The kickoff ‘race’ and other practice morsels
Athens – When Georgia signed strong-legged Brandon Bogotay, a junior-college kicker from California, in the spring, the general assumption was that he would win the kickoff job for this season.
And he still might.
But at this moment, incumbent Blair Walsh holds a slight lead over the newcomer.
“Right now, I would say Walsh has got an edge in that race, but in my opinion it is a very tight race,” Mark Richt said last night. “. . . I feel like Walsh right this minute would be the guy.”
Richt said Bogotay “is driving the ball good, is getting a lot of distance.” But: “His hang time has been a little bit erratic. He needs to get a little more hang time on some of his kicks.”
Walsh, Richt said, “has been more consistent with his hang time, really. Both of them have kicked very well, very well.”
As a freshman last season, Walsh handled field goals, extra points and kickoffs. He struggled enough in the latter role that Richt brought in Bogotay. Richt said more than once during the spring and summer that either Bogotay would win the kickoff job or would provide competition to make Walsh better.
Bogotay also has been competing with Walsh for the field-goal and extra-point jobs, but Walsh, as expected, is holding on securely to those roles. “There probably is a little more separation there than there is in the kickoff, the way I see it,” Richt said. “But Bogotay is very capable of both, so it is good for Georgia.”
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About the punter: A few of you have asked how Drew Butler is faring in camp. I’m writing a story on that for Sunday’s paper, but briefly, Richt is delighted with how his punter is doing. Richt talked publicly during the summer about the need for Butler to show more consistency, and Butler “really took it to heart,” Richt said yesterday. The coach praised Butler’s focus and improved fundamentals. Anyway, more on that Sunday.
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Linebacker update: Darius Dewberry missed practice Thursday with a sore hamstring, which also sidelined him from Wednesday’s scrimmage. Linebackers Rennie Curran, Darryl Gamble and Akeem Dent also were held out of the scrimmage, primarily to give experience to younger players, but were back at work Thursday. Gamble has had a good camp –- based on post-practice mentions by CMR, as good a camp as anyone on the team — and, as things stand now, will start.
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Another August, another injury: As Georgia started practice Thursday afternoon, Quintin Banks was despondently walking away from the field on crutches –- the second year in a row he has been injured in preseason camp.
The backup safety, who played in only one game last season because of two separate injuries to his left knee, will be sidelined three weeks or so with cartilage damage in his right knee, sustained in Wednesday’s scrimmage.
Banks began working as the No. 1 strong safety when starter Reshad Jones was sidelined on the third day of camp with an injured hamstring. Jones should be back soon, but in the meantime redshirt freshman Bacarri Rambo will work with the No. 1 unit at the position. Also, Richt said, “Makiri [Pugh, another redshirt freshman] will still be working with the nickel, but more than likely he’ll get work with the safeties now.”
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Not the Dogs’ day: Richt has been pleased with almost every practice this month, but not Thursday’s. Definitely not Thursday’s. “We did our running for it [after practice],” quarterback Joe Cox said.
Richt: “I would say my overriding feeling from that practice is that the practice beat us. We didn’t win the day today. We made way too many mistakes. They were hot; they were tired, and I thought they gave in to that more so than any other day in camp. I didn’t think they had given in to it until today, actually. . . . I was a lot disappointed.”
Cox agreed, saying the practice was sloppy with a lot of penalties and missed assignments on both sides of the ball.
Richt said it is incumbent on the team’s leaders to make sure the bad practice isn’t repeated. “It’s already been addressed,” Cox said. “We talked about it right after we ran.” The Bulldogs will be back on the practice field twice today.
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76 comments Add your comment
GT JACKET:
August 14th, 2009
6:48 pm
UGA: Keep it up! Great practice! LMFAO!
Not the Dogs’ day: Richt has been pleased with almost every practice this month, but not Thursday’s. Definitely not Thursday’s. “We did our running for it [after practice],” quarterback Joe Cox said.
Richt: “I would say my overriding feeling from that practice is that the practice beat us. We didn’t win the day today. We made way too many mistakes. They were hot; they were tired, and I thought they gave in to that more so than any other day in camp. I didn’t think they had given in to it until today, actually. . . . I was a lot disappointed.”
