UGA sports blog

Georgia's Ken Malcome has embraced his role on the team as a power runner who 'can carry the load.' (UGA photo by Rob Saye)

ATHENS – This past summer, Ken Malcome said he hoped Georgia fans would call him by his hometown nickname of “Boo.” Less than a year later, Malcome has put the kibosh on that.

“I actually kind of stopped that,” Malcome said this past week. “Next year if I have a good year, I’ll let people call me that. I figured I haven’t done anything so I don’t deserve to be called Boo yet. I’ve told everybody just to call me Ken for now.”

Silly as it may seem, such a proclamation is just another sign of the tremendous growth in maturity the Bulldogs are observing in Malcome. The soon-to-be redshirt sophomore from Decatur started at tailback for the No. 1 offense in the G-Day Game this past Saturday. Not even six months before that, Malcome sat in coach Mark Richt’s office informing him of his intention to transfer due to a lack of playing time and general …

Continue reading Tailback Ken Malcome is on track for success with Bulldogs »

Russell Henley hoist the winner's trophy after winning last years Stadion Classic at UGA Nationwide Tournament while still an amatuer. (Photo by Robert Matre reprinted with permission)

ATHENS – It’s good to be a “Dawg” these days. At least that’s what former members of the UGA golf team are saying.

Three of them were back on campus on Monday as part of media day for the Stadion Classic at UGA. The annual Nationwide Tour event on the UGA Golf Course is set to tee off May 3-6. Defending champion Russell Henley – who won last year’s tournament while still a senior at Georgia – Hudson Swafford and Richard Scott are now Nationwide regulars and are back to play again. Scott, who played on the Bulldogs’ 2005 national championship team, is also a Nationwide player and accepted a sponsor’s exemption from the Stadion on Monday.

They represent a small part of what has been a really big year in pro golf for the Bulldogs. You may recall that 2000-2001 UGA letterman Bubba Watson recently …

Continue reading Bubba Watson not only Bulldog burning it up in pro golf »

Sophomore tailback Isaiah Crowell showed good form for the Red team during Saturday's G-Day Game at Sanford Stadium. (AJC photo by Johnny Crawford)

G-DAY GAME REPORT
By CHIP TOWERS & TIM TUCKER

Reuben Faloughi slapped the ball loose from quarterback Parker Welch and outside linebacker Ricky Lowe snatched it out of the air in mid-stride and returned it 62 yards for a touchdown.

“Ricky Lowe making a play,” Georgia coach Mark Richt marveled afterward. “That was awesome!”

Executed with just 1:40 left in the fourth quarter, that proved to be the game-winning play as Lowe’s Red team held on to defeat the Black 32-31 before 44,117. Made by one former and one current walkon, it was AJC Play of the Day for G-Day.

“That was more contact on the quarterback than we’ve had all spring,” Richt said with a laugh. “ . . . But the ball got hit, pops up and Ricky made a play and takes it to the house.”

That play represented one half of a surprisingly exciting ending to an otherwise dull …

Continue reading Backups come up with play of game as Red edges Black 32-21 in G-Day Game »

ATHENS – Greetings from Sanford Stadium on an absolutely gorgeous Saturday afternoon. It’s 75 degrees and there isn’t a cloud in the sky that I can see from the South side press box.

The teams just came on the field to start their warmups for the 3 p.m. start. The Red Team, featuring the No. 1 offense, is dressed in red jerseys. The Black Team, featuring the No. 1 defense, is in white jerseys. If you’re unable to be here for the game, you’ll be able to watch a television replay at 5 p.m. this evening. In the meantime, the Georgia Bulldog Radio Network is broadcasting the game so check your local networks to listen in.

There’s been a lot going on in Athens all day. The baseball team is playing Ole Miss up at Foley Field. There was a fundraiser for Kasyn Olivadotti — the 4-year-old daughter of UGA linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti — who is battling Leukemia (check the Kasyn Cares Fund at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to see what you can do). And there was a flag football game …

Continue reading It’s Red vs. Black as UGA’s annual G-Day gets underway »

Athens – Georgia on Friday released its annual list of spring football practice awards.

