King likely to start over Ealey at TB, Gamble over Washington at OLB
ATHENS — Caleb King, who started Georgia’s final five games last season at tailback, likely will do the same in the Sept. 4 opener against Louisiana-Lafayette. But Washaun Ealey will get extensive playing time, too, just as he did late last season.
That was the word Thursday night from running backs coach Bryan McClendon.
“Right now, it’s probably Caleb [as the starter] because he has been more consistent in his pass-blocking throughout camp,” said McClendon, who added that he expects King and Ealey to “share playing time and split series and things like that.”
“It’s a constant competition between those two guys, and they have embraced that to this point,” McClendon said. “But Caleb does sort of get the lean right now just because of his pass protection and his ability to do it and sustain it.”
Last season, King had 594 yards rushing on 114 carries (5.2 yards per carry), while Ealey had 717 yards on 125 carries (5.7 yards per carry).
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Darryl Gamble’s strong preseason has earned him a starting nod at one of the outside linebacker positions, defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said Thursday night. Gamble entered preseason behind Cornelius Washington on the depth chart.
“In base [defense], he’ll be out there,” Grantham said of Gamble. “Those guys are all going to play. We’re going to roll those guys. But he’ll be out there.”
Grantham expressed no dissatisfaction with Washington.
“Actually, Cornelius has done fine,” Grantham said. “He’s going to be in our rotation. Our first three games are at noon, and I think it’s important to keep guys fresh.
“I just think to be fair to everybody . . . when guys make plays and produce, you reward them.”
Coaches and players frequently have cited Gamble for productive performances in practices and scrimmages this month. Gamble, a senior, shifted from inside linebacker to outside in the final week of spring practice.
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The combination of Hutson Mason’s progress and Logan Gray’s ankle injury have established Mason, a freshman from Marietta, as “pretty much No. 2 right now” in the quarterback pecking order, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said Thursday night.
“He’s No. 2; he’s one play away [from playing in a game],” Bobo said of Mason. “If there was an injury, he’d be in the game.”
Gray has missed the past 11 practices with a sprained ankle, Bobo noted. Before the injury, Gray was working exclusively at wide receiver, but coaches had reserved the option of returning him to quarterback in the event of an injury to starter Aaron Murray.
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147 comments Add your comment
m
August 27th, 2010
6:58 am
Oh yeah, new name for bama: the sabanites.
poopdawg
August 27th, 2010
7:22 am
Sick of your Mancrush Tideroll on Cameron Newton. Too bad Bama didn’t get him. Newton has proven the same as Murray , nothing. By week 6 you have a Mancrush on Massoli.
Southy706
August 27th, 2010
7:24 am
Why shouldnt King start over Ealey? If King is better protecting aaron murray from the Defense then Ealey i see it as a no brainer. They will both play and i like that i would also like to see thomas get some reps in also, hopefully in the first game would be nice. If i were the coaching staff i would let thomas and mason both play some in the first game like mason towards the end if its a blowout and maybe thomas in the 3rd and 4th quarter.
Oompa Loompa Dawg
August 27th, 2010
7:25 am
The midget is gonna need all the help he can get . Hope Bill King makes him look good with his blocking skills.
Two deep shake out « Get The Picture
August 27th, 2010
7:27 am
[...] Caleb King is likely to start ahead of Washaun Ealey (although overall playing time will be shared equally). [...]
AltamahaDawg
August 27th, 2010
7:29 am
Good, put the best “protect our young QB from getting killed” running back in the game to start. I like it. If Ealey, who I am a huge fan of, has better yards, he still will no matter what series # he plays. You folks seem to have very little faith in that young man to think that if he doesn’t play the first down, somehow he is so fragile that he won’t do his best. Maybe it will inspire him to do the entire job, not just part of it, in the future.
Jan
August 27th, 2010
7:33 am
So Kaleb Cing will start over Washed Out Ealey. Good.
Now who will take Mark Richt’s place? That’s the big question. When do we get rid of that jerk?
Garland
August 27th, 2010
7:35 am
Murray will get killed by SC no matter who is blocking. Get ready to see a lot of Mason.
manboobs mug is so yogy Bear
August 27th, 2010
7:37 am
GT-Baby Thank you for giving us a 90 per cent winning percentage against the in state rival. Since Georgia sucks so bad why can Tech only win once a decade. Haters crack me up. You need to concentrate on the newly revived Vatech and others … Fsu is back and if they cant beat yall with all that talentsomethings wrong. Bet ya the world you dont win the a.s.s. title this year.. ooops a.c.c. title..
how2fish
August 27th, 2010
7:38 am
One of the more amazing things I see on this blog and by supposed UGA “fans” is the way they talk out of both sides of their mouths about Murray…he’s a red shirt freshman we’re DOOMED you can’t win in the SEC with a red shirt freshman ..and then turn right around and berate the coaching staff for red shirting him last year the “we don’t prepare our backups” crowd..newsflash Murray had to miss most of last year with a shoulder problem so he wouldn’t have played anyway..and which games did you think he was going to start over a 5th year senior ? Say what you will about Joe Cox he gave his all every game..hell he was SEC offensive player of the week after the Ark game..you were going to bench him and put in a hurt freshman….there is a good reason you geniuses never coached for a living your really not as dumb as you sound most of the time. Bloody hell the season is getting ready to start and we have morons dropping out of the woodwork..it must be really crappy to go thru life just looking at the bad things that happen trying to suck the joy and wonder out of the wonderful thing that is college football.12-2 ,tony if you truly can’t find any happiness watching the Dawgs play football….well soccer is ready when you are.or better yet you can help fill up the Joke by Coke the Bugs will take Taliban trainees so I’m sure they will welcome you two..
