UGA football updates on Mitchell, Samuel, Lynch, Murray, Rambo

ATHENS – As promised, here’s a little bit from each of the football players who were available for interviews today at UGA’s Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall.

WR MALCOLM MITCHELL:

The rising sophomore, who wowed the SEC with his big-play ability as a pass-catcher last season, not only hopes to play some defensive back next season, but said he has also raised his hand as a possible kick returner this year.

Mitchell’s not sure how much of any of it Georgia’s coaches will allow him to do. But he’s already working some with the cornerbacks during weekly voluntary workouts on the field.

“I don’t know how seriously Coach Richt is truly looking at it,” he said. “There’s probably a lot he’s still got to think about. I’ll know once spring starts.”

Mitchell said he has met with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and secondary coach Scott Lakatos to discuss the possibilities. All parties have agreed to give him a look at cornerback during spring practice, which begins March 20. But as for the logistics, such as how much he might play on defense or offense next fall and in what situations, he has no idea how that will work.

“I honestly have no idea how it’s going to work,” Mitchell said. “I don’t even try to think about it because that’s something the coaches are going to have to figure out. Whatever they come out with, that’s what I’m going to do.”

In the meantime, Mitchell made it clear he sees himself as a receiver first.

“None of my offensive goals are going to be slowed down by a couple of reps or a lot of reps on defense,” he said. “I still have a job as a receiver; I want a job as a DB, too.”

TB RICHARD SAMUEL

Speaking of possible position changes, tailback Richard Samuel said he’s not expecting one.

The rising fifth-year senior came to the rescue at running back from linebacker before last season. Now, through recruiting and continued development, the Bulldogs suddenly have tailbacks for next season. Highly-touted freshmen Keith Marshall and T.J. Gurley join a group that includes five players with starting experience — Samuel, Isaiah Crowell, Ken Malcome, Carlton Thomas and Brandon Harton.

Since the Bulldogs return only Zander Ogletree at fullback next season — they also add freshman signee Quayvon Hicks — it has been assumed the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Samuel may get some work there. That’s news to him.

“There’s not going to be a switch or anything,” said Samuel, who then added, he “wouldn’t mind” if it did.

“I’m not too worried about staying at one position” he said. “Knowing we have a solid rotation of backs, I’ll play wherever I can get on the field.”

Samuel also said there has been no discussion of a return to inside linebacker, where he spent a redshirt season two years ago. He does, however, hope to get work this season on special teams.

“I tried to get on special teams last year but the coaches wouldn’t let me because we had short numbers on backs,” he said. “But I’m real interested in playing special teams. Freshman and sophomore years I played special teams all the time. I really like it.”

TE ARTHUR LYNCH

To this point, Arthur Lynch has been known mainly as a big, strong tight end who can block with the best of them. But with the graduation of Aron White and Orson Charles’ decision to enter the NFL draft a year early, the Dartmouth, Mass., native finds himself atop the depth chart and ready to prove himself worthy of the all-star legacy Georgia has had at tight end.

“If anything it’s added more pressure on me more than it’s been a sigh of relief,” Lynch said. “It just adds more pressure to become the upperclassman leader. The truth is, it comes down to the fact that I’m the only one who has game experience out of the three tight ends we’ll have on scholarship this fall.”

Lynch will be joined this summer by Jay Rome, who’s currently playing basketball during his redshirt freshman year, and signee Ty Smith of Colquitt County. One or all of them will have to step up to fill the pass-catching shoes of Charles, who caught 45 passes for nearly 600 yards last season.

“I always have things to prove,” said Lynch, who said he is down to 257 pounds from more than 270 early last season. “I’ve talked to Orson and Aron and they seem to have the confidence in me to continue the success we’ve had at the tight end position. I feel like it’s an opportunity for me to make a statement that I’m more than a guy that can block. Obviously that’s my forte and gotten me to where I am today. But I’ve trimmed down a lot the last six or eight months, trying to get a little slimmer, a little faster.”

QB AARON MURRAY

Aaron Murray is back for his third season as the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback. And the redshirt junior said one of the best things about this season is not having to listen to all the “hot seat” talk regarding Georgia’s head coach.

“It’s one less thing to worry about,” said Murray, who met with reporters for a half-hour Thursday afternoon. “Last year, all the talk was, ‘ifyou don’t get to the SEC championship game, you don’t win 10 games, blah, blah, blah, Coach Richt’s gonna be fired.’ I know we don’t talk about it too much. Everybody on the team felt like, ‘hey, we don’t want Coach Richt to leave; we love Coach Richt; we love the rest of the coaches.

“It was stressful, I think not only for us but the coaches. So I think this year everybody’s a little bit more relaxed and feel like, ‘let’s just go out there and play.’ I don’t think anyone’s on the hot seat or worrying about that.”

Murray passed for nearly 3,200 yards with 35 TDs and 14 interceptions last season. But he was at the center of some catostrophic turnovers in losses to South Carolina, LSU and Michigan State.

Murray said he’s working hard to “improve on my footwork,” which he believes will improve his accuracy. “I wasn’t as assurate as I need to be.”

