QBs, defense, Wooten share spotlight in Bulldogs’ first spring scrimmage

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ATHENS -– Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger put up good numbers but Logan Gray not-so-good. Caleb King and Washaun Ealey picked up where they left off last fall. Rantavious Wooten had a big day.

And the new 3-4 defense apparently made its presence felt at times, too, as Georgia’s football team held its first scrimmage of spring practice Saturday morning in Sanford Stadium.

“I’m pretty sore right now,” wide receiver Wooten said afterward. “The defense was bringing it.”

The 90-minute intra-squad scrimmage was closed to the public and media, but these were among the storylines, based on statistics provided by coach Mark Richt and post-scrimmage interviews:

• The quarterbacks: Murray completed 10 of 15 passes for 125 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown throw to A.J. Green. Mettenberger completed 7 of 10 passes for 157 yards, including a 65-yard TD to a wide-open Wooten. Gray, though, completed only 6 of 14 for 37 yards. Murray and Gray threw one interception each.

Richt said all three quarterbacks “made mostly good decisions” in the scrimmage, but offered no sweeping assessment about their competition.

“If you’re trying to get at where we’re going, I mean, I don’t know where we’re going yet,” Richt said.  “But they’re all competing and doing a good job.”

He said Gray’s numbers were partly attributable to “just circumstance, what plays you might have when you get in there, what opportunities present themselves.”

• The tailbacks: King and Ealey apparently ran strong, combining for 143 rushing yards on just 15 carries. King had six carries for 79 yards, including a 55-yard run, and Ealey nine for 64.

• Wooten’s breakout: Wooten, who is being counted on heavily at receiver, had a welcomed performance.

“Actually, Rantavious was struggling a little bit [in spring practice] until today,” Richt said. “Today was good medicine for him. He [had been dropping] more balls than we’re used to seeing, but today he caught everything. I’m sure that’ll get him over the hump.”

Said Wooten: “Certainly, spring hadn’t started off too good for me. I have to kind of get back in the groove, and I took today to show them . . . I can make plays.”

His 65-yard touchdown, he said, came after Mettenberger faked a short throw and the cornerback and safety “bit on it.”

• The new defense: New defensive coordinator Todd Grantham’s unit made its first appearance in quasi-game-like conditions.

“I feel like as a whole the defense did a decent job,” linebacker Akeem Dent said. “I wouldn’t say it was good or great. We did good enough to get through the scrimmage, but we feel that we have a long way to go.”

After the scrimmage, Grantham “just told us that  it was decent, that we did OK,” Dent said. “He asked us if we wanted to be great. I feel everybody on the defense wants to be great. We want to be aggressive; we want to attack. To be that way, we’re going to have to continue to work.”

Richt’s assessment of the defense’s play: “I think we all understand that we’re still learning. I think the things coaches are looking for are, ‘Are the players trying to do it the way we ask? Are they playing with intensity? Are they hitting hard? Are they getting better daily?’ And that part of it, I think, we’re all pleased with.”

Richt also was pleased that “when the defense had a chance to get their hands on the ball, they made the play.” Safeties Bacarri Rambo and Shawn Williams intercepted passes.

Etc.

Richt said offensive lineman A.J. Harmon injured his leg, but the severity was not known. . . . Richt said there were “very few penalties.” . . .  Green had just one catch  (the 40-yard TD)  but didn’t play many snaps. . . .  Georgia’s next session of spring practice is Tuesday. Another scrimmage is scheduled for next Saturday and the G-Day intra-squad game for April 10.

Scrimmage statistics