UGA’s Figgins feels old when telling teammates about ‘that Sugar Bowl’
ATHENS — Bruce Figgins‘ college football career began promisingly. He started the first game of his freshman season for Georgia in 2007 and even caught a touchdown pass in his debut. A few months later, he played in the Sugar Bowl as the Bulldogs routed Hawaii to finish the season ranked No. 2 in the nation.
Seems like a long time ago, doesn’t it?
Figgins
“It seems like forever ago,” Figgins, 22, said. “We talk about it in the locker room, and I say, ‘Man, I’m too old; I got to get out of here; y’all don’t know what I’m talking about.’
“Guys are used to Memphis and Shreveport and the Capital One Bowl,” he continued, recounting the Bulldogs’ more modest postseason destinations of the past three seasons. “All bowls are nice, but I tell them, ‘Oh, that Sugar Bowl!’”
One of just two players on this spring’s roster who appeared in that Sugar Bowl –- offensive tackle Trinton Sturdivant is the other -– Figgins now finds himself adjusting to a new position in hopes of finishing his UGA career with a flourish as a fifth-year senior in the fall.
Figgins has moved from tight end, where playing time would have been scarce behind Orson Charles and Aron White, to fullback, where the starting job is open.
“It’s going well,” Figgins said. “I’m doing a lot of learning on the run. Some things are clicking; some things are a little shaky. But we’re getting it done. . . It’s my last go-round.”
Figgins, from Columbus, has played in 37 games for Georgia but has started only four — the 2007 opener against Oklahoma State, two in 2008 and one last season. (He was redshirted in 2009 after shoulder surgery.) He has caught nine passes for 83 yards and three touchdowns, including a 12-yard TD pass from Matthew Stafford in the 2007 opener.
Now listed at 6-foot-4 and 272 pounds, Figgins began the transition from tight end to fullback in December and played “a couple of snaps” at the new position in the Liberty Bowl loss to Central Florida. This spring, he is battling rising sophomore Zander Ogletree for a starting spot. One thing that hasn’t changed for Figgins: his number. He is still proudly wearing No. 89, resisting suggestions that he might want to switch to a fullback-like number in the 40s.
Figgins “is seeing the possibilities of his new role and how it could be really good for him and very good for Georgia,” coach Mark Richt said. One potential advantage, Richt noted, is that when Figgins is in the game, opponents won’t know for sure whether he will line up at fullback or tight end. “It gives them less of a clue” what’s going on, Richt said.
Figgins just wants to be in the game — and to go out with a taste of the success with which he came in.
“That was great, playing in the Sugar Bowl my freshman year,” he said. “I just want to see a championship before I leave. So I want to do my part and contribute to the team the best I can.”
– Tim Tucker, AJC
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
230 comments Add your comment
GrizzlyDawg
March 24th, 2011
9:12 am
Stafford was a modest 9-for-21 passing for 129 yards with one touchdown and one interception, sounds like they won despite his poor performance. I’m looking at his stats right now, not impressive. I’d have to say he was a major let down, never playing up to his full potential.
Brian Van Gorder
March 24th, 2011
9:14 am
When you guys fire Richt this year can I get an interview? I know I didn’t do to well at Georgia Southern, but can you blame me?
Good for him
March 24th, 2011
9:16 am
google Matthew Staffords girlfriend. Man I guess that’s what a few million $$$ can get you. You da man Matty.
JE
March 24th, 2011
9:22 am
Well, if they are not going to let him run the ball some, it makes the defensive keys easier for the defense. If they are going to run him inside the three it also adds to the keys of the defense. He has to be mixed into the plan more than just putting someone on their backside. The fullback run inside the five and the little screen pass and blocking is all the Ga offense has for the fb. There needs to be more of a threat at that position.
robodawg
March 24th, 2011
9:23 am
Can’t wait to see him running pass routes out of the fullback position.
Delta Stewardess
March 24th, 2011
9:24 am
Good for Him
Women are actually pretty cheap to buy. Matt needs to be healthy if he wants to keep her. Matt has only played in 13 games over 2 years. He will (at this rate) never get a contract worth much in the future.