Even if Hutson Mason ends up redshirting as planned — a determination that won’t be made until sometime into the season — Murray is confident the Bulldogs will be fine at his position even if he were to go down with injury. Georgia will be looking to redshirt freshman Christian LeMay as primary backup. It also brought in signee Faton Bauta as an early enrollee and returns veteran walkons Parker Welch and Greg Bingham.

“We have plenty of guys,” he said.

FS BACARRI RAMBO

Bacarri Rambo thought long and hard about entering the draft after last year’s All-American season, in which he led the SEC with 8 interceptions. But he said he came back because, as a unit, Georgia’s defense believes it will be one of the best in the nation next season and can lead the Bulldogs to great things.

The Bulldogs return 10 starters on defense, counting defensive end Garrison Smith, who started the last three games for the injured DeAngelo Tyson. As a result, Rambo believes Georgia will be one of the most sophisticated defenses around.

“We can get deeper in the playbook because we’ve all got another year under our belts under Coach Grantham’s scheme,” he said. “I know he’s going to have fun with us now because we all know what we’re doing.”

Of course, Georgia was already going to have to replace Paul Hornung Award winner Brandon Boykin at one cornerback and now senior starter Sanders Commings is going to be suspended the first two games at the other corner position. Then DBs Nick Marshall and Chris Sanders were dismissed for team rules violations in January.

“We lost some great young players that had a lot of talent,” Rambo said. “But we have a lot of other good players, too, and we’re all just going to have to step up. The older guys have got to keep working with the younger guys and make sure they know how they’ve got to act and how they’ve got to play.”

Of course, Rambo was suspended for Georgia’s opening game last season before going on to an all-star year. He said he reminded Commings of that after a domestic violence arrest led to his punishment.

“He’s just got to live through it,” Rambo said. “I told him, ‘that’s a minor setback for a major comeback.’ I’ve been telling him to not let that get him down, to keep working hard and focusing on what’s ahead of him.”

Meanwhile, Rambo expects Branden Smith and Damian Swann to man the corners in Georgia’s base defense. And he believes that Mitchell guy can help, too.

“He looks real impressive as a corner,” Boykin said of the star wide receiver. “I feel like he’ll understand more about receivers than we do and that’ll probably help him.”

That’s all for now. More later. . . .

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/2012/03/01/1954206/murray-hot-seat-talk-was-stressful.html#storylink=cpy

112 comments Add your comment

GDawg

March 1st, 2012
6:17 pm

bhamdawg

March 1st, 2012
6:23 pm

JPG

March 1st, 2012
6:29 pm

Samuel absolutely needs to be moved to fullback. I can’t see the coaches wanting to hand him the ball over any of the returning tailbacks or incoming freshmen. Last year, when he carried the ball he just lowered his head and ran right into people, which is what you want out of a lead blocker. Make him an offensive linebacker who hits people and allows the guys who can scat do their thing!

Dawg Tired

March 1st, 2012
6:30 pm

Mitchell is big-time!We need more like him.

BigDawg

March 1st, 2012
6:39 pm

Excited about next year, GATA!!

D A DoubleU G

March 1st, 2012
6:40 pm

To think how close Mitchell was to signing with Bama, and his surprise announcement last winter.

So glad we have him. Be prepared for the “Champ” comparisons for hopefully the next 3 seasons.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater

March 1st, 2012
6:45 pm

Doesn’t UGA still have the QB who transferred from Boise?? Move Samuel to FB & Mitchell to DB…we need help in the secondary

Augusta dawg

March 1st, 2012
6:46 pm

September can’t get here quick enough. Gonna be a special year. GATA

SEC Observer

March 1st, 2012
6:49 pm

@BigDawg, obviously it’s the off season when the Dawgs are always number 1 but then the season starts and reality sets in :)

SEC Observer

March 1st, 2012
6:51 pm

@Augusta dawg it’s still the same cast of charactors :)

Dawg Haus

March 1st, 2012
7:02 pm

Good words from some DGDs!

Dawg Haus

March 1st, 2012
7:07 pm

If there’s anyone to try to follow in Boykin’s footsteps, I’d say Mitchell is as good a candidate as anyone. He definitely has the motor, and the heart, to do it.

Brunker

March 1st, 2012
7:17 pm

Really looking forward to Mitchell, he’s the real deal.

Murray’s right about depth at QB. Can’t wait to see Lemay again, man, he looked so good last G-Day taking the team down for game winning drive. Lemay won National Junior of the year in High School, he truly is an elite guy. Mason did a fine job in his few looks in 2011.

Tight end isn’t used at UGA, so Artie can hang it up.

Close...

March 1st, 2012
7:23 pm

@SEC Observer – the real difference this year is that the schedule got EVEN EASIER.

bamadawg

March 1st, 2012
7:25 pm

Thanks Chip, A little good news goes along way. Also, if we end up with 9 sec games per year I still want to play GT every year. That leaves 2 non conference games. Maybe that should be mandated in the SEC. Ten FBS games and 2 lesser. What do ya’ll think!!

