Aaron Murray

How will he overcome the whole freshman QB thing? There’s enough coming out of practice to make any on-edge Georgia fan that much more nervous. Murray’s talking about his nerves and being too amped up. Richt is downplaying expectations. All this to remember that, yeah, the guy’s a freshman. You don’t want to read much into scrimmage stats, but it’s encouraging that he’s cut down on (or cut out even) the interceptions. What remains seems to be a little accuracy problem. We don’t know it it’s nerves, drops, the new defense confusing things, or a combination, but the numbers are there. He’s had one impressive scrimmage throwing 12 for 21, but most of his scrimmages so far have been around or on the wrong side of 50%. That said, I’d gladly take accuracy issues starting out if he continued to avoid the turnovers. A few incompletions might kill the occasional drive, but you can punt your way out of that situation.

Waushaun Ealey, Caleb King, A.J. Green

Can they stay healthy for the entire season? The big question is the same for all three of these standouts. An injury delayed Ealey’s debut until the season showed signs of slipping away. King earned much respect by playing with a freaking broken jaw. The Murray-doesn’t-have-to-do-much line counts on a solid running game carrying much of the load, and the Georgia running game is much better with both Ealey and King able to go. Green’s season was cut short after the Florida game, and it’s hard to imagine Georgia losing to Kentucky with him in that game. With “when in doubt, throw it to #8” as the default instruction for young Murray, #8 needs to be on the field.

Josh Davis

What the heck got into him? No one, and probably not even Mark Richt, would have told you at this point last year that we’d owe a lot of Georgia’s late-season success to Josh Davis stepping in at right tackle. The first step in finding a successful line was Clint Boling moving to left tackle sometime around the Florida game. Vince Vance and then Justin Anderson were supposed to be the answer at right tackle. But it was Davis who got the call and started the final six games at right tackle. The line finally solidified around a Boling-Glenn-Jones-CDavis-JDavis group that coincided with (or led to, if you prefer) the emergence of the running game late in the season. Two healthy backs didn’t hurt either. The question for 2010 is whether Davis can keep up that level of play as Sturdivant is eased back in. If so, a nice tackle rotation of Boling, Sturdivant, and Davis will let Aaron Murray sleep well.

Aron White

Can he make strides at a crowded position? Orson Charles deservedly gets plenty of press, but guess who’s led Georgia tight ends in TD receptions in each of the past two seasons? While the world waits for Charles to take a big step forward as a sophomore, White’s entering his junior season. I doubt we’ve seen his ceiling, but opportunities could be limited unless Georgia uses more multiple tight end formations. That possibility has been floated by the coaches, and it makes sense – White can make plays and has more receiving touchdowns to his credit than anyone on the team not named A.J. Green.

Shaun Chapas

Can he finish his career with a strong season? Chapas showed promise as a freshman in 2007 and added some receiving yards in 2008. But injuries slowed him last year, and his role in 2010 is uncertain. Fellow fullback Fred Munzenmaier is the one named as a possible third option at tailback while Ealey is out. If Georgia increases its use of a 2 TE set to maximize the production from that deep position, the fullback is usually the odd man out. The Dawgs aren’t going to forget the I-formation any time soon, so there will still be plenty of playing time for the senior.

Georgia has sold its last ticket for the season opener, and all six home dates in 2010 are now sold out. That means that every home game since 2001 and every home game under Mark Richt will have been sold out.

Of course tickets sold and tickets used are completely different things. The ticket market for the opener is very soft, and I wouldn’t be surprised that the opponent plus the early start time means a lot of empty seats at the start and the conclusion of the game.

Seth Emerson’s doing a fine job on the Hutson Mason watch, so I respect his opinion that “the team will try to go as far as it can this year without having to burn (Mason’s) redshirt.” He’s obviously closer to the situation than I am. It just makes little sense to me why a redshirt is even still on the table. I know I’m beating this into the ground, but it’s a very important role on this team, and the quarterback position is one of the biggest question marks on the offense this year.

We already know that Mason would get the call if Murray were to get injured. So the only question now is whether or not to burn the redshirt and play Mason in the situations when you’d expect a backup to take over.

Mark Schlabach nails the answer: “Richt has to play him. Can’t risk no experienced backup QB if Murray goes down.”

Every coach struggles with the opportunity cost of redshirting players. Jim Donnan has probably second-guessed himself a dozen times about not playing David Greene in 2000. Having Knowshon in 2006 would have been nice. But there’s also the risk of wasting a year of eligibility with a few garbage minutes as a freshman which would cost the team a possibly productive redshirt senior.