Cox agreed, saying the practice was sloppy with a lot of penalties and missed assignments on both sides of the ball.
YOU ALWAYS WILL REMAIN 2nd tier program in the SEC! THWG!
GT JACKET:
August 14th, 2009
6:53 pm
DawgStephen: take out the o and t in your beloved Bogotay and you have Bogay! Put him with your talented 5th year senior QB Joe Cox and they can have a lot of fun. If you think Cox is taking your program to the promised land, your sorely mistaken. Your team is doneyon for the year and will lose at least 4 games. Who knows, maybe you still win the NC playing in the weedeater bowl. LMFAO!
GO JACKETS! THWG!
GT JACKET:
August 14th, 2009
6:57 pm
Hey Norris: St. Simons is on here everyday, as he is a GT grad. He is retired because of the education he received at GT, which is unlike the one anyone gets at UGAG! 2nd tier team in football and last in education. Great school. GO JACKETS! THWG! RAMBLE ON!
Pooh Dog
August 14th, 2009
8:29 pm
I’d shut up if I were you Topp Dog. We had a prof murder 3 people then off himself.
DaddyDawg
August 14th, 2009
10:30 pm
GT Jacket:
How can it be that Georgia is a 2nd tier program in the SEC, as you contend, when, over the past 10 years, GA’s win loss record was 6th best in the country, and tops in the SEC during that time period…… better than FL, LSU, Bama……. better than anyone in the SEC?? See the link: http://uga.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=965376 GA also had the 2nd best road record in the entire country over the past 10 years…… again, best in the SEC. We already know that GA has won 7 of the last 8 against GT. GA is not only an SEC power but a national power and the facts prove it, as well as prove your palpable ignorance about the success of GA football for all to see……….
Topp Dogg
August 14th, 2009
11:27 pm
Dog Pooh there is a difference in a child molester and a man who kills his wife and her boytoy.It saved tax payers alot of money when he took his own life,do you think we could be so lucky that GT professor would do the same?
Reality Check
August 15th, 2009
7:25 am
GT JACKET, your jealousy of the Dawgs has no bounds. Your grasp of reality is very weak. Your denial of the truth is consistent with all bumblee followers. It hurts to be the second tier program in the state of GA. and The ACC.
On the education part… have you seen the SAT scores on incomming freshmen for both schools? Pretty much the same. Does tech have any Rhoades scholors? Didn’t think so. I know 4 tech graduates and I make a lot more money than any of them. The fact that you make that earnings claim says you didn’t attend tech. If you did you’d know better.
Find a hole and crawl in. The world will be a better place.
Stinger
August 15th, 2009
12:12 pm
I hope your football players are better swimmers than they are football players,or a lot of them would have drowned yesterday. No wonder you aren’t a good football team any more. Paul Johnson runs a very tough disciplined program and our players have that mentality. Richt runs the soft casual type practice and your players bounce off our running backs like bowling pins as they scamper 60 yds down field. 45-42 Ha, Ha, Ha.
murfdawg
August 15th, 2009
1:30 pm
Even when we kick the ball out of bounds, and the other team starts at the 40, don’t we have 60 yards to stop them form scoring? Why can’t WM get a three and out from the 40? You can give the special teams a little blame for not getting great field position, but it all comes down to WM and his flag football two hand touch shoulder bump defense to get a stop. In 40 years of watching UGA football, last years defense was the worst I have ever seen. We scored 42 points on GT and lost!!!Good grief.
AltamahaDawg
August 15th, 2009
2:00 pm
Wow, the past 40 year have seen multiple 4, 5, and 6 loss teams, and a couple of losing seasons. 0-30ish home losses to powerhouse kentucky and Virginia, losing the last 3 games of the season for years in a row, periods of losing to tech regularly. Last year the worst you have ever seen huh?
murfdawg
August 15th, 2009
2:19 pm
I was in England playing rugby when KY beat us by 33, so that doesn’t count. Losing 4 or 5 games a year without having the players doesn’t count. What I am taking about is giving up 31 points in one half to Bama,32 to fu, and 26 to GT is terrible defense. Also, giving up 0ver 35 points in five games is terrible defense. Maybe not in the Big 12. But it is terrible for the SEC.
