said. “He was just kind of a mellow guy, walking around finding his way. But now you can tell there’s a complete difference in him, and I’m excited to see what he can do this season.”

ON THE MEND

Three Georgia players underwent offseason surgeries last week and will be limited during the spring.

Offensive lineman Justin Anderson and fullback Fred Munzenmaier both had shoulder surgery and will be limited during spring practice. Defensive end Jeremy Longo had surgery on his knee. He will miss all of spring practice.

All three are expected to be fully recovered by the start of fall practice in August.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“There was actually no other open rooms. It was him or like two baseball players and a tennis player. So I was like, I’ll just live with A.J.” – Georgia early enrollee Kolton Houston on how he ended up roommates with offensive lineman A.J. Harmon.

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: Walsh, Butler Earn National Recognition

The only thing better for Blair Walsh and Drew Butler than wrapping up their seasons with national awards would be doing it together.

They’ll get a chance to do just that next month, as Butler was named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the nation’s top punter, and Walsh earned a nod as a finalist for the Lou Groza Award for the country’s best kicker.

“If that’s what happens, that would be awesome,” said Butler, who is leading the nation in punting average in his first year as a starter for Georgia. “(Walsh) is definitely worthy of a trophy like that, and if that’s in the cards, I think it shows we’ve both done what we were asked to do on a consistent basis.”

Butler is averaging 48.8 yards on 50 punts this season and has been one of the Bulldogs’ most consistent performers all season. He’ll join Michigan senior Zoltan Mesko and Florida junior Chas Henry in Orlando on Dec. 10 for the award presentation.

Walsh will be there with Butler, competing against Alabama’s Leigh Tiffin and UCLA’s Kai Forbath for top kicker honors.

The sophomore has connected on 16 of 17 field goal attempts this season and leads the SEC in touchbacks, but he admits he was a but surprised to be named a finalist.

“I knew it was going to be close because I’m a big stat follower,” Walsh said. “I was right on the edge and it was nice to get it. There was a lot of hard work put into that.”

BRUISED BUT BETTER

Brandon Boykin set the Georgia record for kick returns in a season and is closing in on 1,000 return yards this year, but he was on the sideline when Branden Smith fumbled away the opening kickoff of the second half against Kentucky last week. While Boykin said he cringed at the play, he isn’t blaming his teammate for the loss.

“It was tough just seeing that momentum shift, but we were still in it,” Boykin said. “We still had a chance to win. It didn’t really hurt us as much as people probably think it did.”

Smith wouldn’t have been in the game at all had Boykin not injured his hip on a kick return in the first half. Boykin said a player’s facemask hit him on his hip bone, causing significant soreness, but X-rays revealed no serious damange.

“There’s nothing really wrong besides a big bruise, so we’re just trying to get it treated and get me ready for Tech,” Boykin said.

The sophomore cornerback returned to special teams duty for the remainder of the game, compiling 103 yards on four returns, but only saw a few more plays on defense in the second half.

While the injury has resulted in a bruise all the way down his leg, Boykin said he’s feeling better and plans to be on the field this week against Georgia Tech.

“I expect to play, I’ll be back,” he said. “I feel like it’s getting better to the point where I can run, and by Saturday, I’ll be able to run full speed.”

REPRESENTING THE FAMILY

Darryl Gamble abandoned his normal No. 50 jersey last week, instead donning No. 18 in honor of his cousin, injured safety Bacarri Rambo. But it wasn’t entirely his decision.

“Rambo’s my cousin, so he asked me to and I decided to do it for him. It seemed like the right thing to do at the moment,” Gamble said.

As it turned out, it might not have been a bit of a jinxed jersey for Gamble. One week after Rambo suffered a concussion late in the fourth quarter against Auburn wearing his No. 18, Gamble saw his playing time dip with the jersey on his back, too. That even caught Rambo’s attention.

“I talked to him after the game and he said he didn’t see me as much because of the way rotations were going I didn’t get as much playing time as I usually do,” Gamble said.

But Gamble isn’t complaining. He’s just hopeful Rambo will be back on the field this week, and glad he had a chance to honor his teammate.

“It was representing South Georgia,” Gamble said, “and if I got injured, I’m pretty sure he would have worn my number.”

CHANGE OF HEART

Rantavious Wooten wasn’t expecting the ball to come his way when he saw Kentucky’s defensive alignment. Trevard Lindley was deep, and Wooten figured quarterback Joe Cox would find another receiver.

