We are more than a week into Fall practice as Georgia’s football team continues its preparation for the 2008 season. Head coach Mark Richt’s team practiced last week, culminating in Saturday’s two-a-day. The coaches were busy teaching fundamentals, putting in their concepts for the upcoming season and evaluating players.
One of the Bulldogs receiving praise after Week 1 has been freshman wide receiver A.J. Green. Practicing for the first time as a Bulldog, Green was widely rated one of the top two receivers coming out of high school this past year, often drawing comparisons to NFL standout Randy Moss. For the most part, those comparisons have not ended as Richt brought up Moss’s name when commenting on Green. Opening the door for Green to get more meaningful reps last week were the injuries of Michael Moore, Walter Hill, Israel Troupe and Tavarres King. Green himself missed some time earlier in the week.
The Bulldogs’ concern for depth at safety grew a little bit more as backup safety Quintin Banks tore his MCL to the point that it required surgery, which is tentatively scheduled for this past Tuesday. The sophomore safety could miss Georgia’s first four games of the year. The loss of Banks means true freshmen will figure prominently at the safety spots for the Bulldogs. Aside from senior walk-on Andrew Williams, redshirt freshman John Knox is the most experienced player behind starters C.J. Byrd and Reshad Jones. First-year players Baccarri Rambo, Nick Williams and Makiri Pugh have been getting work at the safety spots with all three drawing praise. Pugh, however, left practice on Saturday with a serious ankle sprain.
An apparent injury that may have Georgia fans even more concerned is the sore left shoulder of running back Knowshon Moreno (pictured). The sophomore wore a green non-contact jersey for a couple of practices in order to rest the shoulder and prevent it from getting further injured. The Bulldogs are still developing backups Caleb King, Richard Samuel, Dontavius Jackson and Carlton Thomas to be ready to take some of the load off of Moreno. King, a redshirt freshman, is the most experienced, with the other three being true freshmen. But all four have considerable talent, so the fundamentals of the positions, such as pass protection, will decide how much playing time each gets.
COURT DATES
The men’s basketball team released its 2008-09 schedule last week. The slate is highlighted by an appearance in the preseason NIT. Other out-of-conference games of note include a meeting with Illinois on Dec. 26, a matchup with Virginia Tech on Dec. 9, and a game with Missouri on Jan. 3. The game with the Illini will be played in Chicago at The United Center, while the Bulldogs will host the Hokies and Tigers. The matchup against the Tigers is the start of a tough stretch for Georgia that sees them travel to Georgia Tech on Jan. 6 before starting SEC play on Jan. 10, hosting Tennessee. After playing the Vols, their next two games are at Vanderbilt on Jan. 14 and home with Kentucky on Jan. 18. The Bulldogs close out the regular season at Arkansas on March 1, at Kentucky on March 4, and home with South Carolina on March 7. This season’s SEC Tournament will be played at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fla.
WORLD’S GREATEST
The 2008 Summer Olympic Games are just under a week in, and Georgia athletes have already made their presence felt. Former Lady Bulldog Kara Lynn Joyce won a silver medal as a member of the United States 4×100-meter freestyle relay team. South African and incoming freshman Wendy Trott missed qualifying for the finals of the 400-meter freestyle as she finished fifth in her heat. Despite not qualifying for the finals, former Bulldog Sebastien Rouault of France finished second in his heat in the 400-meter freestyle. The swimming competition will run until Sunday, with Sheila Taormina’s modern pentathlon taking place on Aug. 22. Chris Colwill’s 3-meter diving events will take place on Wednesday, Monday and Tuesday. Track and field events start on Friday and lasts until Aug. 23. Head swim coach Jack Bauerle is coaching the U. S. women’s swim team and assistant Dan Laak is an assistant diving coach.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
Loading ...
