Q&A: LB Alec Ogletree ‘very anxious to get back out there’ for Bulldogs
This is one of the last shots we saw of Alec Ogletree, getting the defensive call from the sideline in Georgia's Nike Pro Combat uniform at the Georgia Dome. (UGA photo)
Q&A WITH ALEC OGLETREE
Alec Ogletree was the toast of the offseason for the Georgia Bulldogs. Going back to spring practice and all the way through preseason, the experiment of moving the 6-foot-3, 240-pound sophomore from strong safety to inside “Mo” linebacker was said to be an unmitigated success. Coaches and teammates spoke in excited anticipation of the havoc Ogletree was going to wreak playing down close to the line of scrimmage in the middle of the Georgia’s 3-4 defense. “He was practicing extremely well,” coach Mark Richt said. “He was making most of the tackles and he was doing it with some enthusiasm and some physicality. He has the ability to knock people back and he has the ability to run sideline-to-sideline and he has the ability to cover well. He has all the tools.”
But all the air from that balloon was sucked out just two defensive series into the season opener against Boise State. Ogletree broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his right foot in the first quarter. The break was confirmed on X-rays right there at the Georgia Dome and Ogletree has been sidelined ever since.
Make that WAS sidelined. The former AJC Super 11 selection and 5-star prospect was cleared for practice last week. Sunday night, Richt announced that Ogletree would in fact start his first game back next Saturday against Florida in Jacksonville. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham left little doubt that would be the case upon watching Ogletree negotiate his first full-contact practice last week. “It was exciting,” Grantham said with a rare grin. “He looked good. I was fired up.” Here’s a what Ogletree had to say about the injury ordeal and his feelings as he prepares to come back against the Gators:
Q: What exactly happened to break your foot?
A: “I just stepped and tried to turn and run and my foot didn’t turn with me. It just stayed there and popped.”
Q: Do you think it was those new Nike Pro combat shoes?
A: “I don’t really know. It was bound to happen from what the doctors told me. It just happened to happen then.”
Q: I heard you actually played a while with your foot broken. That true?
A: “I played two series with it broken. When I did it, I just started saying, ‘man, I think I broke my foot.’ I tried to shake it off but as play kept going I knew I had actually done something bad to it. I was telling all the guys, ‘I think I broke my foot.’ They were just yelling, ’shake it off, man!’ But I could tell it was bad.”
Q: What was going through your mind when you realized you were seriously injured?
A: “I was devastated actually. I’d never been injured to the point I was sidelined for a long period of time. So it was kind of hard for me. But at the same time I knew I had guys who could back me up and step in and play. And that’s what they’ve been doing, so it really hasn’t been a problem.”
Q: Any concerns whatsoever with the foot now?
A: “No. I don’t feel any pain at all. I just try not to think about it and just go out there and play.”
Q: What did you think of the job Mike Gilliard, Amarlo Herrera, Jeremy Sulek and those guys did in your absence?
A: “I had great confidence in what we could do because of how hard we worked in the offseason and how guys had a different state of mind than last year, the work ethic and stuff. They did a wonderful job as far as stepping into play for both me and Christian [Robinson]. So I give big ups to the guys for that. I mean, I didn’t think ‘Mike G’ was going be SEC Player of the Week, but I knew he could play. So that part wasn’t a surprise. Amarlo stepped up real good for us, too.”
Q: They have played awfully well. Are you worried how you might fit back in?
A: “That’s up to the coaches. Everybody is still going to come out and work hard. No position is given to you around here, so you’ve got to work for it. And that’s what I’m going to do. Each and every day, all four of us, me, Christian, Mike G and Amarlo, we’re going to go out there and work every day, whether I’m starting or he’s starting or whoever’s starting.”
Q: Any discussion of you playing some strong safety with Shawn Williams out for the first half?
A: “No, I don’t think so. I’m just trying to get back into the flow of things at linebacker.”
Q: You and Cornelius Washington both come back this week, but y’all lose Williams and Kwame Geathers for a half. Has it been frustrating not being able to have the full defensive complement on the field for this team?
A: “Like I’ve said, each of the 11 positions on this defense, everybody’s got backups that can step into play any time. So with them coming out I know we’ve got guys that can back them up.”
