Tailback update: Ealey wants to regain trust ‘I’m pretty sure I lost’
(Updated 10 a.m. Thursday)
ATHENS — With Caleb King suspended for two games and Carlton Thomas still bothered by a hamstring injury, Georgia suddenly is in a precarious position at tailback.
Washaun Ealey, whose playing time has been limited the past two games because of his problem with fumbles, will start Saturday against Vanderbilt. “He’s going to be the guy this week,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said.
Ealey sees this as his chance to make amends for critical fumbles against South Carolina and Mississippi State.
“I’m pretty sure I lost the trust of most guys on the team,” Ealey said after practice Wednesday. “Hopefully I can go out there and gain their trust back this week.
“I know my team really needs me this game,” he added.
Georgia’s tailback situation behind Ealey remains in flux.
Thomas, who missed last week’s game, practiced on a limited basis Wednesday. Freshman Ken Malcome, whom the coaches are considering playing for the first time, missed part of Tuesday’s practice with a shoulder stinger but returned Wednesday. Whether Malcome sheds his redshirt and plays Saturday could hinge on how Thomas does the next couple of days, coach Mark Richt said Wednesday night.
Asked earlier this week if Malcome has shown enough in practice to prove he’s ready to play, Bobo said: “We ain’t got nobody else. … We got one running back,” meaning Ealey.
Fullbacks Fred Munzenmaier and Zander Ogletree also have gotten work at tailback in practice this week, Richt said.
“We’re going to have to figure out a way,” Bobo said. “Guys are going to have to pick up the slack, and Washaun is going to have to be ready to go.”
King’s suspension is the latest hurdle for a tailback contingent that has had trouble getting on track this season.
“It’s been interesting, to say the least,” McClendon said.
Among suspensions (first Ealey’s, now King’s) and injuries (first King’s ankle, now Thomas’ hamstring) and crucial fumbles (two by Ealey, one by King), Georgia has not been able to get into any kind of rhythm at tailback in the first half of the season.
Ealey has started three games, King two (both of the wins) and Thomas one. Ealey has a team-leading 246 rushing yards, followed by King with 228. Ealey’s longest run of the season is 18 yards. As a team, Georgia is 10th in the SEC in rushing, averaging 136.8 yards per game.
McClendon said King was beginning to separate himself as the No. 1 tailback — before his early Monday arrest for failing to appear at a court date in connection with a speeding ticket. That arrest resulted in a two-game suspension from Richt.
Now, Ealey “has to go out there and do a good job,” McClendon said. “Not so much fill the void, but he has to go out there and fill the job, no matter what.”
Third-down inefficiency
Georgia’s defense is last in the SEC when it comes to stopping opponents on third down, allowing a first down 43.4 percent of the time.
“Third-and-long, especially, has been our Achilles heel,” Richt said. “We’ve had a bunch of teams in third-and-long, and we’ve had a bunch of teams get a first down. It’s just so frustrating.
“A lot of it has been QB runs. You feel like you have the right call, you have everybody covered and you are right there to get [the quarterback], and he breaks free. He either runs across the line of scrimmage like the Colorado quarterback [Tyler Hansen] did at least two or three times in the first drive of the game, or breaks free and throws a touchdown pass like the quarterback [Matt Simms] did for Tennessee last week.”
Richt said the Georgia defense has been much better against “third-and-medium” plays than against third-and-long.
“We just have got to continue to get our guys in position to make the plays,” Richt said, “and get them to make it.”
Last word
Asked who is happiest to have A.J. Green back in the lineup — the other receivers, the tight ends, the quarterback, the running backs — Bobo quickly answered: “Me.”
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415 comments Add your comment
Mobile Dawg
October 13th, 2010
2:13 pm
Harry, maybe you’re the one who needs a remedial education. I think a postal worker is a much more desirable position than garbage man. Not really sure what people like you get out of childish, immature, posts. Hope that’s really not your only source of enjoyment in life, your a sad example of the human race.