FL Dawg

March 1st, 2012
7:26 pm

Is Richard Samuel a DGD or what? Gotta love that attitude.

Bobo, Bobo, a Pirate's life for me

March 1st, 2012
7:28 pm

poor Richard, i hope he gets an offer from an NFL team, the kid is such a team player, and truely skilled just hasn’t had enough time at any one position…

Old Dawg

March 1st, 2012
7:29 pm

Samuel would be a great fullback. Not just for blocking but also for catching the fullback screen UGA ran a few years back. Once he gets into the open field his speed takes over.

Bobo, Bobo, a Pirate's life for me

March 1st, 2012
7:29 pm

Van Nuys Place

March 1st, 2012
7:31 pm

Could you also update us on whether any of these goons have passed a single legitimate college course (not that there are many of those at UGA).

bitter dawgs fan

March 1st, 2012
7:38 pm

@TROLLS-AKA-TREE KILLERS-AKA-TUSK-A-LOOSERS, Mithchel is a gifted player who could play every down, including punting and kicking duties. I would like to see him replace TURNOVER MURRY

AT QB and throw to himself, he runs fast enough. he is better than “golden bagger” AKA–HONEY

——————MITCHELL IS THE ——————–REAL DEAL———–

Jaws

March 1st, 2012
7:39 pm

Nice to see Lynch get an opportunity. Watching him in the spring game and when he went in this yr, he was the best TE blocker they had. He reallynshouldnhave been used much more. The kid has great hands too, but was overshadowed by OC.

Taco Meat

March 1st, 2012
7:39 pm

LOL Van Nuys! U mad son?

DWdawg

March 1st, 2012
7:40 pm

I wish they all had Samuel’s attitude

A person SMART enough to know......

March 1st, 2012
7:41 pm

took 23 posts to call out the Miss spelling or 35:55minute MURRAY’s miss use of a word.

Brunker

March 1st, 2012
7:47 pm

The defense should set some records this year. Seen the schedule? Only one ranked team to be found, South Carolina. If Grantham can’t finish #1 with this schedule, he never will. Rambo could pout up even better numbers than last year, true, teams will avoid his side of the field, but if Jarvis & Smith & Ogletree can get some pressure on the QB, and they surely will, expect Rambo to get 12-15 pick opportunities.

A bunch of guys could go pro after this year, and rake in the big $$$$.

But the catch is, they gotta do more than get blown out 42-10 in the Sec Champ, need to win that one, and win the Natl one too.

Nub

March 1st, 2012
7:51 pm

Any report on where the o line has been? Or fullback … Or throwing the ball to Orson Charles more than once per game…. How bout being so thin at TB that you have to move RS back to TB… Maybe they have been hanging with Bruce Figgins …If you are going to line him up at FB for Pete sack throw him the ball a time or two… The offensive coaches at UGA have been out to lunch since Richt handed the reins over to Bobo… Maybe further back than that … cause Richt had his greatest success with Donnan’s recruits…

Dawg_Mike

March 1st, 2012
7:51 pm

I am hearing that Crowell is very impressive in his studies as well as his workouts.
He must have saw the handwriting on the old wall, so to speak.
Thats good- show us.

Fred Flintstone

March 1st, 2012
7:58 pm

Only 184 days till kick-off. Yabba,Dabba,Do.

Champion Dawg

March 1st, 2012
8:08 pm

This Fall, Dawgs have Number 1 Defense. Coach Grantham just hold top offenses under 18 points. Of course we want goose eggs. Coach Bobo our Offense should Offend people. Goal Hang half a hundred on the enemy. Aaron Murray execute the offense. Make sure your Offensive team mates execute and come off the ball and block someone. Turnovers should and will come down. Cut int.s, do not run Aaron, throw it away. Let your line block, backs tote it, receivers catch and yac it. You run the show. Get the dang ball to the intended target. Keep possession. Stay on the field. Execute. Special teams be Special please. Coach Richt, you are my Coach. Follow your own slogan, “FINISH THE DAWG GONE DRILL BABY!!!”

A person SMART enough to know......

March 1st, 2012
8:33 pm

Champion Daws got cheer for the Women’s Swimming & Diving Team, women’s Equestrian team, or the GYM dawgs and you can be a champion dwag.

Verne Lundquist

March 1st, 2012
8:45 pm

I’m gonna go out on a limb here, maybe not, but the Georgia defense will pitch AT LEAST 4 shutouts in 2012. The defense is going to be dominant. TEN returning starters from a defense that finished top 5 in the country? Gonna be great.

Verne Lundquist

March 1st, 2012
8:47 pm

And Damian Swann will prove to be a true shutdown corner. We won’t miss Commings against Mizzou. Smith and Swann will do very well. Mizzou doesn’t have the O-line to deal with Jarvis Jones and John Jenkins/Kwame Geathers. They just can’t do it.