Instead, Cox lofted a perfect pass downfield, and Wooten ran his route perfectly, darting in front of Kentucky’s cornerback at the last instant to haul in the pass before falling backward into the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown reception – the first of his career.

“I didn’t know what to think,” Wooten said of the celebration that ensued. “There was too much going on and people were slapping me in the side of the head and stuff. I was just happy we got a touchdown.”

The freshman receiver caught another touchdown on a 43-yard pass from Cox in the second half, too, giving Georgia a 14-point lead at the time. That lead evaporated down the stretch, however, and while Wooten said he has gotten dozens of calls and texts from people congratulating him on his big game, he’s had difficulty celebrating.

“It was wonderful at the time when we were winning the game,” Wooten said. “It was wonderful, it felt great, up until we started losing the game and things got out of sync. Then the feeling about losing took over the feeling of feeling great about my first two touchdown passes.”

ON THE MEND

Receiver A.J. Green remains questionable for Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech, head coach Mark Richt said, but Wooten reported that the Bulldogs’ star receiver is in much better spirits this week after suffering a shoulder sprain against Auburn.

“I don’t know as far as when he’s going to play, but I know he’s feeling pretty good, he told me,” Wooten said.

History Repeats Itself

There's no one on the Georgia roster you can count on for an honest assessment of the team better than Rennie Curran. He never calls out individual players -- unless he's calling out himself -- but he's always willing to say what he thinks is holding his unit back.

So when we were talking Tuesday, I put the basic question to him. What's keeping this defense from being successful?

His answer sounded familiar, and after spending about three minutes combing through some quotes from last season, it's clear why.

Rennie Curran following the loss to Florida last year:

"It’s preparation because the better prepared you are, the less likely you are to have things like that happen, miscommunications or not being in the right place at the right time, not being aligned and ready when the ball is snapped, and those are the things that we just have to work on in practice and be more efficient at. Everybody has to be on the same page, and when you’ve got nine guys all doing it, and two guys not doing it the right way, that will mess up your whole entire defense.”

Rennie Curran during the offseason:

“You just have to be persistent and hope everybody can get on the same page, but I have no worries about that this year. I feel like we’ve got a great group of guys that want to do things right and want to buy into the program, and that’s going to translate into good things.”
Rennie Curran following the loss to Tennessee last week:

"This season has been a huge emotional rollercoaster, having good week, bad week, guys not playing on the same page. But we’ve got to go into this week using those bad experiences to turn it into something positive for this team that can get us back on track and build some momentum for the rest of the season.”

Nearly a year apart, the song remains essentially the same, and the bottom line is that phrase: "Not Playing on the Same Page."

But why?

I thought about doing a detailed bit of writing about this, but after posing the question to a number of Georgia's key defensive players and coaches, I think they do a much better job of telling the story.

Despite what we heard during the offseason of all the effort and focus, some of that seems to have waned since this season began. Curran wants to remind people.

“We’ve got a lot going on as college students, but at the same time, we worked so hard during the offseason and we can’t just let that go for nothing," he said. "We’ve got to see some results. We’ve got to continue to fight hard."

So what will that take?

According to defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, it's a matter of persistence.

"It's a work in progress," Martinez said. "You keep talking about those things and being disciplined. You have some guys that have some inexperience and that's going to happen. You just have to work through it, continue to practice it and stress it to where you can be more consistent."

According to safety Bryan Evans, it's a matter of maturity.

“We’ve been trying to do that all season, but times like this, you can only get better by looking at film more," Evans said. "We try to get the younger players to watch film with us more, but a player is only going to do as much as they can do with the class schedule and stuff like that. But that comes with maturity. If you’re mature, you’re going to go in and watch film. If you’re not mature, you’re just going to do what you have to do and be done with it.”

According to defensive tackle Jeff Owens, it's a matter of emotion.

"You've got to give it your all," Owens said. "We know it's a grind. We know it's tough. If it wasn't tough, everybody in the world would be doing it. But you have to go out and give it your all, and you've got to have fun. That's what we have to get back is guys having fun, making plays and being excited."

According to cornerback Brandon Boykin, it's a matter of experience.

"Young people are going to make mistakes," Boykin said. "But I feel like that's where the film study comes in, like Rennie was saying. When you're inexperienced, you've got to get in there because you don't have a lot of reps under your belt. You've got to watch more film to know what to look for and be prepared for, and that in itself will lead to a lot more consistency."

