Georgia’s RB legacy takes another hit with suspension
Carlton Thomas is the latest Georgia running back to find trouble. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)
Back on the Left Coast, USC was referred to as “Tailback U” for its rich history of running backs. Among them: Marcus Allen, Mike Garrett, Charles White, Anthony Davis, Ricky Bell, Reggie Bush and a certain alleged double murderer.
Georgia’s history may or may not be equal to that, but with the likes of Herschel Walker, Garrison Hearst, Charley Trippi, Frank Sinkwich, Rodney Hampton, Robert Edwards and Knowshon Moreno, it has an argument.
So what happened?
The Bulldogs just lost their third running back of the offseason. At least for one game. Junior Carlton Thomas, who only last week spoke of taking on a leadership role with the team, has been suspended for one game for unspecified violation of team rules during spring football, according to our Chip Towers. That’s one less body available for the season opener against Boise State.
Thomas’ suspension follows Caleb King being declared academically ineligible (again) and ultimately leaving the program, then declaring himself for the NFL supplemental draft (good luck with that). And King’s exit followed Washaun Ealey being released and transferring to 1-AA Jacksonville State.
Ealey had a series of off-the-field incidents in Athens. So did King (who also was ineligible for last season’s bowl game and was suspended two games earlier in the season). Now, Thomas falls in line. Or maybe that should be out of line.
When and why did the Georgia running back position become such a parade of knuckleheads?
I’ve stated in this space before: How the Bulldogs perform next season will be based largely on the success of the offensive line and freshman back Isaiah Crowell. The Dogs’ best hope is that Crowell is a departure from his recent predecessors.
By Jeff Schultz
♦
Follow me on Twitter @JeffSchultzAJC; friend me at Facebook.com/JeffSchultzAJC
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
289 comments Add your comment
chazzo
July 18th, 2011
9:53 pm
With Washaun and Carlton in the backfield last year against SC, the Dawgs netted 61 yards rushing. I don’t see these guys doing any worse. SC plays the run tough (at least against UGA). They have a solid D that always plays tough against the Dawgs. The differences will be that UGA’s D will be more solid; Murray knows the playbook, and Lattimore will not be a surprise commodity.
SC is a much bigger fish to fry than Boise. Let’s hope an elevated ranking and a win over Boise will not go to the Dawgs’ heads.
jeff d
July 18th, 2011
9:55 pm
Pete,
you’re a complete idiot. Jon Jenkins is neither fat nor slow.
aarh
July 18th, 2011
10:03 pm
UGA_2001- Are you kidding me? Did you not see the article that was all over the news where Chizik asked if the investigation is over yet, & she said when it’s over I’ll let you know. It came for the New York Times, but every other news source reported it to. It was even on the front page of the Solumbus paper down here as well. Besides, you should know that it’s not always public when school is under investigation. GT just got busted, & I don’t think anyone saw that coming.
Mobile Dawg
July 18th, 2011
10:06 pm
Chazzo, I’ve feared the same thing. I hate to beat a dead horse, really! Richt has a history of not having his teams ready to play big games. If they beat Boise, and history repeats itself, and we don’t show up against USC, we will get run off the field.
Chuck, of course I remember Knowshon and Musa. A different offensive game plan against Bama and UF in 08 and that season could have been very different, IMO.
Uh yeah
July 18th, 2011
10:52 pm
It’s no different than a guy being injured in the sense that you don’t know when a guy is going to be injured,” Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said
Huh? Nice hire there. With the choke hold last year and this comment, you got yourself a real smart fella.
MS. Bully
July 18th, 2011
11:38 pm
JB, your nuts. MS. State ahead of Georgia in your mind for winning at any cost. Don’t complain when the Real Dogs put another beating on your puppies. Don’t do the crime if you can’t pay the time!! The only remedy is MORE COWBELL!!!
athens own dog
July 18th, 2011
11:45 pm
Dawg in Lex. You are right, sir. Nice job. Samuel will start, Boo Malcolm will back him up and hopefully Bobo will finally realize that if something works, keep running it until it stops working!!!
He has always caused me to approach apoplexy by running something a time or two if it works, and then going to something else. His reasoning is always ‘we wanted to change before they stopped it.’
Pound Boise, pound it pound it, pound it. Malcolm and Samuel should be able to have three and four yard plays in the first half that turn into seven and eight yarders after three or four quarters.