It might be unfair to Hutson Mason’s hypothetical potential four years from now, but the team has an immediate need for him to play. Marc Weiszer followed up by noting that Logan Gray has been working strictly at receiver. He’s simply not prepared to play quarterback in any meaningful capacity. Garbage time against Louisiana-Lafayette might not prepare Mason for the situation of coming off the bench in a key SEC game, but it would still be infinitely more game experience than he has now and would have if the redshirt remains an option. Of course we’d rather Mason be able to redshirt, but the coaches can’t wait until the instant that Murray is unable to go before they start preparing their contingency.

Georgia won’t lack for QB depth any time soon. Even if Murray develops into a viable pro prospect as soon as next year, he doesn’t have the prototypical size that would make him a sure thing to leave. Christian LeMay is on his way in next year. Richt’s track record suggests he won’t have any problem finding yet another quality quarterback prospect or two over the next three to four years.

There’s also the Logan Gray angle to consider. He obviously wants to play receiver. He won’t start. The best chance for him to get on the field is pretty much the same time you’d expect the backup QB to start getting snaps. Coaches might maintain that Gray could still see time at QB, but consider how little sense that makes: you’d be moving a guy who’s prepared all summer at one position to another position at which he’s received zero preparation and practice for months.

The other alternative is to play Murray the entire game. With the depth situation as thin as it is, of course the coaches won’t take that risk if the lead is sufficient. We’ll see a backup. It will be Hutson Mason.

UGA and ISP have released details for radio coverage of the 2010 Dawgs.

The biggest change: long-time sideline reporter Loran Smith will be replaced by Chuck Dowdle. Loran will still remain a part of the broadcast team and handle co-host duties for the pregame show.

There will also be more coverage of the team available to satellite radio subscribers. In addition to play-by-play on Sirius XM, the Bulldog Brunch and Bulldog Hotline will now re-air on XM 199 and Sirius 213 (see the announcement for dates and times). As we mentioned earlier, the simulcast of WSB radio on 95.5 FM joins 750 AM as the flagship radio station for the Dawgs. ISP is also taking over production of the Bulldog Brunch, formerly a WSB production.

You can see all Bulldog Radio Network affiliates here.

Marc Weiszer has more information on other broadcast changes at the ABH.

Earlier this month junior fullback Josh Sailors became the fourth walk-on football player to be awarded a scholarship this year. For Sailors and the others it’s a well-deserved recognition of the effort they’ve put in and the contributions they made as walk-ons.

But what it also means is that the Bulldogs entered the week with no more than 81 players who signed for their scholarship. That number dropped to 80 yesterday when offensive lineman Jonathan Owens was granted a medical disqualification.

The discussion of oversigning and grayshirting and all of the tricks used to get to the magic number of 85 scholarship players isn’t new. It shouldn’t be easy to forget that these are young men with educations and futures at stake, but we do. Even the console game with the NCAA’s name on it demands that you outright “cut” players. I’d much rather my program undersign than oversign and have to yank or defer a scholarship, but there is definitely a tradeoff and a cost for not playing the game.

The advantage isn’t just the two or three players signed over the limit by another program. Remember that Georgia has at most now 80 players who were considered scholarship-quality when they signed, and the 87 or 88 at the other school all merited an offer. So the difference is more like seven or eight players versus a program that oversigned by a couple. Eight players from an 85-man roster is just under 10% of the team. It’s a third of a recruiting class for any given year.

Of course Mark Richt didn’t know that he’d be five scholarships under the limit. Owens and Banks had battled injuries for a while, but you can’t anticipate a medical disqualification. You can’t foresee the backup QB’s spring break indiscretions. It does seem to be a given though that there is some amount of attrition each year. Every coach has to play inventory manager and balance the 85 scholarship limit against his best guess at attrition. It’s clear though that some are more aggressive at chasing that limit, and it’s not hard to be cynical about how some of the “attrition” eventually comes about.

Again, I’d rather be a little under the limit rather than over because of the human element. It’s all business, but that’s not what coaches say when they’re in the living room. But we can’t ignore that under the current rules coming up five short of the limit isn’t all that great of a situation either. It’s a great story for the deserving walk-ons who see their effort recognized, but 80 scholarship players is borderline probation.

If you’re thinking about making the trip over for the noontime start at the furnace in Columbia, there are single-game tickets available through Ticketmaster for $59.50/ea. The best available tickets seem to be in the upper level (300 level).

Single-game tickets also remain available to the general public for the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette. Tickets are $45/ea. All other home games are sold out.

It’s not that the Georgia offense has been abysmal during the first half of preseason camp, but the lion’s share of good news so far has had to do with the defense.