So what's the bottom line?

From fans, the answer for the past few weeks -- heck, the past few years -- has been coaching. But Curran doesn't buy that. The NCAA restricts what coaches can force a player to do or how long they can make a player work. Curran doesn't think the motivation has lacked. It's the determination -- not on the field, but off it.

“We all want to win, we’re all fighting hard, we’re all fighting our hearts out every single game, but at the same time, we also need to focus on playing smarter," Curran said. "That starts with preparation. Coach Martinez can coach his heart out, but it’s up to us to stay in that film room for an extra 30 minutes or whatever it’s going to take to learn those formations, those tendencies that will help us on the field when he’s not there coaching us up.

"That’s when your film preparation comes in. When the offense comes out and does something different that you haven’t seen before, you’re already prepared, you have your rules down that you always stick to. But that’s only going to come with the time you put into it as a player, being a student of the game, and knowing the ins and outs. It’s not always about just the coaching. It’s a lot of times about the player and how bad he wants it and how much he studies himself. That’s something we have to improve on.”

To quote "Office Space," what do you think of a person who does the bare minimum?

"Well, I thought I remembered you saying that you wanted to express yourself."

Of late, going beyond seems to be something that hasn't been as high a priority as some of Georgia's defenders think it needs to be.

“I feel like everybody individually has to look themselves in the mirror and see how they can get better, see what’s gone wrong," Curran said. "If that means sitting in the film room and watching and critiquing yourself, that’s something you need to do. You have to do those things to get better and learn from your mistakes. We’ve got so many other things going on with school, with our families, but at the same time, that’s what we came to this school for was to be great football players and to get a degree and make a great living for ourselves.”

Curran isn't getting any argument on that point from Boykin, who said there's likely a direct correlation between the amount of time spent watching film and the results on the field lately.

"Film study helps, and that might be the deciding factor in a lot of our games," Boykin said. "But I also feel like it's man on man, who's the best a lot of times, and it comes down to us not making the play. But film study would definitely help us as a group if everybody got in there and did what they're supposed to do."

And it will only become a bigger and bigger issue. Teams have beaten Georgia's defense routinely using play-action and misdirection. Boykin and Curran agree that the more Georgia struggles in specific areas, the more the opposition will continue to employ those techniques.

"We know that other teams are going to copycat each other and see what hurt us defensively," Boykin said. "We're going to work on it, and Coach Martinez, I'm sure he's going to do what he's supposed to do. We've got to search within ourselves now and really find out what we want to do with our season, because it's not going to get any easier."

“That’s another thing that comes from watching film," Curran said specifically of defending the play-action. "It’s eye progression and being disciplined. There are certain keys that give away that play-action, and those keys, you only know them if you study film, watch tendencies and know down and distance. Play-action is all about discipline in where your eyes go and knowing what you’re seeing.”

So what's the final solution? How do the Bulldogs improve a problem that has been plaguing the defense for at least a year?

That should be a simple sell, Curran said, although he admits some frustration that it hasn't been as easy as it should be.

But here's the bottom line, he said. Players are at Georgia for a reason, and if they want to be great, they need to remember what that reason was.

“At times like these you have to remind the guys of why we came here," he said. "It’s the same thing as last year. We’ve got so many things as college athletes and students going on in our lives, but we have to realize that the work that we put in during the offseason and how much work has gone into this whole entire season and just what we represent in the tradition and the guys who have done it before us – all those things come into play.

"It’s where we want to go. I’m sure if I ask all my teammates if they want to play in (the NFL), I’m sure they’re all going to say yes. But at the same time, you have to do what it takes. You have to sacrifice. You have to study. You have to have those late nights. You have to put in that extra time. Those are the things you try to drive home to your teammates that it’s not just going to come overnight. Success isn’t going to come just because you want it to or just because you work hard. You’ve got to work smart. You’ve got to do all those necessary things it takes to be a successful player. Just as if you wanted to get that degree or be a successful student, you’ve got to sacrifice. That’s the main thing.”

Practice Notes: Two Kings With Concussions

Georgia’s already thin wide receiver corps took another big hit this week.

Head coach Mark Richt said freshman receiver Tavarres King was “very unlikely” to make the trip to Tennessee for Saturday’s game after suffering a concussion last week against LSU.

That leaves Georgia with just five healthy scholarship receivers, but only two – A.J. Green and Michael Moore – have any significant playing time this season.