Highlighting the list was most valuable player awards for quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Hutson Mason on offense and outside linebacker Jarvis Jones and noseguard John Jenkins on defense. Also, for the second year in a row, offensive lineman Kolton Houston came away with the coveted “Coffee County Hustle Award.” He shared it this year with defensive end Garrison Smith and walkon wideout Michael Erdman.

Here’s the full list:

• MVP (offense) – Aaron Murray, QB, Tampa, Fla.; Hutson Mason, QB, Marietta, Ga.
• True Grit Award (offense) – Arthur Lynch, TE, Dartmouth, Mass.
• Coffee County Hustle Award (offense) – Kolton Houston, OG, Buford, Ga.; Michael Erdman, SE, Merritt Island, Fla.
• Most Improved Player (offense) – Ken Malcome, TB, Decatur, Ga.
• Outstanding Walk-On (offense) – Merritt Hall, FB, Alpharetta, Ga.
• MVP (defense) – Jarvis Jones, OLB, Columbus, Ga.; John Jenkins, NG, Meriden, Conn.
• True …

Continue reading Georgia’s Murray, Jones, Jenkins garner MVP awards for spring practice »

Athens – South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier was in midseason form when he talked to ESPN’s Chris Low in a wide-ranging spring practice interview this week in Columbia.

The barbs were flying for the Gamecocks’ outspoken coach, and both Georgia and defending national Alabama were zinged in the process.

Asked about having to play the Bulldogs in October now rather than in the second game of the season under the previous schedule, Spurrier couldn’t resist taking a shot.

“I don’t know, I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended,” Spurrier said.

Informed of Spurrier’s remarks after Georgia’s practice Thursday evening, coach Mark Richt just laughed.

“How ’bout that; I think that that’s funny,” Richt said after a hardy chuckle. “That sounds like Steve.”

What makes it particularly funny is Spurrier has been so lax on discipline. His previous quarterback Stephen Garcia was suspended five times …

Continue reading Richt gets big laugh out of Spurrier’s latest jab »

Georgia's offense has actually increased its production under the guidance of coordinator Mike Bobo.

ATHENS – Mike Gottfried says Georgia fans should be careful what they wish for with regard to offensive coordinator Mike Bobo. The long time college football analyst predicts Bobo likely will be leaving the Bulldogs sooner than they think  — and it won’t be under the circumstances they might expect.

“They won’t have him long,” said Gottfried, a sportscaster and former head coach at Pittsburgh and three other college programs. “He will be a head coach real soon. Coach Bobo is a great human being and a great coach and he’s going to be a great head coach some day, without any doubt.”

Gottfried’s comments illustrate g the disjoint there is between fans’ perceptions the job Bobo is doing and what people inside the business think.

To a large contingent in the Bulldog nation, he is “Bobo the Buffoon” and “Mike Boo-Boo.” He’s characterized in fan forums and chatrooms as a dimwit who …

Continue reading Perception of Bobo varies greatly between fans, coaches »

ATHENS – Georgia finally released its rosters for the G-Day Game late Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Basically the Black Team is the defensive team and the Red Team is the offensive team. The No. 1 units for those respective sides of the ball are represented and they’re stacked even deeper at certain positions. Accordingly, expect the Black, with two All-Americans and 10 returning starters, to be favored to win.
• Quarterbacks Aaron Murray and Hutson Mason are both on the Red team, as well as tailbacks Isaiah Crowell and Ken Malcome and every standout wide receiver. The starting offensive line, as cited by position coach Will Friend earlier this week, is wearing red — LT Kenarious Gates, LG Dallas Lee, C David Andrews, RG Chris Burnette, RT Kolton Houston.
• The Black team features the entire starting defense and includes newly minted cornerback Malcolm Mitchell. However, Mitchell is expected to have to sit out due to a recent hamstring pull.
• Noseguard Kwame Geathers …

Continue reading Defensive-minded Black Team favored over Red as G-Day rosters revealed »

ATHENS – In his head, Marc Deas had moved on. All that was left was for him was  to decide betweenUCF or Georgia Southern.