Crowell? He’s an all time great high school player. AFTER he shows me he can play in the SEC, I’ll get excited.
chazzo
July 19th, 2011
12:09 am
Athens and Lex, I am not a Bobo hater, but I will say sometimes he outsmarts himself. It’s like that works, so they’ll know that I know it works and they will never be expecting what doesn’t work…. LOL
Don
July 19th, 2011
12:53 am
Coach Richt needs to focus on character and ability with these backs. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to know that Caleb wasn’t going to survive the rigors of college classes. It also didn’t take a football guru to know that he wasn’t a great back. I saw a Buford team shut him down completely in front of Auburn’s head coach his senior year. Turberville left at halftime. I think King had negative 2 yards at that point. C’mon coach…Find us some real talent and some real character along with an academic mind (or at least a teachable mind that can survive a baccalaureate degree.)
Big Dawg
July 19th, 2011
6:48 am
Sir Barks a lot,
A little memory recall for you, I know our backs are against the wall but moving Richard Samuel back to RB in IMHO is still a very big mistake and will only hurt the team. The first time around he proved he was not a running back, he has no feel for the position, as he lacked the ability to run where the hole was even when there was a hole he went down on first contact, sometimes with no or only nominal contact. He missed blocks frequently which got our QB either sacked, hit and/or hurried a lot, he fumbled a lot as well. In his defense he did have several good runs one for a TD but if you remember he wasn’t even touched on the play and still almost tripped on his own feet. I do hope and pray that he has learned from his mistakes the first time around and he proves me wrong and provides the Dawgs with much needed leadership at the running back position.
Go Dawgs
chazzo
July 19th, 2011
6:51 am
Seems I remember that there was more to Caleb and Washaun being at UGA than Richt not knowing how to recruit (which is a laughable assertion btw). Richt was shooting for the stars with a back he didn’t get. It was tough to attract THE RB when you already had Knowshon.
That being said, King and Ealey did average over 5 yards a carry. They didn’t exactly suck.
Finally, I was a well-behaved, A student from a private school in Central FL and got kicked out of UGA after two years. There is no telling what is going to happen when an 18 year old hits campus.
I just don’t buy some of the arguments here that Richt is somehow a poor recruiter because a couple of players didn’t pan out.
chazzo
July 19th, 2011
6:56 am
I also don’t buy that Richt is the only coach in history that has recruited players with discipline problems. Look at all those players at UF, smoking pot and using dead girl’s credit cards. Look at Garcia at South Carolina. And the couple of years I was at UGA, I saw what Vince’s players were doing. If you guys are so capable of recruiting a perfect team of incredible athletes who make straight As and never get in trouble, then you should be making millions. Go get a job!
Trojan
July 19th, 2011
6:56 am
Hey Jeff, the QB from GSU was arrested for stealing, wouldn’t that be a great story?
Eddie
July 19th, 2011
9:02 am
Trojan,
Only if he transfers to UGA and the NCAA suspends him for four games.
Alabama Jack
July 19th, 2011
9:32 am
Hey, its only jawga. Who cares?
Furman Bishop
July 19th, 2011
9:52 am
How the bulldogs perform next season really means Richt’s job. Make that how they perform the first two games.
Pete
July 19th, 2011
10:59 am
Top 1,000 reasons Boise will crush UGA:
1) QB Kellen Moore ->Best QB in the country
Boise has most All-American than any other team in the country.
2) O-Line-> Tops in the country
3) D-Line-> Tops in the country
4) Doug Martin-> Tops in the country and far better than any UGA RB ezly.
5) Coach-> 2 time Bear Bryant winner(only coach to ever win it twice) Best coach in the country.
6) Boise beats teams better than UGA all season long.
7) Boise likes to crush teams and make them cry at their house in front of their fans.
9) Boise has better players at every single position.
10) Boise doesn’t lose to mediocre teams and rarely loses to great teams.
11) 61-5 record over the last 5 years.
12) Tops the nation in scoring
13) Tops the nation in pts. allowed.
14) etc……. I just don’t have the time to write out all 1,000 but thats a good start.
Ready……….go.
RedandBlackDAWG
July 19th, 2011
12:22 pm
Pete,
The game is played on the field as you will find out in September. To compare the competition UGA has faced against the Boise competitiion is a stretch at best. Last year Boise beat VA. TECH. Which then promptly went out and lost the following week to a DIV. II school. They followed that up with an 11 game win streak and Boise lost to New Mexico. I think VA. TECH. would have beaten Boise in a rematch. You RB is going to be new, Your Defense is undersized but fast, I will give you that. Your offensive line is on average 35 pounds less than the D line of UGA, so the advantage goes to UGA. You lost your two best WR’s last year, as we did. No proven performers on either side so that is a toss up.
I am sure you think they are invincible, but like I said, the game is played on the field, not in any fan of any teams mind. Maybe you had better wait until after Sept. 3rd, to start polishing your trophy.