Verne Lundquist

March 1st, 2012
8:51 pm

Don’t get me wrong, Mizzou is a good team, just not good enough for 4 quarters to compete with an SEC team like UGA. Mizzou has a few stars like James Franklin at QB but he won’t be able to escape the pressure from our defense.

Paddy

March 1st, 2012
8:53 pm

Old Dawg….I too would like to see RS at fullback. I hear about this tremendous speed he has. I have yet to see that breakaway speed that everyone says he has. Sometime in 4 years it must be shown to us in a game. Practice does not count. RS is a DGD!

WestOfAthens

March 1st, 2012
9:03 pm

Thanks for all you do Chip
HBTD

Herschel Talker

March 1st, 2012
9:05 pm

I asked this question once and never really got a good answer. Can anyone answer why Richt will have 5 scholarships allocated to QBs out of 85 possible assuming Brice Ramsey signs next year (and assuming Murray returns for his senior year – we’d have Murray, Mason, Lemay, Bauta, and Ramsey)? That seems like a high percentage of scholarships to QBs considering it doesn’t look like anyone but Murray will see playing time anytime soon and considering how deficient we are in other positions like OL.

Any thoughts here would be appreciated.

HT

A person SMART enough to know......

March 1st, 2012
9:11 pm

What is the UGa v Kentucky score?

Mobile Dawg

March 1st, 2012
9:28 pm

I see two possibilities on the QB situation. One, Richt is not very good at roster management, two, he figured to lose at least one QB due to his stubborn position as AM being the only one getting playing time.

Techster

March 1st, 2012
9:29 pm

Dogs are getting beat and dogs will be beat, bad.

Now I know that the dogs have been known to commit crimes, but getting hauled off to jail for stealing hash browns…that beats everything.

drbasic

March 1st, 2012
9:58 pm

it is 19 to 37 at half….can’t hit the broad side of a barn!!

bsg3003

March 1st, 2012
9:59 pm

Don’t know why eeryone ismaking a big deal outta the hash brown thing. I thought it was funny. It was probably a bet or something.

drbasic

March 1st, 2012
10:02 pm

have not been in college in years; but, are the hashbrowns like a big square tator-tot thing…..or they more like maybe waffle house…scattered smothered covered topped and chunked…..just asking

flo-ri-duh

March 1st, 2012
10:17 pm

It’s really sad that such a fuss was made over hash browns and the girl’s name should never have been made public. How embarrassing. Maybe she can’t afford the food. Is that funny or sad?

Castle Pines Canine

March 1st, 2012
10:41 pm

Smart enough to know, doesn’t know anything about quarter back.

funny...

March 1st, 2012
10:42 pm

Yeah, describing Murray’s accuracy as assuracy is about right.

Don’t know if he’s the one responsible for the LSU loss though. He didn’t kick to Mathieu and he didn’t drop 2 TD passes.

Chris

March 1st, 2012
10:51 pm

are we forgetting how good samuel was the three games leading up to his injury???? Keep the man at running back

Buzz 2011

March 1st, 2012
11:22 pm

Clarke County jail in Athens has placed orders for cases of hash browns… The word is that hash browns will be served every meal for Dawg inmates…….Go Dawgs and easy on the salt!!!

Buzz 2011

March 1st, 2012
11:24 pm

Why didn’t Fox take the first string team to play in Lexington. The Dawgs will win it all in the SEC…Best since Hugh Durham..

Buzz 2012

March 1st, 2012
11:29 pm

CPJ will totally dominate Georgia again this year, just like he did in 2008! If there’s one thing you can count on, it’s Tech whipping up on Georgia.

Time

March 2nd, 2012
12:01 am

Bama trolls everywhere. Tech trolls everywhere. The obsession you folks have with UGA is unhealthy. Really, seek help.

Biggest news here is Mitchell wants to play corner. I’d prefer him to just concentrate on being the biggest beast of a WR in all of college football. Which he has the potential to be. Maybe bring him in as a dime corner in prevent or something.

dawgforlife

March 2nd, 2012
12:04 am

leave it to a Tech fan to know what our womens volleyball team does…what can you say they can’t help it?…Buzz, tech has as much chance of beating UGA this year as I do winning the Boston Marathon and I’m not even running it…lol…10 of 11 baby…deal with it…

Thomas Brown

March 2nd, 2012
2:57 am

Aaron Murray said he’s working hard to “improve on my footwork,” which he believes will improve his accuracy. “I wasn’t as assurate as I need to be.”
___________________________________________________________
# 72 QB nationally Pass Completion Percentage

http://espn.go.com/college-football/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/completionPct/count/41

Boise State : 7 carries minus 33 yards, 1 interception, 16 of 29 passing 2 TD, 6 Sacks

South Carolina : 6 carries 11 yards, 2 Fumbles, 1 interception, 19 of 29 passing 4 TD, 2 Sacks

LSU : 8 carries minus 5 yards, 1 Fumble, 2 interceptions, 16 of 40 passing 1 TD, 4 Sacks

Michigan State : 8 carries minus 13 yards, 1 Fumble, 2 interceptions, 20 of 32 passing 2 TD, 4 Sacks

Totals in 4 Losses : 29 carries minus 40 yards, 4 Fumbles, 6 interceptions, 71 of 130 Passing 9 TD, 16 Sacks

Stinger2

March 2nd, 2012
4:37 am

UGA fans continue to gloat over their dominace of GT in football. Then a few say they want to continue the series so that they are assured of a win. o.k. with me as a GT fan. The good news for us is there will be another win at some point. Since its now 10 of 11 for UGA its got to be soner than later. Until when it happens, relax GT fans, the sun will continue to rise in the east.