• The safety position. Departures have left the position a little thin, but those still on the team are having a heck of a preseason. The trio of Rambo, Hamilton, and Nick Williams has emerged as a strong rotation across the two safety positions. But even the other safeties are making noise. Shawn Williams “may be the most improved player” since spring. True freshmen Alec Ogletree is among the newcomers most likely to see playing time this year, even if it’s primarily on special teams at first. With all five getting positive reviews, you wonder if there will be some creativity involved to get them on the field. Nick Williams has spent time at linebacker, and Ogletree was considered another Thomas Davis type of player who could excel at either safety or linebacker. I’m not talking about more position moves, but it’s not hard to imagine the occasional use of a third “safety” as a rover or pass rusher. Experience remains a concern, and the group is just an injury away from having no more wiggle room with the depth chart.
• The emergence of Justin Anderson. DeAngelo Tyson is probably Georgia’s best and most versatile defensive lineman, but his placement as the nose guard was more out of necessity. He’s more suited for the end position in a 3-4. If someone has come along to the point of allowing Tyson to slide over to his more natural position, it’s great news for the defensive front. The rapid ascent of Anderson is even more impressive considering that redshirt freshman Kwame Geathers has reported to camp in tremendous condition and has stood out himself. A projected starting line of Dobbs, Anderson, and Tyson will do just fine. A second line of Abry Jones, Geathers, and Brandon Wood isn’t bad either.
• Competition at linebacker. You’ve seen how the coaching change has given new life to players like Darryl Gamble. Gamble’s been good enough to push presumptive starter Cornelius Washington. Injuries at inside linebacker have given Akeem Hebron an opportunity, and he’s recorded the most tackles in both scrimmages so far. Akeem Dent seems on track to return from an injured toe on, if not ahead of, schedule. There’s tight competition between Christian Robinson and Marcus Dowtin at the other ILB spot. We haven’t mentioned Justin Houston yet. Depth remains thin, and even a single injury like Dent’s has both ILB positions unsettled. But the play of Gamble and Hebron has provided coaches with options.

Contrast that with a couple of the major themes on offense. The offensive line has been hobbled by injuries and illness. The starting quarterback has looked fine in practice but has yet to really put it together in anything resembling a game.

To be fair, it’s not nearly all bad news. It’s important to remember we’re also limited to the information that trickles out. Practices are closed to the public and somewhat to reporters. The defense is new and unknown, so naturally there’s going to be a lot more reported about it. Some positive news we take for granted. You don’t have to be told this August that A.J. Green can do ridiculous things with the football or that Clint Boling might be the SEC’s best lineman. From Hutson Mason catching on quickly to Marlon Brown’s maturation, there are also positive stories on the offense.

I think expectations are largely at work here. If you had to sum up the narrative for Georgia entering the season, it would be a loaded offense that has to carry the team while the defense goes through the learning curve of the new 3-4 scheme. Georgia’s offense is presumed to be set with a question only under center. Green, Charles, Ealey, and King are all proven skill players. The line showed what it was capable of as it found its stride at the end of last season. With a defense expected to have some issues in its transition to a new scheme and coaching staff, the offense is supposed to be the strength of the team in 2009. It’s one thing to have questions at places where we expect them, but you also have to make sure that your strengths are really your strengths.

Remember the guiding assumption going into last year: a running game with Samuel and King behind a more experienced and proven starting line would remove a lot of the need for Joe Cox to be as much a part of the offense as Matthew Stafford was. Of course Sturdivant went out immediately, Samuel proved ineffective, King and Ealey were injured early, and Cox ended up with roughly as many passing attempts as Greene or Shockley did in their final seasons.

Which preseason assumptions will we have to revise this year once the season gets underway?

Atlanta’s AM 750 WSB, the flagship station for the Bulldog Radio Network, announced on Monday that they’ll be simulcasting in Atlanta and northeast Georgia on 95.5 FM. 95.5 FM used to be The Beat, a hip-hop station since 1999 when it took over the frequency from country station WNGC.

Bulldog football fans have had an FM option around northeast Georgia on 106.1 (the home of WNGC since 1999). The addition of WSB at 95.5 gives local fans an FM outlet now for basketball, the Bulldog Brunch, the coaches’ hotlines, and all other Bulldog programming from the flagship station. With a tower in southern Hall County, 95.5 FM provides a strong signal across northeast Georgia from Toccoa to Atlanta and of course across Athens.

With the NCAA going back for seconds at the Carolina schools, I wondered whether A.J. Green was ever interviewed in the first place. We knew that the NCAA had asked for permission to interview someone at Georgia, but it isn’t clear whether the NCAA ever followed through on that interview request. We’re led to believe that they never did follow through. Other schools have been able to confirm when their players were interviewed. Last week reporters got basically another “no comment” from Green who made it clear that he was under instructions not to elaborate on his involvement in the investigation.