By the way, any word yet on the NCAA investigation that has now concluded on Boise, for lack of control. Just the penalty to be found out right?
Paul Johnson slams NCAA for Georgia Tech’s probation | Jeff Schultz
July 19th, 2011
2:18 pm
[...] Earlier: Georgia’s RB legacy takes another hit with suspension [...]
Blowout
July 19th, 2011
2:25 pm
Ga blows out boise state in game 1—take it to the bank. Ga’s O will be rolling up and down the field at will with murray and crowell and boise state’s weak D will be worn out by the third quarter. Dawgs 41 BS 20
chazzo
July 19th, 2011
2:32 pm
Pete, You are so right, man. I have to confess. BSU is going to whip us. Be sure to tell everyone, BSU doesn’t even have to practice. You are so right. Georgia is mediocre at best. Spread the word among your faithful. We will be lucky to even on score on your team full of all-stars. I think BSU is going all the way this year. How could anyone complete with such talent?
chazzo
July 19th, 2011
2:36 pm
In the entire history of Boise State’s arrival in Division I-A (FBS) football it has played fourteen ranked opponents. The Broncos are 7-7 in those contests including a recent 5-2 run since 2006 with wins over #10 Oklahoma (2007 Fiesta Bowl), #17 Oregon in 2008, #21 Fresno State in 2008, #16 Oregon in 2009, and #4 TCU in (2010 Fiesta Bowl).
chazzo
July 19th, 2011
2:40 pm
BSU played one ranked team in 2007. Georgia played the past two national champions. In 2008 UGA played three national champions. BSU played #21 Fresno State.
King Gator
July 19th, 2011
2:52 pm
Better hope Boise State’s no UCF… or it’s going to be a long season for the Pups. Go Gators!
258DAWG
July 19th, 2011
4:20 pm
I guess you must have just forgotten about Terrell Davis for being on this list?…… just a minor oversight i’m sure.
258DAWG
July 19th, 2011
4:21 pm
King Gator, warn your team……….. pre-season drug test are coming!!!! We want you to at least field a team.
chazzo
July 19th, 2011
5:26 pm
I do hope Boise State is no UCF. I hope the UCF debacle never happens again. I hope that Boise expects to play the team that lost to UCF.
chazzo
July 19th, 2011
5:30 pm
Whoever is running for UGA: Just hold on with both arms and get 3.5 yards. Wrap it up tight, don’t let it go, and plunge for 3.5 yds. Do that 3x and its a first down. If you can get your feet to the line and fall down, that’s two yards. That means the O-line has to move someone backward 1.5 yards.
Pete
July 19th, 2011
8:18 pm
REason #14) All of Boise’s players have more playing time than any of Georigas’(Most of Boise’s starters were outta the game by halftime because Boise played teams like Georgia). Boise doesn’t rebuild.
15) Where Boise lost starters, they have players coming in with ample playing time.
16) Boise’s slightly smaller Lines, crushed bigger lines better than Georgia’s, just ask Oregon, VT, TCU, etc………………….
17) etc….. I could go on, but i’m running out of time again.
For the record, Boise lost to Nevada who was 13-1. That Nevada team that Boise lost to, lost to Hawaii and beat Fresno at Fresno by 1 pt.(I think) in the last minute or two of the game. For the record, Boise destroyed Hawaii like 49-7 and destroyed Fresno 51-0. Boise didn’t get up for that game because they became complacent and lost to a inferior but good team. Sorry to tell you, they won’t let that happen again, and sure as hell won’t let some mediocre team from the east do it.
Cheers!
dawgs
July 19th, 2011
11:45 pm
john brown,
northwestern is in the big ten…and hasnt sniffed a conference championship in my lifetime, granted I’m only 17. however, uga has been to the SEC title three times this decade and won it twice. we actually know how to win. you think that being bowl eligible is the greatest thing when we think being bowl eligible is a given year in and year out. please don’t attempt to compare northwestern football to uga, because uga dwarfs northwestern not the other way around. go and study a book or fix a computer
Cane-Dawg#32- MEMO to CMR: UGA is NOT & NEVER will be FSU !!
