UGA football chatter: O-line shakeup, tailback update and G-Day countdown
ATHENS — Cleaning out the notebook after Tuesday’s football practice:
Sturdivant
- Offensive tackle Trinton Sturdivant’s third major knee injury occurred in a Saturday scrimmage that was closed to the media and the public, but even those who were there -– the players and coaches -– apparently didn’t realize the severity of it. “We thought it was just a sprain,” center Ben Jones said Tuesday. “Then he calls me [with the news of a torn ACL], and I was, like, ‘Oh, you’re kidding, right?’ … We thought everything was going to be fine.”
- The four players chosen by Mark Richt to draft the teams for the G-Day game –- Aaron Murray and Brandon Boykin on one side, Jones and Christian Robinson on the other -– obviously enjoyed the experience Monday night. They were still bantering back and forth, in good fun, after practice Tuesday. Said Murray: “Boykin and I absolutely dominated the draft.” Countered Jones: “We got a winning team. We got the O-line –- we got Cordy [Glenn]; we got [Kenarious] Gates. . . . I was saying, ‘I’m going to pick my buddies.’ I told my boy Cordy I was going to get him first, and I got him first.” Said Boykin: “I think me and Aaron did a tremendous job picking, and [Jones and Robinson] helped us by picking some not-too-good choices, as well, to start off.”
- Boykin said the “steal of the draft” was his side’s selection of Taylor Bradberry, a walk-on wide receiver. “He’s sure-handed — similar to A.J. Green, just not as fast,” Boykin claimed. “He always makes plays on G-Day.”
- Spring practice has produced no big breakthrough at the tailback position, which awaits the summer arrival of Isaiah Crowell. A hamstring injury has sidelined Washaun Ealey for most of the spring, and a groin injury has slowed Ken Malcome. Caleb King has stayed healthy and “shown flashes,” said offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, adding: “I wouldn’t say anybody has stepped out and said, ‘Hey, I’m the man.’”
- Before Sturdivant’s injury, he and converted guard Cordy Glenn were alternating between left and right tackles. Now, Glenn is the obvious starter at left tackle. Offensive line coach Will Friend said Glenn has had a good spring but needs to shed a little weight.
- As for the now-open job at right tackle, Justin Anderson and A.J. Harmon are the top contenders. “I feel good about those two guys as far as seeing potential and seeing the things they can do,” Friend said.
- Anderson started 12 games on Georgia’s offensive line –- seven in 2008 and five in 2009 -– before a short-lived and ill-fated move to the defensive line last year saw him appear in only one game in a season cut short by toe surgery.
- Harmon, entering his fourth season in the program, has appeared in just seven games and started none. Asked if he’s ready to be a starter, Harmon said: “Of course. I mean, it’s been three years. I would hope I’m ready.”
- Bobo on Harmon: “A.J. is a guy who’s got a lot of talent. Hasn’t been consistent enough to play like he should. I think he sees it as an opportunity. A lot of times, when an opportunity presents itself like this, guys tend to step up. That’s what we think A.J. will do; he’s got the ability.”
- The Bulldogs will be back on the practice field Thursday, their only remaining practice before G-Day.
- And speaking of G-Day, former UGA quarterbacks Matthew Stafford, D.J. Shockley, David Greene and Eric Zeier will participate in a skills competition at halftime. Another former UGA quarterback was asked why he’s not participating. “Because I would win,” Bobo said.
- Tim Tucker, AJC
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174 comments Add your comment
sports
April 14th, 2011
12:33 am
Georgia Tech is nothing but pure “trailor trash”.
Yellow Fuzz
April 14th, 2011
7:06 am
Same ole same ole. When will you AH dog nation fans learn to shut your traps? It’s YOU and blogs like this that have caused you team’s demise the past 3 years. Hahahahaha. And I love it! Notice that our games have gotten very competitive over that time? Wonder how YOU would have done last year had YOUR starting qb gone down in the first quarter? Hahahaha. You would not have made it as close as we did I guarantee you that. Hahahaha. Count on a battle from here on out AH’s! Hahahaha. And keep yapping!
Buckeye
April 14th, 2011
7:34 am
Chaz Ramsey!
SEC!
Rodster
April 14th, 2011
7:58 am
My heart breaks for Trinton. He’s a good kid.
JE
April 14th, 2011
8:00 am
Wow, take some statistic and turn it into what ever you wish. Face it Walker was great from the first handoff until he left three years later. GA had this running game that everyone knew he was going to run the ball and he still had those tremendous statistics….Ealey???? Wouild he have the same statistics if he had run the ball as many times as HW did in the same length of time….Get real. When Herschel played the OL did not have to spend as much time practicing pass protection as the air attach dawgs of today have to practice. I wonder if Sturdivant was hurt each time on a pass play?
dino baby
April 14th, 2011
8:17 am
I am predicting that this will be Richts last year at UGA. These headlines are like a broken record. Please spare me. Every year 50 players get hurt. ————Bottom line is —you cant fix stupid.
John Doe
April 14th, 2011
8:19 am
Yellow Fuzz: What is the win/loss record of the UGA/TECH games over the past ten years? As in, who won and who lost?
