Georgia’s Columbus connections paying dividends for season opener
There is a very good chance recent Carver-Columbus grad Isaiah Crowell could end up starting on Saturday. (UGA photo by Steve Colquitt)
ATHENS – Georgia’s game against Boise State on Saturday will command attention from a lot of places, but none more than Columbus.
Five players from the southwest Georgia bordertown will represent the Bulldogs during Saturday’s game, four of them with Carver High connections. Three of those guys – tailback Isaiah Crowell, outside linebacker Jarvis Jones and tight end Bruce Figgins – could end up starting in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Saturday the Georgia Dome.
Freshman defensive back Quintavious Harrow and walkon quarterback Greg Bingham are also from Columbus.
Needless to say, the Bulldogs are a hot topic this week at Carver.
“The whole school’s excited, not just that they’re playing well but because they’re that doing well,” Carver High principal Christopher Lindsey said. “Especially considering the difficult backgrounds some of them they came from. Jarvis, if you look at his background, his path to success is truly amazing. The way he acts, the way he carries himself, you would never know what he has had to overcome. We’ve really enjoyed watching them come into their own at Georgia.”
Figgins and Jones are definite starters as of Tuesday. Figgins, a fifth-year senior, heads into the game as the No. 1 fullback after playing his first four seasons at tight end. He’s a Shaw graduate but his father, Bruce Figgins Sr., works at Carver as a math teacher. Jones, a sophomore transfer from Southern Cal, will start at “Sam, or strongside outside linebacker, where he has shined in preseason camp.
Crowell, a freshman and the No. 1-rated high school running back prospect in America last year, is currently listed as the No. 2 tailback. But head coach Mark Richt admitted Tuesday that Crowell could end up getting the nod since No. 1 tailback Richard Samuel has been sidelined with a quadriceps injury most of the last two weeks.
“He could,” Richt said of Crowell possibly starting. “The longer Richard doesn’t go. . . it may be that Isaiah gets the nod. Either him or Richard would. It’ll just depend on what Richard can do here in the next couple of days. I think if Richard doesn’t practice in the next day or two, it might be that Isaiah gets the chance to be the starter. So it could be that we have three kids starting from Columbus.”
Samuel practiced full speed and in a regular red jersey on Wednesday.
People from Columbus aren’t surprised that Crowell has made the decision tough on coaches.
“Everybody here knows what an outstanding player Isaiah is,” Lindsey said. “He’s a great athlete but it’s his competitive edge that makes him special. He expects to be great. I have no doubt he’ll do well.”
Re-establishing as a recruiting stronghold has been a priority for Georgia, which had seen a lot of good players from the area go elsewhere in recent years. The city is just a half-hour from Auburn and has sent a lot of players all over.
“There are a lot of talented players that have come from there and a lot more talented players that are going to come from there,” said running backs coach Bryan McClendon, who recruits Columbus for the Bulldogs. “Hopefully players from there will see that you can come to Georgia and succeed both on the field and off of it.”
Crowell, Figgins and Jones and helping spread that message.
“UGA history in regards to outstanding players coming out of Columbus is not all that great,” Lindsey said. “I think these guys are going to break that mold. I sincerely believe that just having dealt with both those young men. I’ve never seen them in any trouble.”
Well, Crowell did have one shortcoming.
“The only time I ever had to deal with Isaiah was being late to school,” Lindsey said with a laugh. “As long as he stays levelheaded, though, he’ll be fine.”
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124 comments Add your comment
LakeDawg57
August 30th, 2011
9:36 pm
Chip,
I’m hearing Nick has been at RB this week. You know anything on that? This kid has to much talent to sit down a yr.If nothing but special teams.He’s might be gone in three anyway.from what I’ve seen of him he will make it to field and be one of the best on the team.I think this is one of the best teams we have fielded in yrs the talent is there.We will see sat night if they put it togeather. Look out SEC if we have. Go Dawgs !!!!
GATOR CHOMP
August 30th, 2011
9:38 pm
JB I’ve never said that Brantley is a better quaterback than Murray so get your facts straight.
Athens Dawg
August 30th, 2011
9:41 pm
Hater Rump, you should actually want us to beat Boise. It has nothing to do with the race in the SEC, and we’re representing the SEC. You should want UGA to win. Dumbarse.
AltamahaDawg
August 30th, 2011
9:41 pm
Tech alumni and fans have lives that don’t depend entirely on what a bunch of kids does on Saturday afternoons but they do have lives that really seem to revolves around what Georgia fans are discussing about what a bunch of kids does on Saturday. I guess that only applied if the kids are wearing your own colors. What is this, the 9th time you have posted that same thing. Convinced yourself yet?
Chip Towers
August 30th, 2011
9:55 pm
LakeDawg57: If I had to guess I’d say Nick is playing RB for the scout team emulating Boise State for the varsity defense. But that’s just a guess.