Good for him
March 24th, 2011
9:28 am
He’s done after this contract runs out, maybe somebody will sign him to be a backup. The guy is fat and happy now, he’s got his money. Idk what’s happened to him, he was pretty healthy throughout his UGA career.
Good for him
March 24th, 2011
9:34 am
The Lions announced the six-year deal with Stafford in a news release Saturday afternoon. The deal is for $72 million, with $41.7 million guaranteed. The contract could be worth as much as $78 million if Stafford achieves all of his playing incentives.
I could live with that. Man, this contract is almost as bad as the one the Braves gave Mike “can’t pitch today, stubbed my toe” Hampton.
Bubba J. Dawgman
March 24th, 2011
9:39 am
I thought this article was about Bruce Figgins, where is all this Stafford talk coming from? GOOO DAWGS!!!!
JE
March 24th, 2011
9:40 am
QB#7 VG destroyed the program at Ga Southern, Thumbed his nose at Erk by not taking the players to his funeral, and had no clue how to survive as a head coach. All he had to do there was make sure the defense worked. Instead he brilliantly destroyed the Russell Option that was so successful and crashed as a head coach. He did a great job against Green Bay this year in the playoffs.
JE
March 24th, 2011
9:41 am
Everyone in the world knows UGA has only one FB pass route. The little dump pass in the flat…
Bubba J. Dawgman
March 24th, 2011
9:44 am
True JE…. I’m hoping they’re gonna open some things up this year but it seems like that never happens. I heard the announcers last year saying Orson Charles looks like an NFL’er right now but it seems we can’t find a way to get him the ball either.
Delta Stewardess
March 24th, 2011
9:49 am
Bubba Murray was running for his life too much behind the Awesome Veteran Offensive Line to make many great passes to Charles.
JaxDawg
March 24th, 2011
9:56 am
JE – Don’t forget the FB screen or the old hobnail boot play!
Bubba J. Dawgman
March 24th, 2011
10:00 am
“I thought we were a little sluggish … I hate to make it sound like it was a bad [practice] because it really wasn’t, but I don’t think everybody did a real good job over spring break staying in shape. It’s hard.” -Richt
please don’t start out like this in spring boys
Nate the Great
March 24th, 2011
10:01 am
I would love to see some movement with he and charles on 2nd down. Line up in a power I then split charles out to the slot and shift figgins to the TE position, THEN THE BOBO DRAW UP THE MIDDLE. But wait we will be waiting for 3rd and long to call such a crazy play.
On a side note, why do we never throw on third and long? Its like we just give up on first downs and play not to lose. Maybe we would win a few of those close games if we to win the game and not call plays to just not lose.
Jaydawg
March 24th, 2011
10:01 am
Jim @8:10 AM.Yes they were considering using the tight ends more because they were thinking we had a chance of getting Cam Newton so the idiots excuse me,Richt and Bozo, were planning on having Cam play tight end just like they envisioned when they saw him in high school!
Dirty Dawg
March 24th, 2011
10:01 am
Hey JE, actually the only FB pass route I’m familiar with is the one Verron ran against UT – you know, the hob-nail boot one – and I have my doubts if Bruce can ’sneak’ through the line unnoticed like a guy about 5′ 10″. We’ll see.
GT is a 4th rate high school team
March 24th, 2011
10:15 am
GT is overachieving. LOL
Jimmy Crack
March 24th, 2011
10:19 am
Yea, since that Hob Nail play opposing teams have used it on us about 50 times, all successfully.
dawgfan
March 24th, 2011
10:22 am
Mark Richt, September 19, 2010: “We’re moving in the right direction.”
5 losses later, Georgia finshed with its first losing season in 14 years.
Wake me up when the games start because I’m tired of the effing talk. That’s all this program has done since that Sugar Bowl is TALK.
Thanks.
Bubba J. Dawgman
March 24th, 2011
10:26 am
We gotta talk there dawgfan or we’d all go crazy. This is the year!!!! Write that down, make a little post it note, chisel it in stone, it’s coming.
GT1977
March 24th, 2011
10:34 am
You guys have to talk, that’s all you can do. You can’t play good football, what else do you have to look forward to all year besides the period after football season where you can dream about next year again. It beats looking forward to the next chubby lady trailer love fest probably.