Thomas Brown

March 2nd, 2012
4:51 am

Obsessed with nothing but beating us, even if it is 1 out of 11 games you’ve won against our current coach, that’s fine with Georgia tek fans (both of you.)

G-Dawg

March 2nd, 2012
7:03 am

Samuels to fullback? you gotta be kidding me. A DGD…but not the place to utilize his talents…prefer moving him back to LB. Hope someone scoops him up in the 2013 draft. Lots of heart, determination, and talent.

[...] here’s a roundup of quotes from several Dawgs who were at yesterday’s talk to the [...]

G. Tanner

March 2nd, 2012
7:31 am

Richard Samuel is unselfish and a leader. He was the spark in the win over the Gators. Wherever and whenever you can get him on the field, do it.

G. Tanner

March 2nd, 2012
7:34 am

Thomas Brown, the troll, not the real one, is right. UGA would have won 12 games if not for Aaron Murray turnover meltdowns. I hope Murray can correct that. And that Thomas Brown, the troll, not the real one will go play in traffic.

Ore-Ida

March 2nd, 2012
7:36 am

Pants full o’ ‘browns!
Pants full o’ ‘browns!
Headed to da’ pokey
Wid’ yo’ pants full o’ ‘browns!

Bulldawgman46

March 2nd, 2012
7:51 am

Just call Samuel Hybrid fullback , You got a RB and FB in one use each talent where needed to mix things up .

Thomas Brown

March 2nd, 2012
7:59 am

We recruited our 1st actual real fullback in the last 6 recruiting classes just last month, one of 200 available fullbacks each of the last 6 recruiting classes. The very last move needed to be made now is to 1-move Richard Samuel IV yet again, 2-not play our true fullback, 3-try to find some position where Richard Samuel IV can get on the field such as back to linebacker for his now senior year this up-coming season. He will get plenty of carries at Tailback this season.

If the coaching staff cannot figure out what position the player is supposed to be at by the time his senior season is upon him here, then don’t come running in here whining to me that they are a criticized coaching staff who are, have been, will be, continue to be, doing a great job of coaching these highly rated recruits they sign every year.

Taylor Wooten

March 2nd, 2012
8:03 am

If UGA was smart, they would be looking for any and all ways to get the ball in the hands of Malcolm Mitchell. He is a game breaker, game changer.

ole yeller

March 2nd, 2012
8:06 am

King Richard should be healthy for 2012. Coach “R” want move King Richard no time soon because he has too many ??????? at “RB”. Remember what King Richard did to Flordia in the fourth Qt. last season in J’ville. He is big, strong and a good “RB”. He is also a team player and if these young pups can produce King Richard will go where needed.

Albert

March 2nd, 2012
8:07 am

It takes an idiot to come on here and talk trash when their team has won only one game in eleven against UGA.

ugab

March 2nd, 2012
8:08 am

Murray better hold his own next season..MR is still on the Hot Seat. There are plenty of fans that know the last 5 yrs have been a embarrassment for Ga football.. Last season came with a easy schedule. I believe the ranked teams beat MR..EX Boised,SC, MS, and LSU… ???? The bottom line is MR has plenty of RBs with no OL to block. I still can’t stand it when MR pulls a hot RB out of the game..WTH…Boykin is going to be hard to replace with his size and talent…The defense will have a weakness. I seen plenty of room for improvement on the defense last season. If the players and coaches are content that they will just be good for returning 10 players, then the players and coaches have a ruid awakening… The offseason will prove if a team is going to be good or not..The way it sounds MR is staying at home these days.. The players are not going to work hard and strive for perfection without coaches on them all the time..

zbulldawg

March 2nd, 2012
8:09 am

It’s so nice to have depht ! Samuel will play in NFL. Learning different positions will increase his chances.This defense WILL compare to the top defenses in college football history. Use TE’s more? 60 plus catches is pretty strong ! And that’s counting the drops. Maybe you need to use your eyes more & your mouth less.Go Dawgs

ugab

March 2nd, 2012
8:13 am

We will see how good of shape the players are in this month.. It just sounds like the defense thinks they everything is going to be given to them..LOL It does not matter how many players are returning.

"poor Richard, i hope he gets an offer from an NFL team"

March 2nd, 2012
8:14 am

“the kid is such a team player, and truely skilled just hasn’t had enough time at any one position…”

That is because HE CANNOT PLAY…

"We will see how good of shape the players are in this month.. "

March 2nd, 2012
8:16 am

…Who cares about this month – the only time “being in shape counts” is during the friggin’ season…

"Murray better hold his own next season.."