But then the sophomore defensive back from Kissimmee, Fla., went to a cookout this past weekend and everything changed.

“I was away from the team for about a week and I went to a cookout and I was really enjoying the time with my teammates and stuff,” said Deas, who had informed coach Mark Richt on March 31 he wanted to transfer. “They were talking about the scrimmage and how everything was going. I really enjoyed my time with them and there was a bunch of laughs and smiles and that’s when I realized this is where I need to be.”

On Monday, Deas met with Richt and asked if he could return to the team. Richt reinstated Deas and the the 6-foot-1, 197-pound strong safety returned to practice for the first time in 11 days on Tuesday.

“He told me a couple of stories about how he can relate from him at Miami and his brother and the Air Force,” Deas said of Richt. …

Continue reading Marc Deas: ‘It was blessing I was able to come back’ »

Georgia head strength coach Joe Tereshinski (center) introduces assistants Sherman Armstrong (L) and John Thomas.

ATHENS — Three weeks after hiring two major additions to his staff, Georgia strength and conditioning director Joe Tereshinski sat down before reporters on Tuesday to explain his motives and detail his plans.

Tereshinski, 58, took over the Bulldogs’ strength program in January of 2011 after serving as an assistant strength coach and video coordinator for the previous 29 years. After losing three of his assistants since the end of the 2011 season — a fourth will be departing for another job soon — Tereshinski brought in John Thomas from Penn State as senior associate director and Sherman Armstrong from Tampa as an assistant and speed specialist.

“The University of Georgia was very fortunate to get John Thomas to come down from Penn State, where he was the head strength coach for the last 20 years,” Tereshinski said. “I feel like I pulled off the biggest coup ever …

Continue reading Joe T: Georgia strength program ‘better off’ with hires of Thomas, Armstrong »

Georgia is fortunate to have gotten safety Marc Deas back into the fold to shore up depth in its depleted secondary. (UGA photo by Perry McIntyre Jr.)

ATHENS – Georgia redshirt sophomore safety Marc Deas has decided to return to the Bulldogs.

Deas told coach Mark Richt he was quitting to seek a transfer on March 31. However, Deas remained enrolled at UGA and apparently has had a change of heart. UGA spokesman Claude Felton confirmed via email early Tuesday afternoon that Deas asked the coaching staff for a chance to return.

“[Deas] has had a change of heart and will be remaining with the Bulldogs,” Felton wrote.

That’s good news for Georgia, which has been decimated in the secondary due to other transfers and disciplinary suspensions. Senior cornerback Sanders Commings is suspended for the first two games of the season as discipline for an offseason arrests. Senior Branden Smith, the other starting corner, is also expected to be suspended after his arrest last mongth for …

Continue reading Sophomore safety Marc Deas has change of heart, returns to Bulldogs »

THE TEN AT 10:

1. Georgia is about to have another change within its strength and conditioning program. Rex Bradberry, who has served in one capacity or another in that department since 2002, is leaving UGA after accepting a position as a strength and conditioning specialist for the U.S. Army. Bradberry, 29, will be training Special Forces troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Bradberry

“I can’t go into much detail other than I will be handling all their physical training,” said Bradberry, who has already signed a contract but is awaiting security clearance. “I’ll be preparing those teams for battle and hopefully will prevent them from injury and help them save their lives. I’ll also be working with the ‘Wounded Warrior’ project. I’m doing a rehabilitation program for them to help bring them back to a more functioning way of life.”

Bradberry will be a civilian contractor and is not enlisting. He actually signed the contract two weeks ago but was told his security clearance …

Continue reading Ten@10: More changes ahead for UGA’s strength & conditioning, recruiting »

UGA golf coach Chris Haack (middle) with UGA alums Angie and Bubba Watson during the UGA Stadion Classic in Athens in April 2011. (Photo by Bulldawg Illustrated)

ATHENS – Bubba Watson wasn’t the only one shedding tears of joy after the UGA graduate tapped in a one foot putt to win the 76th Masters golf tournament. One hundred miles away, Georgia golf coach Chris Haack and his longtime assistant Jim Douglas ended up in a tearful embrace in the living room of Haack’s Bogart home.