Delta Stewardess
March 24th, 2011
10:36 am
Bubba
I think that has been chiseled in stone so many times there is no stone left in this state to chisel it on.
Bubba J. Dawgman
March 24th, 2011
10:38 am
Ha!!! That may be true, but one of these years it really will be the year and we can all finally say “see, I told you so.” And yes I did say it last year but really, why not this year?
Realtiy Check
March 24th, 2011
10:38 am
Welcome to the UGA Nation, where the fans cannibalize their own players and coaches. You losers deserve to fire CMR and go ten more seasons like Coach Goof and Donnan had. Richt is awlful, Bobo has to go, blah blah blah. You losers are griping about the offensive coordinator whose team scored over 30 points in the last 7 or 8 games of the regular season. You better be more worried about that defensive genious that Charlie Weiss is going to carve up like a thanksgiving turkey.
Buckeye
March 24th, 2011
10:41 am
Can we expect a Murray glove wearing update later today?
Bubba J. Dawgman
March 24th, 2011
10:41 am
@ Realtiy Check
*reality, *awful, *genius, *Weis… please sir come back when you can spell correctly.
Buckeye
March 24th, 2011
10:43 am
GT1977,
“chubby lady trailer love fest”…..You’ve been to Clinch County?
dawgfan
March 24th, 2011
10:43 am
Well for starters GT1977, we can always look forward to beating your joke of a football program every year. I know. I know. You don’t have to tell me that beating Georgia Tech is no big accomplishment Techie. I’m not going to argue with you on that. I’m just saying that your own football program is the biggest pile of effing crap in the state by far. Nobody outside of the ACC has any respect for it whatsoever. Georgia Tech football is a joke, a punchline, a flash in the pan. Oh, Manboobs will continue to rack up those all important National Rushing Titles that you Techies love to talk about, but at what price? The defense is a joke. The passing game is just sad. You lead the nation in rushing and go 6-7. Paul Johnson is a one trick pony, a freak show, a novelty act. UGA football has a lot of problems but Georgia Tech sure as hell isn’t one of them and never will be. Please shut up.
Thanks.
1953 dawg
March 24th, 2011
10:46 am
Same old song and dance from Richt and Bobo. Nothing will change on this offense until a change is made at O.C. and head coach. These 2 clowns will never understand what it takes to establish a power running game that is vital to be successful in the SEC. Even the Ole Ball coach showed that he knew how to adapt to a power running game, and look what happpend? He won the SEC east. Richt and Bobo’s offense has been so predictable the past 10 years that it has become a joke in the SEC. This soft ass pass happy offense certainly will not work without a couple of SEC type wide receivers, and UGA certainly doens’t have that. That is because these 2 clowns can’t recruit the big time receivers anymore. So drink the coolaid again this year, and believe what this pathetic offensive coaching staff tells you. Then wait and see as BooBoo has his brain farts 4 or 5 times a game and kills potential scoring drives, and the gutless Richt kills touchdown drives with his decisions to kick field goals. When you couple that with an O.L. that looks like an army redcross unit, you have disaster waiting to happen. If you look at UGA’s recruiting last year on the O.L., you will see where the problem is. Everyone of UGA’s biggest rivals had outstanding recruiting classes on the O.L. As a matter of fact UGA’S O.L. recruits were rated 9th best in conference. You would think with all the question marks and seniors on this line, the coaches could have landed whoever they went after, but not his staff. Hopefully this is the last spring UGA fans have to read this B.S. from the 2 clowns Richt&BooBoo, and we can actually get excited about the direction the program is heading.
Delta Stewardess
March 24th, 2011
10:48 am
See DAWGFAN we knew you couldn’t stay away. We you have to run your mouth. We have no choice for something to do until Kickoff.
Gators for Richt
March 24th, 2011
10:52 am
Funny – same old stuff each year out of Athens – I guess we are all optimistic in the spring and early fall.
I, for one, hope Richt stays good enough not to fire – I am fine with UGA being merely a good program – and getting their tail kicked in by the Gators every year. Spurrier, Zook, Meyer, and now Muschamp!!!!
I can see UGA winning 6 to 8 games this year – probably more on the 7 side. UCF?????? UCF?????????????????? Thank you for embarrassing the SEC this year in your bowl game.