March 2nd, 2012
8:17 am

…Well, nobody else is going to hold “it” for him…

ugab

March 2nd, 2012
8:19 am

Samuel might need to go to fullback. I do not like trying to play 5 or more back in one game..Play the best back , who can run, block, and catch. Redshirt the other RBs to get playing time and an extra season to play.. IC is the best back for running the ball..IC needs to work on protecting Murray this off season. We will see alot of Max protect with an weak OL.. The back who can block and pick up the SEC blitzes needs to play. I do not see any rb better than IC.. Get IC some blocking and he will take it to the house. The Running game was not existant the last 4 games. SCARY

Wow, Dagny...

March 2nd, 2012
8:19 am

…you obviously have no clue as to anything in life, so you may go back to bed now…

ole yeller

March 2nd, 2012
8:19 am

i don’t understand about the “OL” being thin. Have you checked out the depth chart. The cubbard isn’t bare from where i see it. There are over (12) “OL” players competing for playing time. They maybe Game green but far from coached green. Remember they practice against the number 4 team in the nation in total “D”. Doesn’t that count for something.

ugab

March 2nd, 2012
8:25 am

Who was that player MR switched around to TE, FB, and DE.. MR knows how to waste a players career… IT DOES MATTER WHAT THE PLAYERS ARE DOING ON THE OFF SEASON. THAT IS THE TIME TO IMPROVE AND STAY IN SHAPE.. DOES ANYONE HERE THINK SABAN’S TEAM IS TAKING A FREAKN BREAK.. THIS IS WHY MR ALWAYS LOSES HIS FIRST 2 OR 3 GAMES.. THING ABOUT IT. THEY ARE NEVER PREPARED.. 1 OK, WEAK SCHEDULE SEASON AND EVERYONE THINKS MR IS THE MAN. WE WATCHED MR HAVE SOME TERRIBLE SEASON THE LAST 6 YRS.. HE SHOULD OF BEEN FIRED. MR WON WITH ANOTHER COACHES PLAYERS AND THAT IS IT

uncle kirk

March 2nd, 2012
9:09 am

Well ugab, doesn’t it say something for Richt to win with someone else’s players when they couldn’t win with them. You are so dumb you give compliments when trying to insult…

John

March 2nd, 2012
9:28 am

Also left out Boise transfer Michael Tamburo in the depth at quarterback. He sat out last year due to transfer rule and is a similar build and mobility to Murray’s. Preferred walk-on for UGA, but was on scholarship at Boise St.

dawgfan

March 2nd, 2012
9:31 am

ole yeller, we’ve got the numbers but apparently these guys aren’t being coached up to be SEC championship caliber O-linemen. You must not have watched our bowl game. Michigan State was all up in our backfield on every single running play. It was humiliating for our O-line, and those guys had a lot of experience. We just aren’t tough up front on offense in the running game. I attribute it to poor coaching and poor offensive philosopy by our offensive coordinator. Mike Bobo has no interest in a physical running game. I am convinced of it.

Thanks.

John

March 2nd, 2012
9:31 am

Did you see Mitchell in high school? He was a monster on defense! I am ecstatic about him getting reps at corner – the number 1 rated corner in America per Rivals last year. There was a time when it went without question you played both ways if you had the talent.

Go Dawgs!!

John

March 2nd, 2012
9:41 am

dawgfan, Glenn and Anderson were forced to play tackle and we had to go with tighter splits due to this fact. MSU was the one team able to capitalize on this, but we still should have handily won this game with Boykin’s incredible performance. Next year will see true tackles at the positions: Theus, Beard, Long, Ward and Gates (whose frame is much better suited than Glenn and Anderson). Glenn and Anderson will be excellent NFL guards and were awesome Dawgs to boot. We had a luxury of talented guards and took advantage of it. It cost us when we finally faced LSU and MSU. Our OT recruiting has been much better the past three years with the exception of Benedict leaving us.

dawgfan

March 2nd, 2012
9:52 am

I hope you’re right. You seem to know more than I do. I just know what I see on the field and it hasn’t been pretty. It also seems like we always have the kind of personnel problems that you speak of. We’re always mixing and matching. We’ve got tackles at guard and guards at tackle. I think there was even one instance where we were thin at center and some guy was getting reps who had never even played center before. WTH? I don’t have any specifics to back that up. Just going on memory. Anyway, we’ve got wide recievers and running backs coming out of our ears. I just don’t get excited about some 5 star whiz kid at wide reciever or running back anymore. We need a bunch of 5 star whiz kids on the O-line if we’re going to get where we want to be.

Thanks for reading.

Wow, ugab...