Q: How eager are you to play again in a real game?
A: “I’m very anxious to get back out there in a game and get going again. I’ve been out so long, right now I’m just trying to work on my conditioning and trying to jell back with the defense. I just want to help my team the best I can.”
|– Chip Towers
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
367 comments Add your comment
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:24 pm
Do you think Miss State has a better offense than Vandy?
Kerryb
October 24th, 2011
3:25 pm
You also forget that they had a KO returned and a fake punt that gave them good field position. The defense does not worry me at all. The special teams is another thing. They worry me a lot.
the Voice...of Reason
October 24th, 2011
3:27 pm
Name a receiving threat outside of Debose and Jordan Reed. We run a mirror image defense of Bama’s 3-4. Almost as efficient. Demps and Rainey will be facing faster linebackers than Alabama and a stouter line than Auburn. 27-10 UGA with a chance for a blowout if Florida rolls over in the 4th.
ARdawg
October 24th, 2011
3:28 pm
IMHO, the Gators have a decidedly advantage over UGA just by virtue of playing better teams in the last 3-4 games. They will be ready and hungry for a win. A blowout win for Georgia? I don’t think so but, Georgia certainly needs a blowout win going into the last half of the season. Richt needs to beat Florida for job security. He has the team and the depth, does he have the ability? I wish I knew
JAWJeRDAWG
October 24th, 2011
3:28 pm
ARdawg
A daughter’s wedding expense will do that to you; I’ve been there and do understand!
And, if we can get back to AR this year, I’ll let you know.
Help pull us through this Saturday! All the best.
Half Century Dawg Fan
October 24th, 2011
3:28 pm
TampaDawg
October 24th, 2011
2:41 pm
Sugar Bowl was played in Atlanta the year Katrina hit New Orleans.
Kerryb
October 24th, 2011
3:29 pm
I think all the UGA fans need to stop all this worry about UF every last weekend of October every year. Some games were close and we got a bad break. Others we were just not better than them. This year is different. All of the comments that start with, “we should win but in the back of my mind…”. are the equivalent to having your tail tucked between your legs.
Kerryb
October 24th, 2011
3:30 pm
ARdawg=another tail tucker. Thats exactly what I was talking about.
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:30 pm
Is it fair to compare Grantham in his first 1.5 yrs to Smart excluding his first 1.5 yrs?
gdawginkalamazoo
October 24th, 2011
3:31 pm
bucket, what Mike Bobo is, is a damn fine QB coach. IMO we need to see some type of offense that moves the ball with consistency and scores TD’s in the red zone this weekend. Otherwise he needs to go back to coaching the QB’s and get a new OC. I have actually seen our offense mix it up and score TD’s and move the ball down the field. Then half time hits and we get all conservative and start trying to do clock management where we run the ball three times punt and watch the D go to work. Keep moving the damn ball and score as many as you can because this is the game where you need them.
Murphy, I use to worry about how many yards teams ran up against us. I don’t anymore. I call it a Tech-nical glitch. As long as the other team doesn’t score it doesn’t matter. Tech can run up 500 yards all day long for all I care. It is the scoreboard that counts. Our D is fine. It is our offense and special teams that I worry about. It wasn’t the D at the Vandy game. It was the fake punt, the blocked punt that made that game close.
TampaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:31 pm
ARDawg, I don’t think having played UA, LSU and AU are going to hurt Florida as I stated a month ago. Coming off three games like that will leave you beat up pretty good. And the UGA D is no slouch so it’s not really getting easier.
ARdawg
October 24th, 2011
3:32 pm
Kerryb
What bothers me to no end is when we are better than them and still lose. 3 times come to mind in the Richt era
the Voice...of Reason
October 24th, 2011
3:33 pm
ARdawg-
Are you giving Tennessee the decided advantage over SC then? Playing better teams is an advantage if you put up any kind of production and and glimpses of improvement (see South Carolina UGA/Boise State). Florida got rolled like an FCS school. Could not establish a running game, key defensive stops, or alternate receivers to turn to when they were covered. Neither backup QB goes through their progressions or uses checkdowns. If you’re stress level is up for this game, you need to watch a few more of Floridas games this year.