Jon P
August 27th, 2010
7:39 am
Mel Kiper….not only can I question the coaches decisions on who to start, I can do it from my kitchen! When you watch UGA, year after year and see so many players starting that are inferior to players sitting on the bench, I believe ANYONE can question the coaches decisions (and that is what this blog is for)! By the way, wasn’t it CALEB KING who was benched vs Florida in 2008 for NOT PICKING UP THE BLITZ? I don’t remember him playing after that game in 2008. Ealey gives us the best chance in the running game to break a long one. I have read many articles about all of the scrimmages and it seems that Ealey has been breaking some long runs and King gets stopped at the line of scrimmage. The only game that King has looked good in his entire career is last year vs GA TECH, and Joe Cox could have rushed for over 100 yards in that game!
chazzo
August 27th, 2010
7:42 am
Again. Why do Tide fans show up here talking smack? I get the UF and GT guys. What’s in it for Tide fans? I mean everyone in the SEC is a rival, but Bama’s not a key rival. We don’t even play Bama this year. It’s just puzzling. Just to show up and talk smack with no vested interest in the outcome…. Either you’re worried or just plain mean and stupid.
Mike
August 27th, 2010
7:45 am
Does McClendon know Caleb King’s the #1 fumbler on the team? Who cares if his pass blocking skills are slightly better than Ealey’s when King leads the team in fumbles? This kind of decision making is what got Georgia in trouble last year. Hey Cox threw 17 Int’s, let’s reward him him with starts.
Bride of Chucky Knapp
August 27th, 2010
7:48 am
Grantham will soon be our new coach.
Bride of Chucky Knapp
August 27th, 2010
7:49 am
Good question, chazzo. It’s like those repeat juniors in high school that hang around and pick on the middle schoolers.
Johnson
August 27th, 2010
7:50 am
Ealey leads the team in rushing last season, got the #1 off-season award for hardest worker, and is rewarded with being a back up? The season’s officially doomed. I have no confidence in Caleb King.
Rikky
August 27th, 2010
7:52 am
Wow, by watching the backs over Spring, it looked like Ealey won every scrimmage, this is a stunner. I didn’t even think it was close.
The Ginger Ninja
August 27th, 2010
7:53 am
Ealey should be the starter. He is your best rb without a doubt. Don’t really understand this move, you want to be a running team so wouldn’t you start your best rb. This shouldn’t be a platoon, it should be at least 60% Ealey 40% King maybe 70-30.
chazzo
August 27th, 2010
7:54 am
how2fish,
Amen to all of that. Cox made some mistakes, but he tends to take the rap for all four losses. He did give his all with a hodgepodge line, no consistent running game, and a lounge chair D. The UT loss pin squarely on Willie. UF beat everybody in the nation except Bama; no one really expected to beat them in Tebow’s senior season. The UK loss was a total team melt down, fumbling on special teams can’t be pinned on the QB. OK State… that was a complete joke; I’d like to blame the coaches, but how do you coach that team to win that game (and the whole flu thing)?
I don’t think Cox was stellar (except in the Arkansas game and Colorado game) as a one year guy, but he could have played multiple years at most schools. He’s not in the record books, but he was a great team player, had a lot of heart, and he loved UGA. We ought to celebrate a kid like that, but we are so hung up on records and stats that we run the kid down and blame him for everything when most of it had nothing to do with him.
Rikky
August 27th, 2010
7:55 am
Saban wouldn’t be starting anybody but Ingram, and Ingram will get the most touches. You play your playmakers.
Jones
August 27th, 2010
7:57 am
Good for Hutson Mason, coming out of nowhere to gain the No. 2 QB at UGA. Like this kid a lot. If Murray gets injured again, or throws a bunch of interceptions, Mason will get his chance.
Logan wants to play WR, and we need more depth there, so this is a smart move.
Dap01
August 27th, 2010
7:59 am
Ealey is by far the best back. I am tired of hearing about pass blocking. With a freshman QB, I would rather have a great running back instead of an average back.
Dr. Kenneth Noisewater
August 27th, 2010
8:01 am
regardless of the starter and aside from malcome, who are the backups/walkons in the RB spot? just in case of injury.
Mikey in the SAV
August 27th, 2010
8:01 am
why dont we at least play a couple of games before we go off the deep end?