March 2nd, 2012
10:00 am

…you really are dumb (sometimes) – I will give you “IT DOES MATTER WHAT THE PLAYERS ARE DOING ON THE OFF SEASON. THAT IS THE TIME TO IMPROVE AND STAY IN SHAPE.. DOES ANYONE HERE THINK SABAN’S TEAM IS TAKING A FREAKN BREAK” –

However, there are 31/2 COMPLETE months between the end of spring practice and the start of the pre-season in August. THAT is the time that the players need to get in, and stay in, shape for the season. The winter conditioning drills and spring practive are for seeing who is dedicated to “getting better” (the winter drills), and then learning on the field during pring practice. Hence, “getting in shape” for the winter and spring amount to ZERO, as far as the season is concerned…

And, Saban has position coaches who coach their players “UP”, unlike UGA who seemingly just coaches their players in order to take home their $100K + paychecks while turning out mediocre players who get tired in the second half of games (see the LSU, MSU, Boise and SC games)…

PreyDawg

March 2nd, 2012
10:17 am

Samuel is the most underatted player on this team. His extremely physical runs in the second half against Florida not only won that game, but set a tone of the Auburn game as well. Samuel personifies ‘team”. When we needed him at Linebacker he went there, When we needed him to move back to Running back he moved there again.

I hate so much that he busted his ankle against Florida. If he had been able to run like he did against Florida in the early 3rd quarter against LSU…we win the SEC championship. Yes. I said it. Instead of Thomas (who is a good back in his own way. I am not knocking him) getting brought down by one big paw of the D lineman and giving us a 3rd and long. Samuel would have busted through. Then there was 15 yards of open green. That would have set a completely different tone for the second half. Seeing Samuel rock the honey badger would have got the team back like they were in the 1st quarter.

Samuel is a DGDawg!!!!

Alphare

March 2nd, 2012
10:31 am

Chip,

you should have titled like “On paper, UGA is invincible”

Ga.Tech #1

March 2nd, 2012
10:43 am

Hey dog fans. That was quite a whomping your “basketball team” took from Ky. last night.

Gator

March 2nd, 2012
10:47 am

Thomas, you do realize the stats you post sacks are counted as rushes and rushing yards for Murray.
Again your stats only emphasizing the negative, why do not post the passing yardage?For instance against south carolina he actually ran the ball 4 times for 26 yards, just one example of your skewed stats.Using South carolina as an example again he threw for 4 TD’s on a defense that only allowed 18 passing tds all year and were 2nd in nation vs the pass the whole picture thomas never paints it.

Ghost

March 2nd, 2012
11:05 am

@Ga Tech #1, Are you seriously coming on here to talk about our unranked BB team losing to the #1 team in nation? How the BB season going for tech? LOL Boston college picked up its 2nd win in 12 games vs Tech . What a DA.

Thomas Brown

March 2nd, 2012
11:31 am

19 Losses his 5 years at UGA for Jim Donnan
21 Losses his last 5 years at UGA Mark Richt

Gator

March 2nd, 2012
12:11 pm

Mark Richt 4 eastern division titles Jim Donnan 0, Mark Richt 6 top 10 finishes Jim Donnan 1.
Mark Richt 2 SEC titles Donnan 0 , Mark Richt 3 BCS bowls Jim Donnan 0. Mark Richt winning record vs every SEC team except UF and 3-4 vs LSU. Donnan had losing record vs FL, Aub, Tech and Tennessee. Last 5 years Richt is 2-3 vs Florida, Donnan 1-4. As usual like his stats Thomas never paints the whole picture . Kind of like Murray rushing stats.

Jeff

March 2nd, 2012
12:13 pm

Murray said he’s working hard to “improve on my footwork,” which he believes will improve his accuracy. “I wasn’t as assurate as I need to be.”

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME- WHEN IS THIS GUY GOING TO STEP UP AND QUIT MAKING MISTAKES THAT COST US BALLGAMES…..OR BETTER YET, WHEN IS THIS COACHING STAFF GOING TO HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE……KEEP IT UP MURRAY AND THE HOT SEAT TALK WILL RETURN- NOTHING IS IN STONE-

Kyle

March 2nd, 2012
12:14 pm

Hey Murray- did the footwork cause the fumbles???????????????????????????

Kyle

March 2nd, 2012
12:16 pm

Murray is confident the Bulldogs will be fine at his position even if he were to go down with injury.
hmmmm….he is right, it cant get any worse than a pick 6 we get with murray

Gator

March 2nd, 2012
12:25 pm

Kyle , How many wins without Murray? He has much room for improvement but is top 2 qb in the league. Not every interception is the Qbs fault , just like every sack not the fault of the line.

A person SMART enough to know......

March 2nd, 2012
12:32 pm

Gator keep thinking 35:55minuter MURRAY is the one of the top 2 QBs in the SEC. he has had the benefit of a bad schedule one year and being a freshmen the other but his good stats are against just bad teams.

uncle kirk

March 2nd, 2012
12:44 pm

Yeah but, a person smart enough to know….he was 4-7 his last year with the players Richt won with so it sounds like Richt could win with Donnan’s players…and Donnan couldn’t. Maybe Donnan got most of his wins with Goff”s players. HMMMMMM

Bama-Home of the T-bag special

March 2nd, 2012
12:45 pm

@Gator word to the wise you can’t have a logical discussion about Murray with any member of troll nation..sorry that is just the way it is.