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:34 pm
which 3?
ARdawg
October 24th, 2011
3:35 pm
KerryB
You believe in the magic of Santa Claus and Pixie dust eh? Just wish for it hard enough and it will come true. Are you sure you’re not a GT fan?
Murphy
October 24th, 2011
3:38 pm
Kerryb,
Im a Dawg thru and thru but I wont believe it till I see it with my own eyes. Losing 18 out of 21 has really made me bitter bought this game.No confidence what so ever this week.
gomdawg
October 24th, 2011
3:39 pm
Brantley is going to start, but that just fine when we beat them there will be no crying we didn’t have our starting QB. GO DAWGS
Murphy
October 24th, 2011
3:41 pm
Kerryb,
By the way in case you forgot-Florida has 3 qb’s that can run and play much better than the Vandy qb
ARdawg
October 24th, 2011
3:41 pm
Altamaha
Actually more than 3 and last year is the freshest but, you could take 02, 03 or 05. Georgia was better than Florida those years. One could say we were better in 06 but, I didn’t think so
TampaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:43 pm
Voice .. of Reason “Neither backup QB goes through their progressions or uses checkdowns. If you’re stress level is up for this game, you need to watch a few more of Floridas games this year”
I don’t think either of the backup QBs are playing for Florida in this game. That being said, I still don’t think it will matter. With Brantley, the offense still comes down to Rainey and Demps. Shut them down and it’s a long game for UF.
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:43 pm
In at least 15 of those 18 losses UGA was just clearly not the better team. When they have been clearly the better team UGA is maybe 3-1 over that stretch. It’s really been the game where no team was significantly better that has been the frustrating part. Losing all 3.
I think the point the earlier poster is making is that unless you think UF is clearly the better team, or about the same, then assuming they win based on any past makes no sense.
ARdawg
October 24th, 2011
3:44 pm
the Voice
I quit stressing them long ago. I tend to just stick with calling them like I see them nowadays. You make a compelling point though. They did get whipped like a red headed step child by those better teams. One other thing to consider, if UGA was playing those same Bama and LSU teams at that point in time while we laying down for at least 2 quarters per game, would those teams have beaten us the same way?
TampaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:45 pm
They were better in 05 ARDawg but that was the year that DJ Shockley got injured the game prior and we went with Joe Tereshinski for the UF game. Still almost won it.
Unbiased Observer
October 24th, 2011
3:47 pm
Murray is the key; play like he did last year and against SC this year and UGA goes down. If he has no turnovers and manages the game UGA wins. No matter what this game will decide whether CMR returns next year.
Unbiased Observer
October 24th, 2011
3:48 pm
Almost won it a couple of times but almost does not count.
the Voice...of Reason
October 24th, 2011
3:49 pm
@Murphy-we should really worry about Florida’s Qbs
Brantley is 266/431 with 14 TDs and 13 INTs as a starter
Driskel is 16/34 with 0 TDs and 2 INTs this year
Brissett is 13/24 with 1 TD and 3 INTs this year
Murray is 329/540 with 40 TDs and 15 INTs as a starter
The ground shakes for that offensive backfield.
ARdawg
October 24th, 2011
3:53 pm
TampaDawg/Altamaha
Demm filters
Writing it different for the 4th time, we were better 1-4 in Richt’s first 5 years. Zook’s last 3 and Urbans first 2. Out matched and classed during the Tebow years
TampaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:54 pm
As a Dawg fan, I have no issue saying that Tim Tebow may be the greatest college football player ever. Losing to teams with him on it is not a shameful thing.
Dawg48
October 24th, 2011
3:54 pm
I’m sick of talking about the past with Florida. I’m ready to see the dawgster take it back Saturday!!! Go dawgs!
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:55 pm
02 for sure. I’d not assume 03. UF had pretty much the same season we did that year. We won that 5th layer tiebreaker to represent the east. I’d group this in the uber-frustrating losses when the team were fairly even.
05′ we had a better team and that certainly qualifies, but obviously we weren’t Chris Leak Vs Joe Cox first start better.
No way we were the better team in 11. that was our worst team in a decade. UF was a preseason top 10 with back to backclaims at somebodies #1 recruiting classes on the field. They had issue but that’s on Meyer. We were not a more talented team or playing any better.