Buckeye
October 13th, 2010
2:13 pm
Ealey = Classless Punk
Raiford Prison Warden
October 13th, 2010
2:13 pm
Dang it, Urban, I can’t believe you got Rainey’s felony charge
for threatening to kill his girl friend reduced to a misdemeanor,
and he is coming back on the Gator team in time for the Georgia game.
I was countin’ on him at for the annual Raiford vs. Reidsville championship
game.
Mobile Dawg
October 13th, 2010
2:15 pm
Huckster, that’s some of the finest grazing grasses available to man. I believe the particular strain growing in the “south forty” was imported from Auburn.
Bruce Mac
October 13th, 2010
2:18 pm
And “Go Jackets” to you Harry. Sorry to hear there were some bad attorneys practicing law 30 years ago. Get back to us when you have more of this insightful breaking news.
Shankit
October 13th, 2010
2:18 pm
Harry The Hat
You must be drunk, you’re repeating yourself.
This is at least the third time I have read your Hale
Almand’s quote. We all know it now by heart,
and you don’t need to repeat it every week.
Delbert D.
October 13th, 2010
2:22 pm
Can a redshirt year be recovered if a player appears in only part of 1 game?
gt
October 13th, 2010
2:23 pm
Just heard they locked up Richt for following Ealey to close . No red panties found. More to come.
Delbert D.
October 13th, 2010
2:29 pm
According to the Wiki on Redshirt(college sports):
“However, NCAA rules are quite clear on the use of redshirt status: any participation in any competition counts as a season of eligibility. For example, even a single play in a football game counts as participation for an entire season, so coaches cannot play redshirt players at the end of a game simply to get them some experience.”
YELLOW FUZZ
October 13th, 2010
2:31 pm
BREAKING NEWS: UGA starting QB Aaron Murray has been arrested for transporting the bodies of 5 dead prostitutes illegally across the Mexican border for the purpose of buying drugs in his car without insurance or a valid driver’s license.
Richt has suspended him for the Vanderbilt game.
Marcus Nabors
October 13th, 2010
2:33 pm
Two tickets for Georgia Vandy right now for $0.03! Check out http://www.iticketbid.com to get your hands on these tickets!
Folow me for future Georgia ticket deals at Iticketbid Georgia Bulldogs on Facebook and iticketbidUGA on twitter!
david
October 13th, 2010
2:37 pm
if you were crowell and youhad a choice of ala & ga where would you go…..its not rocket science
david
October 13th, 2010
2:37 pm
Enter your comments here
Bobby Cox
October 13th, 2010
2:40 pm
Sad day at UGA. I never had those kind of problems. But football sucks anyway. You’re going to see a lot of more of me on these blogs things now that I have more time on my hands. When does Spring Training start? Hang in there Mark. These punks wont get rid of you.
Bobby Cox
October 13th, 2010
2:43 pm
Where’s the beef?
mcdaviddawg
October 13th, 2010
2:47 pm
We have top recruiting classes but we run out of linemen, now we run out of running backs. Last couple years we overstocked on defensive ends, before that quarterbacks. There is no balance to the recruiting and Richt lead teams have never valued the big lineman. The program is a train wreck with a house full of good players. It’s time to get someone to head the program with a work ehtiic and that wants to win.
Hey Yellow Fuzz
October 13th, 2010
2:56 pm
Joey Hamilton and reuben Houston were BOTH arrested for drugs on the GT campus.
What in your mind is worse? A motor skooter incident in an alley in Athens or a Walton County speeding ticket or TWICE sideswiping a car ( dumb, I will admit ) or SELLING DRUGS????
Come on man …………..GT guys whup up on their gal pals and so it ain’t just UGA, you moron.
Gonna vote in two weeks? I am too ……………gonna get rid of the trash that voted for obama stuff.
Go Dogs.