I know life is easy down is South Georgia on the river, but living in ATL, life sux giving up 41 points to Bama,49 to fu, and 45 to the nerds. How can you defend that last years’ defense was not the worst ever?
AltamahaDawg
August 15th, 2009
3:01 pm
Already did.
Cuz
August 15th, 2009
4:04 pm
Altamaha, a man of few words when necessary.
Big time?? Not
August 15th, 2009
5:16 pm
Four tickets, four hot dogs, four cokes
DawgNation
August 15th, 2009
9:42 pm
64 Comments and only 15 of them had any relevance to the original story. The rest was the same childish BS that is posted on every Georgia story.
Stumpknocker
August 15th, 2009
10:34 pm
Hey Daddy Dawg; With the worlds greatest coach and all that 5 star talent, best winning percentage for this and that, just answer one question for me. WHERE IS THE NC????…..clueless…..like I thought
BuLLdawg
August 16th, 2009
5:20 am
Quick and Painless, Matthew Stafford said about his PICK 6.
He just doesn’t care.
He never has.
18 fumbles and 33 interceptions at UGA, with 51 TD passes, he has very poor mechanics.
He threw his first interception off his back foot. It is what he continues to do.
No one ranked his performance an A.
And, of course, the Falcons have a sorry-butt Defense, I guess Brian VanGorder is the Defensive Coordinator ?
Thomas Brown was tough in there.
Verron Haynes looked tough as well.
How about Freddie Gilbert ?
An interception of Matthew Stafford.
DJ Shockley answered right back on his first drive, but that guy Redmon has got to go. He took the starch out of the Falcons and John Parker Wilson ? You have got to be kidding me, that we are trying him out ?
The Falcons will have the kind of year this year, that I said they would have last year. They are not playing the Detroits of the league this year.
Reality Check
August 16th, 2009
10:42 am
KNelson – Please keeep underestimating our receivers. I hope our opponents are doing the same!
BuLLdawg
August 16th, 2009
12:03 pm
We have a good passing game, which hopefully will open up the running game. It’s our running game that is not in good shape.
Our leading rusher cannot hold onto the football.
BruffDawg
August 16th, 2009
12:16 pm
Thomas will end up wiht the majority of the carries, even though he is small. Samuel fumbles, and king just has too many issues. Three back rotation with 1. Thomas. 2. Samuel (don’t fumble and you’d be 1) 3. King
BIGBOY
August 16th, 2009
1:57 pm
The running back rotation will probably come down to with which guys are most effective any given week.
Big time?? Not
August 16th, 2009
5:28 pm
Four tickets, four hot dogs, four cokes, four beanies…..internet special.
Nick
August 16th, 2009
5:34 pm
Those days of practice that everybody loses focus is going to happen. So no reason to panic I don’t think. It’s hot and they’re getting tired of the redundancy of pre-season drills and tired of hitting the same players over and over, their own teammates, no less, so I’m sure it’ll pick up. Good that CMR makes them pay for it the right way though. Hated to hear about Banks though. We need that depth back there badly!
Go Dawgs!
BruffDawg
August 16th, 2009
8:22 pm
All haters of UGA’s defense in 08; they ended up ranked 22nd in the nation. I agree that we need better defensive fundamentals, but they were not that bad. And they are only going to get better.
Mike T.
August 16th, 2009
9:06 pm
lot of them would have drowned yesterday. No wonder you aren’t a good football team any more. Paul Johnson runs a very tough disciplined program and our players have that mentality.
I tthink Georrgia has done the swimming thing several years now. I don’t think it has cost us a game to Tech or anyone else.
BuLLdawg
August 16th, 2009
11:57 pm
Tech player have mentality ?
Say what ?
Your Academic Progress Rate at Georgia Tech proves that your football players are NOT suited for the purpose for which they were recruited.
Tech ALSO ended up Number 22 in the Final AP Poll, while UGA – for the 8th Consecutive Year and Counting – ended up Ranked Better than Tech at Number 13.