“All hands will be on deck, I can say that,” Richt said.

Tight end Orson Charles and cornerback Branden Smith have both been used in wide receiver roles at various times this season, but the injury to King likely means more playing time for sophomore Israel Troupe and freshmen Rantavious Wooten and Marlon Brown.

One of the country’s most highly recruited receivers last year, Brown has seen just a handful of snaps so far this season and has not caught a pass, but Richt said he has continued to make progress during practice and could be part of the game plan this week.

“He’s one step closer than he was before Tavarres getting hurt,” Richt said. “He’s not a whole lot different than what was happening with Washaun Ealey. We kept getting him ready and getting him to the point where he could function in a game, and Marlon is rapidly moving in that direction.”

Playing time would be particularly rewarding for Brown this week, as the Memphis native would have a chance to play in front of his home-state fans against a program that was in hot pursuit of him during the recruiting process.

That extra bit of pressure doesn’t worry offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, however.

“He’s an even-keeled kid who works hard,” Bobo said. “I think he’s got the right attitude and he’ll be successful if he keeps that attitude.”

King has 10 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown in five games this season. Wooten has two catches, and Brown and Troupe have yet to record a reception in 2009.

PULLED IN ALL DIRECTIONS

After working a few snaps on offense in each of Georgia’s first four games, Smith might see less action on that side of the ball for the next few weeks.

Smith, who has one catch for 3 yards and six rushes for 80 yards this season, didn’t earn a touch on offense last week against LSU after his practice time with the group was cut short during the preceding week.

“With some injuries at corner, he’s been playing more corner here lately, so practice time with Branden has gone down a little bit,” Bobo said. “Yeah, it’s easy to draw up a play and say we’re going to do this play, but if you don’t have guys to practice it, it’s a little more difficult.”

The same situation holds true with backup quarterback Logan Gray, who Bobo said has been avoided in the game plan because of an injury to third-string quarterback Aaron Murray.

“You have Aaron Murray out and your backup in the game running some plays, if you get him hurt, that puts you in a situation where you really don’t have a back-up quarterback,” Bobo said. “So that changes your thought process a little bit of what you’re going to do offensively with Logan Gray.”

Despite the apparent limitations on two of Georgia’s change-of-pace weapons, Bobo said both Gray and Smith will continue to have a role in the playbook.

“There’ll always be a few plays with (Smith) in the game plan and with Logan,” Bobo said. “But it just depends on what we feel gives us the best chance.”

MORE INJURY NEWS

Tailback Caleb King also suffered a concussion and a broken jaw after a hit during last week’s game, and Richt said he was almost certain that sophomore Richard Samuel would get the start this week.

Linebackers Marcus Dowtin and Akeem Dent will miss this week’s game as well. Dent is still recovering from a lingering hamstring injury that has kept him out of the past two games, and Dowtin underwent surgery on a torn ligament in his left ring finger on Sunday.

Senior Marcus Washington and sophomore Nick Williams will likely handle the majority of the reps Dent and Dowtin would have played, but Richt said there was a chance some of the younger linebackers such as Christian Robinson, Akeem Hebron and Charles White could see action, too.

“We’ve been repping them all along and giving them as much work as we can, and more than likely they’ll get more opportunity in the game than they have,” Richt said.

DOUBLE DUTY

While Gray may not be seeing much action at quarterback so far this season, he’s getting plenty of work on special teams. Gray has worked on Georgia’s kickoff coverage unit and has been the team’s primary punt returner in situations where a fair catch is likely.

Those were roles Gray played last season, but he said he wasn’t expecting another year of action. But he’s not complaining.

“I think it comes with being the backup quarterback, I wasn’t going to do as many special teams,” Gray said. “Coming into the season, I didn’t even think I was going to catch punts. It was sort of a last-second thing with our punt safe team when we know a fair catch is coming, I guess Coach (Jon) Fabris wanted me to keep doing it.”

MY BAD, GUYS

Brandon Boykin is used to celebrating interceptions, but after making his second pick of the season to halt a potential touchdown drive against LSU, the sophomore cornerback immediately knew he had messed up.

With the Tigers driving deep into Georgia territory in the first quarter, Boykin picked off a Jordan Jefferson pass in the end zone. Rather than settle for a touchback, however, Boykin attempted to return the interception. He was tackled at the 2-yard line, and Georgia's offense was unable to sustain a drive. The result was bad field position for much of the fist half for the Bulldogs.