JB
March 24th, 2011
10:53 am
But dawgfan…. He went to Tech…..Everyone else is just crap…..Life is not worth living…….You work in fast food and have low self esteem if you didn’t go to Tech…..Now you have a personality and a sense of humor and a woman in your life……but little else……
JB
March 24th, 2011
10:54 am
Gators have their own problems. Lost 5 games with all 4 & 5 star players and a new Coach that hasn’t proven squat.
Bubba J. Dawgman
March 24th, 2011
10:55 am
1953 Dawg, I believe you are misinformed sir. Last year we signed Brent Benedict 6′5″ 273 and #10 Offensive lineman in the country (he did blow out a knee though), Kenarious Gates who actually started a few games last year and did pretty damn well, and Kolton Houston 6′5″ 270 and #6 guard in the nation… not too bad. We just need to coach em up better.
shankit
March 24th, 2011
11:03 am
The sleeper will be Malcom Mitchell.
Use him like a Hines Ward, line him up
at Wide receiver, then come out of the
huddle with him in the Wildcat. He will
confuse a defense with his play making
ability.
JB
March 24th, 2011
11:04 am
Most Gators been laying low in the swamp….. Last year was pitiful for them…….Bumper stickers everywhere that say “Honk if you beat Florida” all over the state…….That team has Wayyyyyy to much talent to have lost 5 games. All new systems being put in…. Will take a while. The talent will make gators good. Room to be arrogant, no.
Bubba J. Dawgman
March 24th, 2011
11:07 am
Justin Anderson 6′5 342
Brent Benedict 6′5 312
John Bodin 6′6 321
Chris Burnette 6′2 313
Kenarious Gates 6′5 328
Cordy Glenn 6′5 348
A.J. Harmon 6′5 345
Kolton Houston 6′5 291
Dallas Lee 6′4 300
Austin Long 6′5 304
Trinton Sturdivant 6′5 310
man, you couldn’t design better O lineman in a lab. This new line coach has no excuses.
Hector
March 24th, 2011
11:07 am
What’s the point????
mcdawg
March 24th, 2011
11:17 am
i’m psyched to see how the figgins thing works out-seems like he has caught alot more passes in his career-we have not thrown alot to the FB the past couple of years
david
March 24th, 2011
11:17 am
Hey Looper-
“Richt threw the ball to Gray 12 times…”
Dumbest comment of the year. Period.
david
March 24th, 2011
11:20 am
1953 Dawg-
Perhaps you should revisit recent history. When that “clown” Richt won his SEC titles and BCS games in the last 10 years, uga had a tremendous power running game. But hey, don’t let facts get in the way of your negative rants…
GT1977
March 24th, 2011
11:23 am
Hey david, it wasn’t as dumb as the comment from Bubba – “this is the year!!!” HA!!! I love hearing that every year and then the collective groan after the first of many losses…. priceless.
Jimmy Crack
March 24th, 2011
11:29 am
Realtiy, going to opposing teams’ blogs must be therapy to offset your other “shortcomings”. It just seems sad for a Florida Alligator fan to go to another team’s home newspaper and snipe just so you can feel important, worthwhile, or even alive. It must be a sad and hollow shell you inhabit. C’mon, dude, throw momma from that train and move upstairs where there are real beds and running water that doesn’t come out of a garden hose.
GT1977, wow, you have so many other things to worry about in football besides critiquing UGA, like keeping your homecoming queen from jumping off the acceptance stage and chasing your rambling wreck car down the street.
Paul N Destin
March 24th, 2011
11:37 am
Why would any UGA fan bring up anything about the Gaytor’s? I mean you never beat them regardless to who is on 1st base. UF has 2 NC’s since UGA has been to a decent bowl.
Delta Stewardess
March 24th, 2011
11:39 am
JB didn’t we lose 7 games and are still looking up at the Gators? Didn’t we have a GREAT offensive line with all the SEC experience in the world to make the Freshman QB good and the running game great?
1eyedJack
March 24th, 2011
11:47 am
Gators suck! Slimey lizards.
Delta Stewardess
March 24th, 2011
11:56 am
The Jackets envy the Dawgs and the Dawgs envy the Gators.
DawginLex
March 24th, 2011
11:58 am
And Delta envys Southwest Airlines