Haack, Douglas, some of Georgia’s current and former players and some extended family from Roanoke, Va., gathered there to watch the final round of the Masters on Easter Sunday. With Watson, a 2000-2001 Bulldog letterman, starting the day three shots off the lead, it began as a casual hope-fest. But when Watson bagged victory on the second playoff hole, it ended in a full-fledged bark-a-thon.

“It was pretty intense; it was crazy; a great time,” said Haack, his voice still hoarse and raw with emotion an …

Continue reading UGA’s Haack ‘exhausted with jubilation’ after watching Bubba Watson win Masters »

ATHENS – Georgia fans have lost one of their best reasons to come to the G-Day Game next Saturday.

Keith Marshall, the highly-touted tailback out of Raleigh, has been effectively scratched from the lineup due to a hamstring injury suffered a week ago. The 5-foot-11, 202-pound midyear enrollee was unable to practice again Saturday as the Bulldogs conducted their second scrimmage of spring practice. Coach Mark Richt said the window is almost shut on him being able to play in the annual spring game.

“I would say the chance of Keith going is probably not very good,” Richt said. “Right at this minute I’d say he’s doubtful.”

That’s a shame because all spring reports on Marshall had been very positive.

“You can tell why he was the No. 1 running back in the country,” senior receiver Tavarres King said. “That kid is impressive.”

Said running backs coach Bryan McClendon: “Just a super guy, just very conscientious. He’s smart. He’s a sharp kid who wants to to do well at everything. …

Continue reading Practice update: Keith Marshall, Richard Samuel, Shawn Williams likely out for G-Day »

Here’s a little video chat I did earlier today with Noah Coslov of Cinesport about Georgia’s spring football practices. He asks me about how the Bulldogs are handling suspensions and attrition, how much excitement there is about the Missouri game and whether Mark Richt is feeling any pressure this year. . . .

Continue reading Video: Can Bulldogs overcome attrition and is there excitement about Missouri? »

ATHENS – Georgia is in the midst of a major rebuilding effort on the offensive line with only two returning starters. But there is at least one relative newbie who is showing a lot of promise.

Kolton Houston, a sophomore from Buford, had to sit out this past season because of an “NCAA eligibility issue.” That issue is expected to be resolved before next fall and there are strong indications the 6-foot-5, 291-pounder will be among Georgia’s starting five for the season opener.

“We’re expecting Kolton to be a good player for us this year,” offensive line coach Will Friend said. “He’s a good athlete, he’s got good strength, he can run well. He’s probably the best athlete of the guards that we’ve got, to be honest with you. If he can continue to get tougher and continue to improve, he’s going to be a good player for us.”

Interview requests for Houston continue to be denied. But his teammates on the line don’t mind talking him up.

“Kolton Houston, I’ve always been high on him,” …

Continue reading OG Kolton Houston drawing praise of coaches, players »

The return of John Jenkins at noseguard gives Georgia's defense reason for hope. (UGA photo by Jim Hipple)

ATHENS – We know that Georgia will be missing a lot of pieces from its defense in the early going this coming season. But the Bulldogs won’t be missing some primary parts in the middle and that’s a big thing.

Pun intended.

Big John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers are back to man the middle from the noseguard position this fall. Not only are they present and accounted for this spring — by all accounts, they’ve managed to avoid the suspension bug that has been going around – but they’ve been playing at a high level.

“John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers are really, really coming on,” Georgia defensive line coach Rodney Garner said. “I’ve got to stay onto them about fundamentals and about steps, pad level, hand placement and just little things. . . . We may not be quite there, but I’ve been very, very, pleased with both kids.”