"That was my fault," Boykin said. "It wasn’t very smart of me to take that out. I was just trying to make a play, and initially I thought there was daylight, but there wasn’t. The smart thing to do would have been to take a knee and give my offense great field position. But I can’t look at that. If I get the opportunity to take it in the end zone, I definitely will take a knee, so it was a learning experience and I’ll get better from it.”

CHANGE BREWING?

For the second straight year, Georgia's kickoffs have been an adventure, but this season there is one big difference: Richt has an alternative to kicker Blair Walsh.

The Bulldogs signed junior college transfer Brandon Bogotay during the offseason to push Walsh for the kickoff job, and while a change hasn't come yet, Richt said the team has given some thought to handing the job to Bogotay if Walsh continues to struggle.

"It's been considered," Richt said. "We haven't done it to this point, but everybody's got to perform and certainly we want Blair to do that. I definitely don't want to throw him under the bus for all the issues on that team, but it's been part of the issue, not getting it where we need to get it. The ball placement hasn't been as sharp."

EXTRA POINTS

-- I noted this last week, but Bobo was a bit more emphatic in his pronouncement this week -- quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger will both redshirt, barring an injury to one of Georgia's top two quarterbacks.

-- Tight ends coach John Lilly said that there still has been no decision on whether tight end Bruce Figgins will accept a medical redshirt for this season. Figgins will be serving the sixth and final game of a suspension this week and would be eligible to return to action against Vanderbilt on Oct. 17. Lilly said the ultimate decision on whether to play would be up to Figgins.

-- Richt on today's practice session: "I thought today's practice was good. I thought the guys played with good tempo, good focus. Overall it's been a really good Tuesday and Wednesday. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. We're going to go over to the stadium and crank the noise and try to get it so loud we can't hear. Hopefully we don't blow a speaker."

Notebook: King Looks for Big Game vs. Familiar Foe

Caleb King has run the ball well in his first two games back following a hamstring injury, but he has a special reason for putting on an even better show this week against LSU.

“Being from Baton Rouge, it’s just 10 minutes from the campus at LSU,” King said. “It’s hard for me to get tickets but I’m bringing like 10 or 15 people (to this year’s game). Last year, when we went to Baton Rouge, I had 23 people there. It’s always a big turn out for the LSU game.”

King grew up in Baton Rouge but moved to Georgia before middle school. He said most of his family remains LSU fans, however, but hopes they’ll be rooting for his side this Saturday.

“Honestly, I know when we don’t play LSU, they all go for LSU,” King said. “But since we’re playing them, I believe they’re going to wear the red and black.”

King said he was an LSU fan, too, but that all changed when he committed to Georgia. Now, three years into his Bulldogs career, he’s hoping he can have a career game against the team he grew up rooting for.

“Of course, I want to show up for my family, but it’s no pressure,” King said. “Game by game, I feel more comfortable, and I’m trying to make this my breakout game.”

COMMINGS OF AGE

After spending the majority of the preseason and early part of the regular season working at safety, Sanders Commings seems to be adjusting to cornerback quickly, head coach Mark Richt said.

“He’s progressing as a corner,” Richt said. “I like the move there. I can’t say 100 percent that’s where he’ll stay the rest of his career, but I think he’s going to be a very good corner for us.”

LSU brings a group of tall wide receivers to Athens this week, which Richt admits could be a mismatch for some of Georgia’s undersized corners. That could mean a bit more action for the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Commings.

“Sanders at least has more height and more weight to him where he might be able to match up better, but it’s not always a size thing,” Richt said. “We’ve had some corners that weren’t very tall but they played big, and I think we have some now that are like that.”

That doesn’t mean the matchups on Saturday will be easy. Terrence Tolliver checks in for LSU at 6-5 while preseason All-SEC receiver Brandon LaFell stands at 6-3.

“It’s going to be tough,” Richt said. “LaFell is one of the finest in the country. I think LaFell has proven that he has star quality and he’s a mismatch for anybody one-on-one, let alone whether they are our guys or not. I think just their shear size is going to be an issue for us.”

FOND MEMORIES

When Georgia traveled to Baton Rouge last year to take on LSU, it proved to be a breakout game for linebacker Darryl Gamble.

The then-sophomore picked off an LSU pass on the Tigers’ first drive of the game and returned it for a touchdown, then iced the Georgia victory with another interception return for a score in the fourth quarter.