K Jack
August 27th, 2010
8:03 am
Didn’t like his Kent game, where King was intercepted 2x on screens, and fumbled. Fumbled again in the bowl game on the goalline. Fumbled against Ga Tech. King is a fumbling machine, I guess Georgia likes to reward that sort of thing with starts.
Triple Duece
August 27th, 2010
8:07 am
King scored more td’s, better passblocker, better receiver on rb screens, and has more experience. Ealey better at ypc, and rushing yards, and protecting the football.
Robert
August 27th, 2010
8:19 am
It doesn’t matter which one starts. They both play. Two good backs who can push each other and stay fresh isn’t a bad problem to have.
how2fish
August 27th, 2010
8:23 am
Mike no McClendon doesn’t know anything about either back I mean..has he been watching practice, has he been watching film of the two of them..wait yes he has..do you really think that if King has a fumble problem they won’t bench him for Early do you really doubt that. What part of protect the young QB is hard to grasp? Its not going to do us a lot of good to let a kid that averages less than a yard a carry better get the start if that guy gets the QB killed. Relax the running backs will be I hope a two headed monster for the offense, its not like Early will be sitting and never getting the rock.
Really, Rival Fans
August 27th, 2010
8:25 am
The more you post, the better we look!!!! GO DAWGS!!!!
thom
August 27th, 2010
8:26 am
Gonna be a fantastic season – counting down the days! http://www.wedgeorgia.com
Jona
August 27th, 2010
8:30 am
Why is it hard for some to understand. I like Ealey a lot but until he is a consistent pass blocker, he shouldn’t be the starter. If the RB isn’t running the ball, he has got to be able to block. In a balanced offense this is going to be half the time. This year we’ll probably be running around 60 to 65% so Ealey will get plenty of playing time. Relax people, that’s football.
sogadog
August 27th, 2010
8:33 am
King over Ealey makes no sense. Ealey is clearly the more productive running back with that extra burst to break off long runs. I disagree with this concept of picking starters based on seniority over talent. I guess its business with usual with the offense. Hopefully Grantham sticks with “the best player starts” concept.
Triple Duece
August 27th, 2010
8:33 am
ealey arrested today, for hit & run allegedly.
RxDawg
August 27th, 2010
8:36 am
Some of these are surprising… and I think that’s all I’ll say about it.
82Dawg
August 27th, 2010
8:37 am
What the heck is Ealey thinking. I guess CMR is going to have to pad lock them in the dorms at night.
how2fish
August 27th, 2010
8:40 am
chazzo I agree Hey we all want to win but when a young man puts he heart and soul into a program the “fans” should at least acknowledge that effort . Joe is not the villain of last year , was he David Greene heck no but should the Bull dog nation shun him HELL no ! If Matt Stafford had the fire and passion of Joe with his talent level 08 might have turned out a lot differently.But water under the bridge in my eyes both are DGD’s.
WTF
August 27th, 2010
8:41 am
Any new info. Why can’t these guys be smarter whent they’re out. I don’t want want choir boys on the team, but maybe show a little responsibility. Grow up
82Dawg
August 27th, 2010
8:42 am
how2fish …. I agree 100%
PMC
August 27th, 2010
8:42 am
UGH. may be the new UGA.
They can trumpet the academic records all they want….
Defensive Driving 101 should be on the freaking menu from here on out.
Aparently you can’t coach stupid.
Yeah the AJC "breaking news" ...
August 27th, 2010
8:42 am
…headline yells Ealy was arrested but then there is no story link – what is up with that?
Matthews Dawg
August 27th, 2010
8:43 am
Crap….here comes the comments from all UGA haters! What was he thinking??? That’s right he wasn’t!! Well, King will get the ball more now! What can CMR do? Not much, he can’t be with them 24/7! Some of these guys have to grow up! I hate it.
PMC
August 27th, 2010
8:44 am
Athens is not that large of a town anyway. Walk people. Take the freaking BUS.
Joemac
August 27th, 2010
8:45 am
Another fine example of the lax discipline of CMR. His players know they will receive only a wrist slap.
Clowns
August 27th, 2010
8:45 am
What a bunch of Bozo’s in Athens. This season is already shot. Sure hope the new AD is taking notice for this waste of money on this coaching staff.
how2fish
August 27th, 2010
8:46 am
Well if the report is true and Early got arrested for driving with a suspended license..this is a moot point King will start and Early will sit for at least a game I’d think.
Washaun Ealey
August 27th, 2010
8:47 am
ur welcome Caleb King for the starting position
ill work for bail
Gatorzone
August 27th, 2010
8:48 am
Once Ealey gets this behind him, I look for him to take over the starting role. What is the story with Logan Gray? Not good having Mason be the #2 guy…
82Dawg
August 27th, 2010
8:48 am
To all of you haters ….please leave we don’t want your stupid comments!!
RxDawg
August 27th, 2010
8:49 am
“Washaun Ealey was arrested early today on misdemeanor charges of driving with a suspended license ”
Oh, now it makes sense. I think I’ll go break something..
82Dawg
August 27th, 2010
8:50 am
Gatorzone …Gray has been moved to receiver, is the emergency quarterback