Kyle’s right here when he notes that as long as this investigation remains unresolved, Green’s character and judgement are taking an unfair hit. It’s fortunately not that large of a hit thanks to the quick response and strength of Green’s alibi for the weekend in question. I don’t blame UGA for the “gag order” – that’s prudent with any ongoing investigation. It’s not as important to me whether Green ever addresses this story again. If he’s clear, that’s the end of it as far as I’m concerned.

The important issue here isn’t Green being freed to tell all. It’s clearing his name and letting him move on. The ball here is in the NCAA’s court, and they’ve held it for nearly four weeks. While other schools remain up in the air about the eligibility of their investigated stars for the season opener, Mark Richt seems confident enough that he won’t have similar concerns. If the NCAA wants to double back and focus on a second round of questions at other schools, that’s fine. Just don’t leave A.J. Green twisting in the wind. He has a season to start in three weeks, and he and the Georgia program don’t need the distraction if his role in the investigation is settled.

It’s official now – Greg McGarity has been introduced as Georgia’s next athletic director. The UGA alumnus is returning after nearly two decades at Florida.

Hopefully he’ll bring the same enthusiasm to this job as he did working in the UGA SID office back in the day…

Quintin Banks’ talent or drive were never much of a question. His knees, unfortunately, almost always were. According to Rivals.com, Banks was the #11 safety in the nation coming out of high school in 2006. Banks played in 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 2007 and seemed poised to become another dependable Georgia defensive back. But he tore an MCL during the 2008 preseason and missed the first month of the season. He was able to go for the Tennessee game and then had another injury the very next week that sidelined him for the rest of the 2008 campaign. Lingering knee concerns held him out of all but four games in 2009.

Those knee problems have continued into 2010, and Banks has finally decided it was time to hang it up. It has to be tough for the senior to give up one more chance at getting back on the field, but our bodies ultimately call the shots. When you look at it the way Mark Richt put it, the decision becomes a lot easier:

“He wants to be able to run around and play with his kids one day. He didn’t want to sit there and have to think about a knee replacement at a very young age, so I think a lot of those things crossed his mind.”

Banks will remain on as a student assistant before facing more knee surgery down the road. His experience and attitude will be very important for a safety position that’s become short on depth and experience.

Banks becomes the fourth safety with eligibility remaining to leave the team over the past year and a half. John Knox’s academic struggles caused him to leave before the 2009 season. Rashad Jones of course was an early entrant into the NFL draft. Makiri Pugh announced his intention to transfer this spring.

Both safety positions now come down to a group of five players. We’ve heard good things this week about the trio of Rambo, Nick Williams, and Jakar Hamilton. The depth is provided by Shawn Williams and Alec Ogletree. Think about the experience of that group. Rambo of course had an impressive 2009 coming mostly off the bench. Nick Williams has shifted between linebacker and the secondary during his career, and he has a total of nine tackles in 24 appearances in 2008 and 2009. Shawn Williams saw limited action last year as a freshman but had a nice finish in the bowl game. Hamilton and Ogletree are newcomers. Both are very highly regarded prospects, and Hamilton is a little more advanced as a JUCO transfer, but both are going to have to come up to speed quickly to give Georgia any kind of depth at the position.

Greg McGarity seemed to be the nearly universal first choice of many Georgia fans to be the new athletic director, and it looks as if they’ll get their wish. Florida’s #2 man is all but announced as the new top Dawg. We were warned that a thorough search might take anywhere from 6 to 12 months, but it seems to be over in just about six weeks.

I’m trying to understand the source of the unbridled enthusiasm for this pick. I’m not being contrary, and I see few obvious negatives other than his lack of experience as an athletic director. Most are basing their preference basically in his association with a wildly successful Florida program. Make no mistake, that counts for a lot. Florida, like Georgia, has an impressive record in the field of play, in NCAA compliance, and in academic success. I appreciate that the next athletic director comes from a similar culture.

I admit to being a little underwhelmed in the list of applicants that was released last week. Most saw McGarity’s name on the list, breathed a sigh of relief, and moved on. There were a few impressive names on the list , including McGarity, some with NFL experience, and a few from smaller programs. But there were few, if any, public applicants from similar programs. I grant that people in those positions might have been approached off the record in order to preserve their standing at their current high-profile jobs.

So if everyone else is happy with McGarity, I suppose I should be too, as much as anyone can get excited about an administrator. Damon Evans, for his personal faults, leaves a pretty good legacy in the areas of compliance, financial management, and academics. McGarity’s first job is preserving and building on those strong attributes while he seeks to improve Georgia’s overall performance on the field.