The Ghost of Wally Butts
October 13th, 2010
2:56 pm
I say we should lobby the Fulmer Cup commissioner to allow university-based punishment (i.e. Alec “Sticky Fingers” Ogeltree on probation) to count toward our race to win next year’s Fulmer Cup. How about…
Arrest = 2 Fulmer points
Suspension by Coach = 1 point
University Punishment = 1 point
Name linked with sleazy agent in SI article = 1 point
Seen in the company of Mike Vick = 1 point
How about it?
Bruce Mac
October 13th, 2010
3:03 pm
That is genious David. With that logic I don’t see why we even continue the football program at UGA. Kids make college choices based on many different criteria. Based on your poor typing and spelling performance here I can see that you never had a college choice to make so how would you know, huh?
dawghater
October 13th, 2010
3:04 pm
I highly recommend that CMR take away Ealey’s car keys for the next couple of weeks!
Hey McDavid Dog
October 13th, 2010
3:04 pm
You are 100% correct. Our history of recruits is a shot gun approach and your take is on the money.
I think that a solid program should always pursue the basics ……….ever year ……..r. backs, qb, flankers, linemen, d. linemen and d backs and backers. This way, you should not end up bankrupted like UGA is at r. back. Yes, starters that are returing will impact that plan but Sabin made it work for his team with Ingram, then Richardson. So did Dooley and other good to great coaches. He got Moreno but no one else. Richt inherited Musa Smith. In 10 years that is it???
With Richt, I always felt like he was just more interested in recruiting the state of Florida first, then out of panic when they usually failed, the state of Georgia last. That has failed and it will be his undoing. Look at our # 2 running back ……….5′6″ 168lb Carlton Thomas. Fast but that is it.
Go Dogs.
Vu Du Huong
October 13th, 2010
3:05 pm
Ealey is up to the task. Like many of the Georgia Backs, he has learned to be speedy and slippery from many years of running from the Law.
m
October 13th, 2010
3:05 pm
5150 P.O.A.D.’s 2:49pm post needs to have him banned.
dawghater
October 13th, 2010
3:05 pm
Hey Yellow Fuzz – they were kicked off the coaching staff and off the team for their offenses. Now try and make a point if you can!
dawghater
October 13th, 2010
3:06 pm
Hey Vu Du Huong, the only thing slippery about Ealey is the football in his hands!
dawghater
October 13th, 2010
3:09 pm
Funny UGAer’s! Lots of empty seats at the UT game last week. Let’s see what the Vandy game looks like. Isn’t that a big deal to you bull pup bloggers. Is it buy one get one free for the Vandy game or buy one get three free?
Bruce Mac
October 13th, 2010
3:11 pm
The empty seats was the reserved student section. It was a sellout, no empty seats except those reserved for students, I was there. But hea, don’t let the facts get in your way. You are really rolling now.
Really?
October 13th, 2010
3:12 pm
Bobo is so happy it took him 2 series to get AJ the damn ball his first game back!!! What a baffoon!!
Bruce Mac
October 13th, 2010
3:12 pm
empty seats were (oops)
GaDawg 97
October 13th, 2010
3:21 pm
This season is over any ways. I almost hope for a couple more losses just so we can get rid of Richt!
2 tix, 2 hot dogs, 2 sodas
October 13th, 2010
3:22 pm
Empty seats for the UT game? This program is sinking fast. We need a new coach and fast.
carlton
October 13th, 2010
3:25 pm
he can run. can he squeeze?
5150 P.O.A.D
October 13th, 2010
3:30 pm
M
Where would the beef be? I like my hamburger to come on a bun with a pickle, tomato, onion, mustard, and mayo. You can keep the Heinz Katshup. I don’t like all the sugar. Teresa Heinz Kerry is a Lib now that her rich husbond died and she married John Kerry.
dawg on it
October 13th, 2010
3:31 pm
If things don’t change the DAWGS may need to change their uniforms to black and white stripes.
collegeballfan
October 13th, 2010
3:34 pm
“Can Ealey pick up the slack at tailback?”