Gator

March 2nd, 2012
1:00 pm

Smart. I didn’t realize that the qb is solely responsible for wins and losses.

Bama-Home of the T-bag special

March 2nd, 2012
1:09 pm

@Gator see what I mean??

A person SMART enough to know......

March 2nd, 2012
1:29 pm

Bama-Home of the T-bag special and that comes with an order of Monistat 7 Hash Browns.

Gator

March 2nd, 2012
1:47 pm

Smart, its obvious you’ve never played the sport in your life , did Murray, or bobo drop every pass , miss every FG or block. Football is a team sport it only takes one person out of 11 to make a mistake that would result in possible failure. But people like you never have thrown an interception, dropped a pass, much less completed or caught and pass, run for a td , thrown a block or made a tackle to realize this. Every program and team hit down periods. Guess you would fired Bear Bryant after Bama went 12-10 in 69-70? you are nothing more than a know nothing troll, Try the duke board where your team and opinion may be relevant.

LogicalUS

March 2nd, 2012
3:30 pm

“defense should set some records this year”

Shhhhh…this is the group that got blistered by Vandy and was gashed by UF until Brantley lost all motion, and was torched by BSU, SC, LSU, and Michigan State. But they were AWESOME against Coastal, New Mexico St. and UK.

The AJC beaners are doing their delusional fans NO FAVORS by hyping this overrated bunch who just finished the season giving up 75 pts over their last two games.

Gator

March 2nd, 2012
4:02 pm

Logical, Shhh the defense didn’t give up all those points. But go back to your little tech world and pretend like the Georgia defense will not be great with 2 1st team ap all americans and 10 starters returning.its not only the AJC but most everyone that knows anything about football realizes the type potential this years defense has and hasn’t been hesitant to write about it.But its ok you can have your little uneducated opinion.

everyday

March 2nd, 2012
4:21 pm

man how much time do these Bama fans devote to UGA blogs? It’s a sad existence.

Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)

March 2nd, 2012
5:54 pm

@ Buzz 2011:

Thousands of profesional COMEDIANS out of work and we get you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)

March 2nd, 2012
5:58 pm

@ Gator(4:02 pm post)

Extremely well put friend!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the classy post.

Brainiac(Dawg for life/Richt fan for life)

March 2nd, 2012
6:08 pm

@ Smart:

Murray was rated HIGHER than that under achiever at O Bama U/Grayshirt U. If y’all had a QB y’all may have won your own division which would have given y’all a shot at The SEC Championship which would have given y”all a LEGITIMATE shot at The MNC. Am I going too fast for you???

redhammer

March 4th, 2012
10:15 am

Murray’s issue isn’t footwork, it’s poise. I was watching a replay of the Bowl game yesterday, and we were way up in that game early, due to King having a big day. then Murray’s fumble cut the 16-0 lead to 16-8. Then Murray thew and int and started the 2nd half with an pick 6 int. Poise was the issue, kid panics in pressure situations. Can’t fix it.

A Hot Seat Candidate

March 4th, 2012
9:06 pm

Aaron Murray OUGHT TO BE ON the UGA QB hot seat but he will not be.

He has done NOTHING as UGA’s recordd setting QB like Zeke Bradkowski did or Eric Zeir, tons of yards and TDS but no cigars. In the SEC to win it all, you better know how to power run the ball and Rictht hates that.

We shall see.

UGA man class of 71 & 73

Panic

March 4th, 2012
9:10 pm

Murray DOES PANIC …………………he bites his nails on the sideline and that tells me he is too hyper to win big …………..he is too emotional to win big. He is simply too nervous and within the huddle, very likely the O kids hear his nervousness in his speech patterns and then, they feel it coming on ………………..a fumble or a typical AM quick 6 pic.

The game goes south ………………..David Green was NOT that way or Shockley or Belue, I suspect. It is that simple ……………………QB Murray is a choke artist under pressure and we see it over and over again.

Go Dogs
UGA man, class of 71 & 73, married to UGA gal, 73.

We'll See in Nov.

March 5th, 2012
8:32 am

I love how, in an article about FOOTBALL, gt fans continually bring up academics and basketball. As if their bball team is doing anything this year and their football team is made up a bunch of scholars. These threads are all the same. If you’ve read one, you’ve read them all. We’ll see what happens in November. Wait, I can tell you what will happen, UGA will dominate gt and tech fans will retort with talk of bball and academics.

[...] Aaron Murray is working this off-season on improving his footwork, and in turn, he hopes that will improve his accuracy. Murray threw for nearly 3,200 yards and 35 touchdowns, with 14 interceptions last season. Murray completed 59.1 percent of his passes a year ago, but he was at some fault for turnovers against LSU, South Carolina and Michigan State. [AJC] [...]

dogSTILE

March 6th, 2012
8:26 am

The word on the much bally-who’d ‘internet dirt sheets” is that several UGA players are under investigation by school officials for “unauthorized contact” with boosters. We are talking about cars, hotel rooms, and credit card payments. More information as it comes out. Stay tuned.