And I certainly have not heard the argument that our freshman INT machine was better than UF’s 06 NC team.
ARdawg
October 24th, 2011
3:55 pm
Tampadawg
Agree about 05. We were better 02, 03 as well. We just couldn’t pull the trigger.
the Voice...of Reason
October 24th, 2011
3:57 pm
The avergages in this game show that for every TD they throw with Brantley, they will give us a pick. If they do not have Brantley as an option, our DBs will feast.
Murphy
October 24th, 2011
3:57 pm
Tampa Dawg,
I agree.If Florida cant run the ball they are in trouble. They do worry me catching those short passes in space though.
TampaDawg
October 24th, 2011
3:58 pm
Let’s just go beat them about 8 years in a row (ala GT) and make UF talk about this crap on their blogs for about 10 years.
Dawg48
October 24th, 2011
3:59 pm
@ Tampa dawg
That’s what I’m saying!!
Murphy
October 24th, 2011
3:59 pm
@ The Voice,
Stats dont matter here.We just believe we cant win in Jax.Untill we consitantly get this monkey off our backs the 18 out of 21 will continue.Heck we made Zook look like a good coach!!!!!!
Smells weird on the plains
October 24th, 2011
4:00 pm
We have scored a ton of points on muschumps d’s. Over 40+! We have the skilled positions to do the same this week. I will say it again floriduh’s boat is sinking and will take several years to come up for air. Their cycle is still sinking and has not found the bottom of the ocean yet.
the Voice...of Reason
October 24th, 2011
4:01 pm
Florida changed it’s brand name with Spurrier and Meyer. We will never see dominance in this series the way it was in the 80’s and before. That said, there’s no reason to think that it couldn’t be an actual rivalry again like it is with Auburn.
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
4:04 pm
If there was going to be a “mental thing” to worry about, to me its not so much the past. It’s that this is THE game for UF this year. Basically this game is thier season. What can Muschamp do to win ONE game. Richt’s model is more of consistancy over time, But in term of having all the marble in the pot for ONE game, he hasn’t shown that to be his forte’. Of cource no ONE game has ever been his career in the balance.
the Voice...of Reason
October 24th, 2011
4:06 pm
Murphy-
It held true last year as well. Brantley was 16/25 with 0 TDs and a pick. He is nothing more than a mediocre game manager. If Florida can’t run the ball, and I don’t think they will be able to (I’m comparing our defense to LSU, Bama, and AU here, where we are very comparable) Brantley/replacement QB cannot win a game placed on their shoulders. Could you imagine last year’s game with this year’s D and a better Aaron Murray? That’s what you have on Saturday.
Murphy
October 24th, 2011
4:10 pm
@ the Voice,
I agree. I just need this coaching staff to show me something this week.I do think however that Brantley is much improved over last year.I attended the Gator/Bama game this year and do believe if Brantley doesnt go down in the first half this game would have been a little more competative on the Gators behalf. Yes our defense would have been great to have last year for sure.
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
4:10 pm
Last years game not even with a better Murray, Just a better defense.
And just for fun, let’s toss Crowell in that time machine.
TampaDawg
October 24th, 2011
4:12 pm
I just love the lack of troll/Thomas Brown on this blog. Actually makes for a real football blog.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 24th, 2011
4:12 pm
the Voice… heck our D last year and a Murray that makes fewer mistakes would have been good for last year. I just get the feeling that Florida comes out and punks it up. Richt gets the teams playing better and better as the season goes on. Let’s hope the O has some plays in the book.
Murphy
October 24th, 2011
4:12 pm
I would love to see Crowell break a couple of long runs for T.D;s on Saturday
Smells weird on the plains
October 24th, 2011
4:12 pm
Current top 10 Defense in the Country is the JUNKYARD!
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
4:13 pm
it’s not 3:45 am yet.
gdawginkalamazoo
October 24th, 2011
4:13 pm
Heck, maybe just a better choke sign from Grantham could have made the difference last year.
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
4:14 pm
punks it up is bad, right?
AltamahaDawg
October 24th, 2011
4:15 pm
Agree, Gratham never really committed to it. Weak choke sign if you ask me.