It can’t be overstated how important it is to have a …

Continue reading D-line provides hope, stability for Georgia’s defense »

I’ve had a lot of folks asking me about how the offensive line has looked so far. I had a chance to interview line coach Will Friend this past week on just that subject. Following are some of his observations so far:

Q: Who has had the best spring?

A: [Kenarious] Gates has had a good spring so far. We’re not far in it yet, but he’s had the best spring. The rest of the guys need to elevate like he’s done so far.”

Q: What’s the main improvement you’re looking for?

A: “Number one, with this group being younger, your offensive line has to be physical. That’s where your team gets its physicality from. I think they’ve got to be able to improve that part of it. Last year’s group, when they came to the park they were physical. That was the big thing they brought and that goes a long way as games go on. This group needs to be tougher, to play more physical, to be better on assignments. . . . And, of course, we’ve got to find some people we can count on.”

Q: Looks like junior guard …

Continue reading Will Friend: Georgia’s O-line needs to be more physical, better on assignments »

Congratulations to former Georgia star and U.S. Olympian Katrina McClain, who learned Monday she’s heading to the Naismaith Basketball Hall of Fame. Here’s the report from New Orleans filed by UGA’s Sports Communication office. . . .

McClain

Katrina McClain, Georgia Basketball’s first-ever National Player of the Year in 1987 who went on to become a three-time U.S. Olympian, has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Hall’s Class of 2012 was announced on Monday in New Orleans in association with the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

“It’s always good to feel like you’re part of a family,” McClain said at the ceremonies. “Knowing from the past, my best friend Teresa Edwards was inducted last year, she talked about how great the Naismith family is and how great the people from the Hall of Fame treat you. This is a wonderful feeling and I feel so honored.”

McClain’s basketball resume is as distinguished as virtually any player in women’s basketball history. She …

Continue reading Georgia’s Katrina McClain joins Teresa Edwards in Naismith Hall of Fame »

ATHENS – Georgia held its first formal scrimmage of the spring Saturday at Sanford Stadium. And while the defense dominated as it has been throughout, there were some positive signs for the offense.

Namely, Jay Rome.

The redshirt freshman tight end from Valdosta got loose for two touchdowns, including a leaping grab in the corner of the end zone that had coaches and players buzzing long after the two-hour scrimmage concluded.

“It was pretty acrobatic,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “He had to kind of turn his body and reach back and snag it. He landed off his feet and the ball didn’t come out.”

Rome’s other touchdown came on a 30-yard pass from Hutson Mason down the middle of the field, a la Orson Charles.

“I ran a little seam route up the middle,” Rome recounted. “I don’t know if it was a broken coverage or what but I looked up and there was nobody in the middle and I just reached up and caught the ball and jogged in. There was nobody around.”

But it was the short touchdown …

Continue reading TE Jay Rome stands out in Bulldogs’ first scrimmage of spring »

ATHENS – The hits just keep coming for the Georgia Bulldogs.

For the second time in as many days, a player informed coach Mark Richt he was unhappy with his role on the team and is seeking a transfer.

Deas

Marc Deas, a redshirt sophomore safety from Kissimmee, Fla., has decided to quit the team due to lack of playing time and is seeking a transfer, Richt said Saturday. Deas joins junior defensive lineman Derrick Lott, who made a similar decision less than 24 hours earlier.

“It was really an almost identical situation,” Richt said. “[Deas] felt like he wasn’t going to get the opportunity to get the kind of playing time he was hoping for at Georgia. I think both kids love Georgia, and we love them. They just didn’t feel it was going to happen for them during the time frame that they were here. So they decided to move on and go where they feel like they’re going to have a better chance of playing. That’s their choice to make.”

Their choices came on the heels of news earlier this …

Continue reading Team leaders preach accountability as Georgia loses another player to transfer »

ATHENS — Georgia’s roster took another hit on Saturday.

Marc Deas, a redshirt sophomore safety from Kississimee, Fla., has decided to quit the team due to lack of playing time and is seeking a transfer, coach Mark Richt said after Saturday’s scrimmage.