Gamble said he’s watched the interceptions on film a few times this year in preparing for the Tigers’ visit to Athens this weekend, but he said he’s making no promises for an encore performance.

“People have been asking me about it, like ‘DG, what are you gonna do?’” Gamble said. “I say, ‘I don’t know,’ but I’ve been putting a lot of work in, watching a lot of film, and whatever happens, happens.”

FEELING BETTER

After missing Wednesday’s practice, cornerback Brandon Boykin was expected to be a full participant Thursday and Richt expects the sophomore to be on the field Saturday.

“I think he’ll be fine,” Richt said.

Junior cornerback Vance Cuff, who missed last week’s game with a knee sprain, has also been cleared to play this week.

Linebacker Akeem Dent was officially ruled out for Saturday’s game.

STICKING WITH RED

Georgia’s fifth game last season came with plenty of hype, with a top-10 opponent coming into town and the Bulldogs donning black jerseys as part of a planned “blackout.”

Once again, Georgia welcomes a top-10 team to Sanford Stadium for Week 5, but there won’t be any festivities surrounding the uniform to go along with LSU’s visit.

“I don’t think we’d do a black jersey or black helmet, we wouldn’t do a blackout of any kind unless we got the fans into it,” Richt said. “I don’t think it’s worth doing a blackout without it.”

NOBODY PUTS BABY IN A CORNER

During the TV timeouts in the latter stages of last week’s win over Arizona State, the music blared throughout Sanford Stadium, and a large contingent of Bulldogs broke out some of their best dancing moves to lighten the mood.

The lighthearted demeanor ruffled a few feathers among fans who wondered if the team was taking the close game as seriously as it should, but Richt said he thinks just the opposite was true.

“Our guys have a wonderful spirit,” Richt said. “I know some defensive guys were dancing a little bit in the fourth quarter and we had the last three drives of the game we had three-and-outs and they had negative yardage in the fourth quarter. So I don’t think you can say it was a bad thing. I don’t think it hurt their play.”

Richt said he understands the criticism, but thinks barring the players from a few spur-of-the-moment dance routines would create a new wave of criticism from the other side. The bottom line, he said, is results. If the team wins, they can dance all they want.

“I’d rather them be dancing than crying,” Richt said.

LSU’S SECRET WEAPON

Fans at LSU have been clamoring for more of highly touted freshman quarterback Russell Shepard, who has been in on 11 runs so far this season, gaining 74 yards, but has yet to throw a pass.

Shepard could prove to be an asset for the Tigers this weekend, but Richt said he’s not expecting the freshman quarterback to anything drastically different from what the Georgia coaches have already seen on film.

“We can only plan for what we’ve seen him do and try to anticipate what he might do, but it’s hard,” Richt said. “I don’t think they’re going to have a huge plan for him, but they may.”

GEORGIA’S SECRET WEAPON

Rantavious Wooten had his first two receptions of the season last week, both coming on third down for sizeable gains. But receiver may not be the only roll for Wooten this year, as Richt said the freshman has practiced many of the same plays Branden Smith has run on game days, including reverses and end arounds.

“Anything we’ve done with Branden Smith, (Wooten) has practiced in case something happened to Branden and we still liked the concept of what he’s doing,” Richt said. “They’re similar athletes.”

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."

Five Players to Watch: Arkansas Edition

I'm hitting the road for Arkansas -- woo hoo! -- so I'm limited on posts for today. But in advance of this week's SEC showdown, here's my thoughts on five players who will be the difference for Georgia on Saturday.

1.) Prince Miller. The senior cornerback didn't officially get burned against South Carolina, but he sure didn't have his best day. The Gamecocks had two touchdown passes against Miller, but both were called back due to penalties. He'll need to improve in coverage against a far more potent Arkansas team that enjoys lulling an opponent to sleep with a controlled passing game, then going deep for the big play at just the right time.

2.) Akeem Dent. South Carolina burned Georgia over and over by dumping off passes to the tight end over the middle. Dent didn't play particularly well, and with Darius Dewberry out and Nick Williams questionable for the game, he'll be back to work at the Sam linebacker spot on Saturday. That's going to be a concern, as Arkansas has one of the conference's top tight ends and the Razorbacks will no doubt be looking to exploit the same weaknesses South Carolina did.

3.) The Brand(on/en)s. Man, we really need a better nickname for these two. And as a fan of a non-Houston NL Central team, I can't endorse "The Killer Bs." Plus, as one reader pointed out, no true Georgia Tech hater can give his players a bee-related nickname.