DawginLex
April 14th, 2011
8:41 am
Well well, Yellow fizz is back.
Still planning on setting up your tent again this year outside the Grant field?
What a loser. You are a disgrace to the Tech people that I talk to on your own blogs. Thye don’t claim idiots like you in their fanbase. In fact, they wish you would go away.
We can only hope.
Musical Chairs
April 14th, 2011
8:58 am
Nothing has changed this year. Injuries are mounting up once again. players that are not panning out like A J Harmon and others. Its just a matter of time over the summer months that UGA will make a run for honorable mention in the Fulmer Cup. Chalk up a loss to Boise with two in a row against SC along with another loss to the Gators.
ATL Sports Fan
April 14th, 2011
9:11 am
There a number of teams doing this, ie Tennessee, Texas just to name a few who are or have let the players pick the teams. Do some research before popping off.
SEC Observer
April 13th, 2011
12:46 pm
That’s too bad for Sturdivant. He was a promising player who has had a tough luck career.
CMR has the players selecting the teams. What other coach does this? No wonder the inmates run the asylum and there are off the field problems.
Bill
April 14th, 2011
9:13 am
The reports this during spring practice are somewhat disappointing. I started to get my hopes up but seems the same problems at UGA are still there. Im excited about this class we have signed but then again I have been excited about our previous classes which have seemed to underachieve. Hope Crowell is all that and hope he can make an immediate impact. But then again Ive seen this movie too.
DawginLex
April 14th, 2011
9:39 am
musical chairs, I don’t see us anywhere in the fulmer Cup rankings for 2011.
Our defense is better. I will bet money hat we don’t give up as many points or yards this year. I will also bet money that we don’t give up as many 3rd down conversions.
You complainers act like we got blown out every week!
We lost to SC 17-6 and fumbled away two opportunities.
We lost to Ark 31-24 after giving up a sack and then allowing a TD with under a minute to go.
We lost to Colorado when we fumbled driving for the winning FG
We lost to Florida in OT
A few more stops on defense and all of those games are wins.
You can give up on them if you want to.
I’m predicting a lot of serious crow being eaten by a lot of you.
1eyedJack
April 14th, 2011
10:00 am
Yellow fuzz is a pee stain on Coach Fishfry’s panties.
Musical Chairs
April 14th, 2011
11:42 am
Dawg in lex……. Didn’t say the dawgs were ranked in the Fulmer cup. I said we just might make a run though during the summer break to bring up worth mentioning. BTW South Carolina Dictated the game from start to finish… Get real …Florida still had the swagger during the entire game and the team just stood around and gave up after Murray’s stupid interception in the end zone in OT. Dude …… Stay off the kool aid but then again you may need it when you and others eat the crow come fall to get the taste out of your mouths.
AltamahaDawg
April 14th, 2011
11:59 am
How exactly did the team “stand around and give up” after Murray threw the int in OT? Uf ran 3 nothing plays from the 25, then kicked a FG.
DawginLex
April 14th, 2011
12:03 pm
south Carolina did not dictate the game from start to finish. We couldn’t tackle Lattimore but we also had 2 costly turnovers that finished the game.
the florida game went into overtime.
do you even watch the same games I’m watching?
looking forward to the crow.
AltamahaDawg
April 14th, 2011
12:03 pm
And I am baffled by any Georgia fan hoping that anyone talking positively about Georgia will have to eat crow.
AltamahaDawg
April 14th, 2011
12:06 pm
DIL. He didn’t understand a word you said. You didn’t use enough sport cliche’.
DawginLex
April 14th, 2011
12:07 pm
“He left yesterday behind him. You might say he was born again. You might say he found the key to every door.”
Dagnab you Altamaha
AltamahaDawg
April 14th, 2011
12:12 pm
Friends around the campfire, and everybodies highiihhh
dawgfacedboy
April 14th, 2011
12:43 pm
Yellow fuzz- spoken like a true loser. “We may have lost but it was a close game” Hell even a Ga/Fla is close every once in a while!!
Ya’ll will always be better at building stuff than we will, sleep better knowing that.
UGA Insider
April 14th, 2011
1:36 pm
The “Summer of Scandal” continues in the SEC. Chaz Ramsey of the HBO 4 is set to talk to NCAA investigators next week.
This is the beginning of the end for Auburn.
In your heart...
April 14th, 2011
1:58 pm
Serious Dawg fans need to start organizing and demanding that Richt be fired. Otherwise, sports writers will be asking the same questions this time a year from now.
Richt represents mediocrity. Saban and Meyer represent excellence and championships. Richt simply isn’t in their class, nor will he ever be. Richt would have to be incredibly lucky to win the division, and the odds against him winning the SEC championship would be at least 50:1.
Those are the simple facts, and there’s no amount of enthusiasm or cheerleading or Top 5 recruiting classes that can get around it.
As they say in poker, “Read ‘em and weep.”
AltamahaDawg
April 14th, 2011
3:08 pm
You can tell when somebodies cut and paste is starting to get a little dated.