“I talked to him yesterday and he said he just wasn’t getting the opportunity for playing time he’d hoped for,” Richt said.

Deas joins defensive lineman Derrick Lott, who made a similar decision on Friday.

That makes 11 players who have quit, been dismissed or are facing suspension since Georgia’s Jan. 1 bowl game.

More to come later. . . .

Continue reading Sophomore safety Marc Deas latest Bulldog to quit, seek transfer »

ATHENS — Defensive lineman Derrick Lott has become the latest roster casualty for the Georgia Bulldogs.

Lott, a 6-foot4, 303-pound junior from Kennesaw, decided to transfer “in order to obtain more playing time,” according to an announcement Friday night by head coach Mark Richt. No word on where Lott is headed but, if it is on the FBS level (formerly Division 1) he will have to sit out a year.

Lott

“Derrick and I met and he believes he will have opportunities for more playing time elsewhere,” Richt said in a statement. “We support him and will assist in any way possible during this process.”

Lott could not be reached for comment. He was probably attending a show.

Lott played in just five career games. He concludes his UGA career with 10 total tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss.

Defensive line coach Rodney Garner spoke glowingly of Lott’s progress and abilities earlier this week. Though a career backup, Lott had tripped over some bad fortune — he ripped open his leg in a …

Continue reading DL Derrick Lott becomes latest roster casualty for Bulldogs »

ATHENS – Bobby Bowden is a whole lot older, but he hasn’t changed a bit.

Bowden, 82, was at Georgia’s football complex Friday morning as the featured speaker for coach Mark Richt’s annual coaches’ clinic. The longtime Florida State coach, who had Richt as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator, for more than a decade, took a few minutes before that appointment to answer questions from the reporters who cover the Bulldogs.

His famous sense of humor was apparent as soon as he entered the interview room, at which time he said, “what are all you idiots doing here?”

AJC columnist Jeff Schultz shared a lot of what Bowden said about drug-testing and the behavior of modern student-athletes in his Friday column. But following is some of the other good stuff Bowden shared as he addressed the group for about 15 minutes:

• On what he’s doing these days . . .

“That’s all I’m doing now, speaking all the time and playing golf. Gotta get back this afternoon. Got a golf game. Sleep ‘til …

Continue reading Bobby Bowden on coaching: ‘Try raising 100 kids; it ain’t easy’ »

ATHENS — After absorbing the first volley of questions from reporters about suspensions and drug policies and the like, Georgia coach Mark Richt on Thursday asked the rhetorical question, “anybody want to talk some football?”

There wasn’t a lot of new stuff, but here’s what Richt had to say on the following subjects:

• Malcolm Mitchell got his first work of spring at wide receiver and is starting to truly play both ways at cornerback and receiver. . . .

“We allowed Malcolm to play a little offense as well. Any time he wasn’t losing a rep on defense, we tried to get him to jump over there and get a little work on offense, which was good. He enjoyed it. You could tell he was a little tired but, if he’s going to play both ways he’s got to get into condition for something like that. I thought he did a good job.”

Richt said Mitchell is getting opportunities as a return man as well.

• Who’s standing out at the moment? . . .

“A lot of good things happening out there, but one guy in …

Continue reading Football update: Malcolm Mitchell works at receiver, Corey Moore impresses at safety »

ATHENS — Georgia coach Mark Richt didn’t shed much light on the Bulldogs’ suspension situation when he addressed an unusually large media contingent at the end of Thursday’s practice. In fact, he didn’t as much as flick on a flashlight.

Richt would not even confirm that there are new suspensions despite numerous report Thursday that at least two of Georgia’s defensive stars have run afoul of the athletic association’s drug policy.

“I can’t confirm anything,” Richt told more than a dozen reporters and two Atlanta television news crews. “I’m just going to be waiting for us to go through our process. When there’s something to report, I’ll report it to everybody.”