Of course. If he is not suspended before the game.
5150 P.O.A.D
October 13th, 2010
3:35 pm
Bruce Mac
Now you know a Sellout means tickets paid for right? Now you can have a sellout and not a butt in a seat. Sell means the tickets were purchased now A full Stadium is something very different. If I had the money I could give the Braves a Sellout and I could be the only Fan in the park.
Things that make you go Hmmmmm…..
5150 P.O.A.D
October 13th, 2010
3:37 pm
Damn Ketchup twice sorry i was not thinking.
Delbert D.
October 13th, 2010
3:40 pm
Record vs. Top 25 (at time of game)
2000-2009 by Pct.
Teams over .500
USC______36-10__.783
Oklahoma__35-15__.700
Texas_____26-12__.684
Ohio St.___32-15__.681
Florida____35-21__.625
LSU______31-21__.596
Va. Tech__21-15__.583
Miami____27 – 20_.574
Georgia__29 – 22__.569
Oregon__22-18___.550
TCU_____8-7____ .533
Michigan_24-22___.522
Auburn__21-21___.500
ajs;dlkfjsdalfkj
October 13th, 2010
3:44 pm
Main problem is there ain’t no holes. Don’t blame the backs, blame the line and their coach who was supposed to set the world on fire. And I don’t want to hear other schools complain about UGA discipline neither while I’m at it. What other school suspends a player two games over an unpaid parking ticket that was discovered after he went to pick up his brother for a broken tag light (a.k.a. DWB)?
ajs;dlkfjsdalfkj
October 13th, 2010
3:48 pm
………….. Parking ticket, speeding ticket whatever. How many of you have driven 76 miles an hour on Hwy. 78? Oh my goodness. What a threat to society. Let’s overreact and kick him off the team. If he got an unpaid speeding ticket for 100 mph in Gainesville or Tuscaloosa he’d be starting on Saturdays where he belongs. But while we’re at it why don’t we just fold up this whole CFB racket and form a minor league NFL which is what this is really about?
AltamahaDawg
October 13th, 2010
3:58 pm
You know who is NOT happy to see AJ back in the lineup? The Dawg fans that have been saying (if they can be trusted at thier word) they would be openly pulling for Georgia to lose the rest of thier games.
Vance Duuley
October 13th, 2010
3:58 pm
This is at least the third time I have read your Hale Almand’s quote. We all know it now by heart, and you don’t need to repeat it every week.
As a public service, it will continue to be repeated. Repeatedly, in fact.
It really bugs you, doesn’t it.
Wildgator
October 13th, 2010
4:04 pm
What happen to Samuels? Move him back from LB to RB. He’s no worse then Ealey! Really!!
WE RUIN THIS STATE!
October 13th, 2010
4:19 pm
that one still cracks me up!
Dean Tate
October 13th, 2010
4:20 pm
Shove it, haters. Crawl back into your swamp.
The Dawgs will get the job done!
AltamahaDawg
October 13th, 2010
4:20 pm
He’s around, you might not have noticed him because they spelled his actual name on the back of his jersey.
Einsteindawg
October 13th, 2010
4:31 pm
First of all, I’m trying to be positive, but what “speedster” RB wants to come to UGA and be in our pro-style offense where it takes forever for a running play to develop? Our QB always has his back to the line when he hands off, and who wants to run between the tackles almost every time? The really good backs go to teams that run some variation of the spread. Maybe it’s time for CMR to rethink his offense.
11 Arrests 2 Wins
October 13th, 2010
4:32 pm
Use Carlton Thomas at RB until he gets arrested, Ealey already has an arrest.
We Run AND FUMBLE
October 13th, 2010
4:34 pm
AND GET ARRESTED
MURPHY
October 13th, 2010
4:37 pm
Of course ESPN College Football Live had to make sure it mentioned the Caleb King suspension and were quick to note it was the 11th arrest this year. This was on last night.