July 20th, 2011
3:14 am
Jeff we (UGA) no longer have our traditional legacy at running back with the the current coaching staff. It has been replaced with a new legacy of infamy that features suspensions, flunk outs, underachievers, overachievers, quitters, prima-donnas/divas and position flip-floppers at the position. The coaching and leadership at the position gets the grade of “I”, for incompetence on and off the field. There is an undercurrent of dissension on this football team and it will continue to reflect in ball games this season as it has all summer. The problem at the root on offense is you have a coach who is in has-been status himself as an evaluator of talent as well as coordinator, turning over the complete offense to a guy who is only an average QB coach, who has no prior experience at any program at any level as an offensive coordinator. The SEC is no place for on the job training at OC if you want to win championships. Then you have an O-line that is thin on depth, that can only hold blocks barely long enough to get passes off. The staff can’t seem to commit to teaching the finesse O-line to execute hard nosed, smashmouthed, sustained run blocks to pave routes for the running game. That’s right UGA is soft offensively, which is reflective of the mentality of the ”you betta not curse at ‘em” mentality of the coaching staff. Was Thomas suspended because Richt caught him cussin’ red-handed !!? LOL. Next the #2 recruiting program the past ten years, has recently brought in highly recruited prima-donnas and divas that are soft guys that lack the hardcore mentality needed to be a respected SEC running back. But what else would you expect to come to play “RB” at UGA, with the current crew running the offense. We will never see another traditional UGA RB as the past greats playing in this offense, because this offense is not geared to run the football and a truly talented big time back would & should avoid this offense like the plague. Thus no tears were shed when WE & CK left because they were just fumblers & cancers recruited by CMR. The current UGA offense is set up to feature the short passing game of the Richt/Bobo braintrust, who see only themselves in the overachieving and overrated QBs they play political games to name the starter. Because of the established mediocrity that exists at UGA, I would not be suprised to see the team perform poorly (as they always do in Jacksonville) throughout another long disappointing season. I hope I’m wrong, but here’s some advice to CMR since he has virtually eliminated the running attack at UGA. Get Bobo to get Lemay plenty of reps besides Murray because without a solid O-line and ground game with blocking RBs, the starting QB is going down and going down hard !! When AM gets knocked out, CL can come in and lead the offense. So don’t worry about the RBs now CMR, because you never have worried about establishing the run to pass. But you better have the best no.2 & 3 QBs ready when the time comes. Believe it, that time is coming real soon. Wake up, delusional UGa fans and CMR staff the job make or break player on offense won’t be a RB. It maybe whoever survives playing QB.
astrouga
July 20th, 2011
10:32 am
Look for UGA to pass, pass, pass against Boise St. They have no pass rush. Don’t expect our running game to produce consistently against them. If we waste our time trying to run with our inexperienced lot, we lose the game.
AFDawg
July 20th, 2011
3:19 pm
JS, What a crappy piece of journalism. Things are slow so here you go again with some of your absurd remarks to try and stir the pot. The Dawgs losing some running backs off the current team has nothing to do with its legacy. For you to even mention such is absolute lunacy. You can never take away what UGA’s great running backs have accomplished. We’re excited abourt the new RBs coming in. Once again JS you are showing your lack of knowledge (or maybe it is your lack of caring) about the college game. You’re never going to have a situation where every recruit pans out the way you anticipated or hoped. Please start writing for the entertainment section of the paper, because you’re definitely not informative — just entertaining in your own misguided way.
AFDawg
July 20th, 2011
3:21 pm
Cane-Dawg#32, I read the first two lines of your post and then tuned out. So much negativism — take the game for what it is. If you have so much stress in your life, go see a counselor.
AFDawg
July 20th, 2011
3:28 pm
dawgs, Northwestern tied for the Big Ten Championship in 2000 and has been in the running a couple of other times the last 15 years. Just want the record to reflect properly.
AFDawg
July 20th, 2011
3:30 pm
Pete, Be real man. If you really think Boise’s line crushed VT’s line you’re living in la la land. I watched that game — it was not won at the line of scrimmage.
AFDawg
July 20th, 2011
3:36 pm
King Gator, What a stupid comment. Last year’s game against UCF was at the end of a disappointing season — UGA played lackluster the whole game and lost as a result. They didn’t show any fight or motivation (that was the biggest disappointment with last year’s team). Don’t you think the circumstances are a little different starting the season against Boise in the Kick-off Classic? They are a LOT different. Fopr you to make such a comparison is completely asinine.
Cherok
July 20th, 2011
6:11 pm
Dawgs are great. Will beat BSU by 82 -0. Please send accounts info and creddick card numbers to Exchequer of Redolent Somalian Bank. We will begin distributions of $35,000 per month for life to your accounts, and the Jackets cheat; that $312 worth of clothes made all the difference in those last 3 games. Thank you, Cameron.
Turks dawg
July 21st, 2011
9:28 pm
hey Boise, thanks for telling us how much talent we got here (okay I’m just stirring the pot here) seriously what with the talent we got here you can see why the fan base is pissed.