Earlier Thursday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was able to confirm that All-America safety Bacarri Rambo is facing a four-game suspension for failing a UGA-administered drug test this week. Rambo’s high school coach, Alan Ingram of Seminole County, said it was Rambo’s second violation of Georgia’s drug policy …

Continue reading Georgia coach Mark Richt sidesteps questions on player suspensions »

ATHENS — Bacarri Rambo will miss the first four games of the coming football season after testing positive for marijuana use, his high school coach confirmed Thursday.

Rambo

Seminole County coach Alan Ingram told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Rambo accidentally consumed some brownies containing pot during a spring break trip to Panama City Beach two weeks ago. Because Rambo had violated Georgia’s alcohol and drug policy last year — that resulted in a one-game suspension to open last season — he is subjected to random tests by UGA. He was tested recently and that sample came back positive.

According to UGA’s 2011-12 student-athlete handbook, a second offense of the athletic association’s drug policy calls for a suspension from 30 percent of competition dates. That means Rambo, an All-American safety, will be out for games against Buffalo, Missouri, Florida Atlantic and Vanderbilt.

“He’s just tore up about it,” said Alan Ingram, Rambo’s coach at Seminole County High in …

Continue reading Baccari Rambo will be suspended 4 games after positive test for marijuana »

ATHENS – Georgia has agreed on a new five-year contract for football coach Mark Richt, so clearly the UGA administration is happy with the job he’s doing. But one thing the Bulldogs’ 12-year coach appears to struggle with is simply keeping his players around.

If reports are true that defensive stars Alec Ogletree and Bacarri Rambo are suspended for multiple games to start this season — UGA has yet to confirm or deny them — then it continues a trend of roster attrition that has occurred at an alarming rate the past few years.

Reviewing AJC archives over the past four years, these latest suspensions would bring to 28 the number of players who will not be playing for the Bulldogs at the beginning of the 2012 season who otherwise would be eligible.

Since January, the Bulldogs have lost 13 players to transfer, disciplinary punishment or inability to achieve academic eligibility. That number balloons to 19 including losses off of last year’s roster.

Here’s what I’ve been able to …

Continue reading Roster attrition occurring at alarming rate for Georgia football »

ATHENS — The Georgia Bulldogs may have lost two more front-line defensive players to suspensions.

The website Dawgpost.com, citing “multiple sources inside the Bulldogs’ football program,” is reporting that All-American safety Bacarri Rambo and starting inside linebacker Alec Ogletree have been suspended “two to four games” for an unspecified violation of team rules.

Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity refused to confirm or deny the report. “No comment at this time,” he said Thursday morning.

If true, that will make four defensive starters who are suspended for early-season games for the Bulldogs. Starting cornerback Sanders Commings already has been suspended for first two games after his conviction for simple battery and disorderly conduct. The other starting corner, senior Branden Smith, is facing a suspension of at least one game for his recent arrest for marijuana possession.

Three other players — including two more defensive backs — were dismissed from the team in …

Continue reading Report: Alec Ogletree, Bacarri Rambo suspended for multiple games »

ATHENS — First there was left-fielder Hunter Cole’s throwing error that led to a run in the first inning. Then there was third baseman Curt Powell air-mailing a throw to first in the fourth inning. Shortly thereafter Cole let a ground ball get under his glove and roll all the way to the wall.

After the weekend Georgia just had up at Vanderbilt, this was the last thing that coach David Perno wanted — or expected — to see.

Instead it was more of the same. The Bulldogs committed three errors and threw in six walks, a wild pitch and a passed ball on the way to losing to Clemson 10-5 Tuesday night at Foley Field.

It was the third loss in a row for Georgia (17-9, 3-3 SEC), which plays host to No. 10 Kentucky (25-1, 5-1 SEC) for a three-game set this weekend. Clemson improves to 12-11.

“That kind of stuff we did this [past] weekend has a hangover effect,” Perno said. “It really does. We’re down, the guys are tired, [Clemson] played great and we didn’t play well. It’s that simple. If …

Continue reading More miscues from Diamond Dogs lead to 10-5 loss to Clemson »