Alphare
August 30th, 2011
9:55 pm
It’s not the connection, it’s UGA paying Crowell’s friend $180K in the name of a schollarship. That $180K bribe is paying dividend in the football field.
DILLIGAF
August 30th, 2011
10:01 pm
Richt has to start Samuel in this game and should even be named a captain because he is a true team player and he has sacrificed for his team without question and is true example of what it means to be a “Damn Good Dawg”.
A good kid and a person that has stepped up to lead his team and wants to win no matter.
GATA!
UGA/85′
DawgsAreHere
August 30th, 2011
10:05 pm
The momentum has been building all offseason for UGA. Now its time to see if all the hype can play out on the field. Boise will give us a great game but our defense will win the battle in the trenches. Boise will put up some points but our D will wear them down by the fourth quarter. Interested to see Crowell finally suit up for the Dawgs.
@AthensDawg: Ignore Gator Chomp’s ignorance – can’t talk sense into trolls. BTW if you have haters you must be doing something right!
Athens Dawge
August 30th, 2011
10:20 pm
The truth is we don’t have a chance against a top ten program like Boise. Lets just hope we don’t get any of our players hurt on that hard Georgia Dome Field. We are going to need everybody healthy for that SEC opener against SC. Lattimore has to be the best back since George Rogers. The hard truth is what we really need is Mettenburger. That kid is going to be a stud (poor choice of words) for LSU. Our QB is AT BEST a long shot. The word in the Classic City is the wheels are about to come off this scooter.
bitter vince dooly
August 30th, 2011
10:29 pm
bamma trolls stink——————-dawgs42——boise st—-38
——————just saying—–theres no stoping kellen moore folks——————-just have to out score
GA Sandlapper
August 30th, 2011
10:32 pm
UGA 58 Boise St 57…12 OTs! I hope!!
7576DAWG
August 30th, 2011
10:37 pm
Athens Dawge
Enough about Mettenburger . CMR had no choice but to encourage Mettenburger to leave. This young waitress he assaulted must like money. If he had done that to one of my daughters no amount of money or remorse would have been enough. I would have demanded and received jail time.I’m sure he regrets what he did but he is not the good. nice, wholesome guy you want him to be.
Athens Dawg
August 30th, 2011
11:04 pm
Boise will get rolled. 41-17 UGA
Hairy Dawg
August 30th, 2011
11:10 pm
PLEASE!!! It’s opening week. Let’s get some news about the team and quit the Columbus Connection and Boise State playcaller stories.
Talk about the line on the game, “expert’s” opinions about the outcome, B. Smith or other injury updates, or the pregame, but leave recruiting until later.
Go Dawgs!
FlaDawg
August 30th, 2011
11:26 pm
Went to Carver, went to UGA, looking forward to revising the history between the two. Feeling very good about these young men, they will do us proud!
WWDD?
August 30th, 2011
11:34 pm
Are the players in their Nike clown costumes and red panties ready for the Broncos?
CyberDome
August 30th, 2011
11:41 pm
krnng2 g8hm3 e67he c6j3r ygx9r s3f1v rj5g2 g8hm3 e67he c6j3r ygx9r s3f1v j24g2 g8hm3 e67he c6j3r ygx9r s3f1v rj5g2 g8hm3 e67he c6j3r ygx9r s5hj2
Key: Echo Victory
Brewmaster
August 30th, 2011
11:46 pm
@Athens Dawg: Boise will get rolled. 41-17 UGA
Knock off the drugs and get some sleep. Or have another cheapo brew while you watch roller derby in Tuscany or Marietta, wherever the swallows gulp in Capistrano. The
Athens Dawg
August 31st, 2011
12:07 am
Stop basking on what happened last season. It’s over. We made crucial mistakes at crucial times and didn’t finish. We weren’t a bad football team, we just didn’t make the plays when we needed to. This season we’ve gotten more disciplined, and we are more focused as a group. Boise could very well get blown out. Then the haters and trolls will be looking dumb. Like always.
Athens Dawg
August 31st, 2011
12:08 am
2011, we out of here! Let’s go!
Okiedawg
August 31st, 2011
12:19 am
Chip, get out a map. Columbus is not in “southwest Georgia” Albany is in southwest Georgia, Thomasville is in southwest Georgia. Columbus is on the fall line, the dividing line between north georgia and south georgia. Columbus is in west central Georgia
just the truth
August 31st, 2011
12:27 am
If I may since this is a public university, what were the GPA and SAT scores from these Columbus players. Seems everyone knows there football ability but we’re talking college now. What are they majoring in?
Preston
August 31st, 2011
12:46 am
Gator Chump needs to stop hating on a fellow SEC program and focus on his/her own problems. The gayters are gonna suck this year, but true SEC fans will pull for them in non-SEC match-ups….because that’s the way true Southerners behave. Grow up chump!