Anyway, to the main point: Arkansas' special teams aren't exactly the best the SEC has to offer. Smith and Boykin were monsters in the return game last week, setting up Georgia with good field position on offense (or in Boykin's case, taking it to the house). They'll have a chance at a repeat performance this week, and against the Hogs' high-octane offense, every yard is important.

4.) Justin Houston. With Rod Battle out, Georgia's depth at defensive end isn't getting any better now that Houston is back from a two-game suspension. But that doesn't mean the results can't be improved. Houston had a huge spring and continued to earn praise for his work this fall despite the two-game absence. That should match up well with the less-than-mobile Ryan Mallett, who won't give the defensive line the same trouble Garcia did a week ago by moving around in the pocket and making plays with his feet.

5.) Mike Bobo. Two games into the season, and we really don't have any better understanding of what Georgia's offensive identity is. Marlon Brown and Rantavious Wooten still have hardly seen the field. Orson Charles has looked impressive but has been underutilized. Richard Samuel appeared on the verge of a breakout game last week, then disappeared from the game plan for 15 minutes. The playcalling improved last week from the opener, but there were still plenty of curious decisions. Arkansas' defense should't require a rocket scientist to solve, but the problem for Bobo has really seemed to be his overthinking of the game plan. Bobo needs to find the right mix of diversifying the offense enough to keep the Hogs guessing while not abandoning the Bulldogs' bread and butter for long stretches of the game. In other words, find an identity and go with it.

So… what do you think? What are your keys to this game? What matchup has you the most worried?

Boykin's Big Day

I just want to take a minute to provide a good "I told you so" on Brandon Boykin. His 100-yard kick return against South Carolina was the longest in Georgia history and his interception last week was the first (and still only) takeaway by the Georgia D. In two games at corner, he's played exquisitely.

I had heard for the past year how impressive Boykin looked at practice, how high he could jump and how natural his playmaking skills were, so calling his quick success on Saturdays wasn't actually all that difficult.

What has been a delightful surprise, however, is the MVP performances Boykin has turned in so far in after-practice interviews. As good as he is on the field, Boykin's personality is even better. Here's a taste of what he had to say Tuesday as the media peppered him with questions about his breakout performance against the Gamecocks.

On how he handled playing defense following his 100-yard kick return...
"I was just going off pure adrenaline after that. I need to get in better shape. I came out of the game, and I feel like there's always room for improvement."

On his sports history...
"Growing up I was a baseball player. I really liked Ken Griffey Jr. and I thought I was going to be a baseball player until I entered high school. Then I thought I was going to be a basketball player. Then I found out I was pretty good at football, so that worked out."

On his first public display of his leaping ability...
"Basketball I started in sixth grade. I went to the Tubby Smith camp my ninth-grade year and I started dunking before the game, and they told Tubby Smith. So he called me out before the game in front of the whole camp and I did a 360. That was the first time I really knew I could show out and dunk. So ever since then I've been dunking."

On the first time he dunked in basketball...
"It was ninth grade. I was like 5-8. Nobody believed me that I could dunk. I tried at my house because I had basketball goal outside my house, and I never could do it. Then, one day my friend threw me an alley-oop and I did it. I called my brother and was like, 'Hey, I dunked it.' ... The first real time in a game was my sophomore year."

On his interception....
"Throughout practice the concept that South Carolina ran, we practiced that the whole week. During the week, I was doing pretty good at getting depth and being able to outjump the ball and go up and get it. I told myself if I had the opportunity in a game, I had to take it. I saw the ball coming and it looked like it was coming in slow motion, like it was never going to get here. I grabbed it with my hands, and when I jumped, my leg cramped up. I was laying on the ground and everybody wondered what happened."

On which play -- the INT or the kick return -- that he liked better...
"Definitely the kickoff. I've never returned a kickoff for a touchdown. A hundred yards on the second kickoff, that's pretty great. I was pretty much speechless and it's still pretty surreal."

On his career goals...
"I used to want to be an architect but I'm not a mathematician. I like to read, but not really books. Like Sports Illustrated and stuff like that. I want to be a journalist."

You know, you read those first half-dozen quotes and you think, "Man, this kid's got a good head on his shoulders." And then he says he wants to be a journalist and I have to question my confidence in him. Here's hoping his football skills get him a job in the NFL before he ends up fighting me for quotes.