Preston
August 31st, 2011
12:55 am
just the truth…..the truth is that many of UGA’s players are majoring in the same programs as most other star players at other major FBS schools. Money is the driving force in our beautiful Republic and college football is a beautiful example of that. I get the feeling that you’re belittling players for taking classes that many would consider laughable, but look at the alternative. Would you rather see them denied a chance to get a college degree or even a chance to make the NFL dream a reality? Please tell me why you would ask such a thing and where the moral in that question lies in the first place.
HardTruth Soldier
August 31st, 2011
1:45 am
UF= Undeniable Failure as A NFL Quarterback. GT=Great Tragedy in this state, and all the rest of you Dawg hating punks can go straight to well… Miami, or LSU, or USC, or UNC, with the rest of the losers.
hop
August 31st, 2011
4:19 am
I think the dawgs will roll with a commitment to play ball contron l with a huge weight advantage with the o/line 0ver boise state smaller d/line.
I do not think this will be a high scoring game,and it will remind us all of the teams in the early 80’s where we will pound the ball with a very effective ground game.
7576DAWG
August 31st, 2011
4:50 am
The ideal situation is if we can establish a running game that will not bog down at the 20 yard line of Boise State. Keeping the ball away from Moore would be my top priority.
Paddy
August 31st, 2011
6:36 am
Is Jenkins back at practice full speed now? Groin injuries or hamstrings are tough injuries for those big linemen to bounce back quickly.
RedandBlackDAWG
August 31st, 2011
6:51 am
Bitter truth,
So let me get this straight. You tech. fans don’t concentrate on football that much and you have lives. Wow, that is truely amazing. So as a bitter tech. fan you are on a blog concerning UGA football and spouting all this amazing negative crap about a sport you don’t care about and a school you hate. Does your terrific school teach you how to spell hypocrite and jealous, because those are two words they definitly describe you.
GO DAWGS and GATA
Destin Dawg
August 31st, 2011
6:52 am
I’ve been expecting to hear more about Boo Malcome…. what’s up ??
Destin Dawg
August 31st, 2011
6:55 am
nothing wrong with these kids getting degrees in Phys. Ed., sports mang’t, business , criminology, etc… not all of us are nerds !!!
RedandBlackDAWG
August 31st, 2011
6:59 am
Anthens dawge,
You are surely a tech. fan. Why aren’t you on a tech. blog since they have that big opener against the terror of the south, “Western Carolina”? If you were playing Boise State you would be in the game in the same position as your oponent tonight. Getting a free paycheck, and a tune up for a good team. You need to show some maturity, which you obviously lack.
GO DAWGS and GATA
P.S. Does your mommy know you are on the compuiter and not eating your breakfast before going to classes?
Shieldy
August 31st, 2011
7:01 am
90% of my GT friends caught the “M Train” & are fun people who party as well as the Dawgs! It’s the idiots that didn’t go to either school that act like ‘necks or geeks. Dawgs will win big, then nip SC. After that, we’ll lay an egg against someone like the Vols or Techies. It’s football & they all get drunk 3 nights a week in Athens.
RedandBlackDAWG
August 31st, 2011
7:02 am
How is Mr. Jenkins doing with his leg injury? We will most assuredly need him to be ready to go, so if nothing else, he can spell Geathers and at best, have them both out there at the same time, to show Boise, where the beef is.
GO DAWGS and GATA
Shieldy
August 31st, 2011
7:02 am
Oh & where’s Jasper this monin’??
Columbus4UGA
August 31st, 2011
7:34 am
When did Columbus become Southwest Georgia??? Columbus is West Georgia. Albany is SW GA…. Anyways, glad to see all of the talent coming out of the city. Go Dawgs!
beachside bulldawg
August 31st, 2011
7:34 am
Hey bitter truth…Do you mean like Critterton?
BG
August 31st, 2011
8:23 am
The Columbus newspaper did it’s best to hurt Jarvis Jones. As we all know Jones was cleared by the SEC and NCAA.
Whiskey Breath
August 31st, 2011
8:30 am
Funny Chip. ” There is a good chance Crowell will be starting.” Of course there is a good chance, Richt told him that while he was being recruited. However, he had to run off King and Ealey before he could live up to it. Yea, he is a Christian man all right. So let me get this straight, King can’t do his classwork after 5 years? Right. Ealey has a bad attitude so is a cancer to the team. The joke is going to be on Richt, because Ealey really was that good. Reality will soon kick in.
Whiskey Breath
August 31st, 2011
8:36 am
In Tech’s defense, they are not the ones that hate Ga. I hate Tech and Ga. I have forever. Mainly because of the big talkers that can not back it up. Fools. Ga will brag about beating the crap out of Vanderbilt for years. Something is wrong about that. Tech does not have any fans. Plain and simple.
How Ga could brag about beating Tech is a real mystery. Tech doesn’t care.
The BLUE meanie from BS
August 31st, 2011
8:39 am
To “Redandblackdawge”, We make computers here at GEORGIA TECH (er Boise) you numb nuts, we don’t ask mom for permission. More likely the average UGA student has to ask how to log in at the STUDENT RESOURCE CENTER!! There is nothing like getting under the skin of a dog, ,excuse me DAWG.
DawginLex
August 31st, 2011
8:51 am
NEVER GRADUATE BOYS
NEVER
DAWGS PLAYING SATURDAY NIGHT
CLEAR THE HOUSE CAUSE I AM BARKING!
GONNA BE A LOT OF HORSE CRAP TO CLEAN UP ON THE CARPET SATURDAY NIGHT
NEVER GRADUATE
NEVER
RedandBlackDAWG
August 31st, 2011
9:05 am
Blue Meanie,
You make a lot of spuds also, but not everyone likes them. You should come onto another teams blog and at least show some respect for that team and yourself. This I now note, is not one of your better character traits.
GO DAWGS and GATA
a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
August 31st, 2011
9:09 am
To “Dawginlex” as a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL I believe you are very ill. Illusions of grandeur, ALL CAPS. Try a glass of wine before bed time. It that don’t work try Larry munsons shrink. The folks in SC can’t wait to get ahold of the Dogs!!! By the way which flag is more imortant to you, your “rebel” or your “bulldog”?
Joey
August 31st, 2011
9:26 am
He’s not from Columbus, but it’s good to read this about Jenkins, after his mostly-injured camp.
**************************************************
Backup nose guard John Jenkins drew praise from defensive coordinator Todd Grantham after Tuesday’s practice in shoulder pads and shorts. “John had his best practice today,” Grantham said. “I thought he was really dominant out there.”
DawginLex
August 31st, 2011
9:31 am
a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL=QUACK
I’m fine. Just a Dawg excited about the start of football season.
DawginLex
August 31st, 2011
9:35 am
So Whiskey Breath, since you are obviously Nick Saban II, tells us what Ealey did in 2010 that was so special that you label him as great?
Outside of running through the soft butter defense of UK, explain to us why we should miss him so much?
I remember this about him:
Multiple fumbles at key times in big games
Missing blocking assignments
Refusing to go to S&C sessions with his teammates
Hit and run in a parking deck
Suspended license
I’d rather watch Samuel, Crowell, Malcome and Harton than to have Ealey playing for us.
He had his chance and blew it. Talent, potential and ability are nothing without discipline and motivation. He had none.
Good riddance I say.
Bama in Atlanta
August 31st, 2011
9:37 am
First, just to clarify, I am SEC all the way and will be pulling for the Dawgs on Saturday. That being said, here are my “feel goods” and “concerns” regarding UGA going into the game:
Feel Good About:
1) Lack of distractions – no finalist for the Fulmer Cup; no hit and runs; no shoebox full of outstanding parking tickets; no AD and mistress playing “show me yours and I’ll show you mine”
2) Strength & Conditioning program that actually includes strength and conditioning drills – hands on knees sucking wind in the 2nd quarter is not a good omen….looks like this has been remedied
3) 3-4 D – An attack defense rather than a reaction defense allows you to control the play….hit ‘em long, hard, deep and continuous and the game is yours by the 3rd quarter
4) Murray – plays smart, wants to win, has the respect and trust of his fellow players
5) Special Teams – An understatement to say strongest in college football….never underestimate the power to kick long field goals and pin the opponent inside their 5-yard line
Concerns:
1) Turnovers – IC and Samuel had limited practice time due to injuries and timing is critical for handoffs between QB and RB. If there’s any hesitation or wrong step then risk of fumbles skyrockets
2) Poor Blitz Execution – Not disguising your blitzes or being too slow to get in the backfield is not something you want to do against a guy who’s going to end up being the winningest QB in college football history
3) Underestimating BSU – They have a small D-Line……they play in a weak conference….they lost their two best WRs…..yeah, so did Appalachian State a few years ago before they played Michigan
4) Mike Bobo – do I really need to elaborate
Bottom line prediction is that each team will reach the end zone a few times but the edge goes to the team that can hit more field goals (hint: see #5 above).
Looking for Herman Archie
August 31st, 2011
10:01 am
Way back in the late late 70s or very early 80s, UGA had Columbus native Herman Archie playing split end at 6′5″ and about 220. He supposedly was going to change passing game as we knew it back then. He was way ahead of the now common place wide outs of today that are tall. He caught maybe 5 passes in those Dooley era years.
Where is Herman Archie now??? Man, was he highly, highly recruited out of Columbus.
Gooooooooooooooooooo Dogs.
"GT"
August 31st, 2011
10:03 am
G un T oters.