The reviews were generally positive yesterday regarding Aaron Murray’s first preseason scrimmage as the Bulldog starting quarterback. He threw for over 200 yards and had two long touchdown passes to A.J. Green. Players and coaches commended Murray for his reads, the way he trusted the line, his presence in the huddle, and the placement of his passes. It seems a little incongruous that he was 12-of-21, but we don’t know anything about the conditions of the scrimmage or the number of drops or things like that.

But as if we needed a reminder of his inexperience, he’s still going through the same learning process that most freshman do. “I did force a couple throws today trying to make plays, and I will learn from that,” Murray admitted. One of those forced throws was a poor decision in the red zone that resulted in an interception. “It was not a wise decision,” noted coach Mark Richt. “He knows he doesn’t have to be a hero, and it’s all right to throw it out of bounds some times.”

That’s not an indictment of Murray – it’s a lesson for new quarterbacks that plays out time after time, and even future #1 draft picks go through it. It continues to be something Murray struggles with. Including yesterday’s scrimmage and going back through G-Day and the spring scrimmages, Murray has yet to have a scrimmage this year without an interception. Yesterday’s pick as well as the one at G-Day were the result of poor decisions and trying to force something to happen. Murray, a bright guy, has immersed himself in the feedback loop of film study, evaluation, and adjustment, and he’s not oblivious to these mistakes.

You appreciate the touchdown passes to Green and recognize that with Green, Charles, and handful of other dynamic receiving options that this could be quite a productive passing game. On the other hand, you think back to Stafford’s first season (not to mention last year) and remember the crushing role that turnovers played in those lukewarm years. The defense creating more turnovers this year is only half of correcting last season’s dreadful turnover margin. Getting fewer than 15 INT from the starting quarterback would also help. Georgia had just three games without giving up a pick last year, and two of those were some of the biggest wins of the season (Auburn and Georgia Tech).

Despite the tempting weapons on the receiving end, the touted offensive line and solid tailback tandem makes it possible to ask just how much you need a freshman quarterback to do. Murray seems to be headed for a bright future, and he already has a solid command of the team and offense even before his first game. You can’t blame fans for being a little nervous though – they still remember the 10 of 22 for 96 yards at G-Day, and Murray continues to work through the occasional forced pass. A 2-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio wouldn’t be awful, but can the Dawgs ride out this learning process, or will it put the brakes on the 2010 season at some point?

The kickoff for the Oct. 2 Colorado game, previously set for 4:30 p.m., has been moved back 2 1/2 hours to 7:00 ET (5:00 for those of us heading out there). FSN will still televise the game. Why the change? From the UGA release…

The change came about after CU’s and the Big 12’s television network partners re-examined an earlier but tentative decision to allow the game to be televised inside an exclusive ABC telecast window.

ABC has only one time slot for a Big 12 Conference game that day, and has already committed to televising the Oklahoma-Texas game in its afternoon window (1:30 p.m. MDT). The kickoff adjustment allows the Colorado-Georgia game to be televised in the later prime time window and afford ABC its full exclusivity in the afternoon.

Telecasts after the third week of the season are generally made public on either 12-day or 6-day advance notice, but ABC relinquished the rights to the FSN, the Big 12 cable partner, early to afford CU the opportunity to better promote the game time.

The later time isn’t the best of news – many Georgia fans have booked early morning return flights on Sunday. With a game likely ending closer to 9 PM local time now, you might as well just stay awake. Any fans watching on TV that had it planned for Georgia-Colorado to lead into Alabama-Florida are screwed too.

You can also bet that the coaches aren’t happy – the earlier the start, the better when it comes to getting back into Athens, resting, and bouncing back for a huge game the next week with Tennessee. Those few extra hours make the difference between getting home closer to dawn than midnight on Sunday morning. There’s also a weather factor and a huge difference between a mid afternoon and early evening game there. The average high in Boulder over the past 5 years on October 2 was about 76 degrees. The average low was under 53 degrees…and the wildly variable October weather in the high plains has seen temps range all the way from 86 in 2005 to 28 degrees last year.

Will Hutson Mason redshirt? Mason has done just fine so far, but all of the caveats about a true freshman in his first preseason camp apply. Seth Emerson asked Mark Richt yesterday “whether they’d still try to avoid burning Hutson Mason’s redshirt.” Richt’s response was about what you’d expect: it’s still way too soon to tell.

I can’t say that there’s even a question here. Mason has to play this year. There’s no need to worry about a redshirt: Aaron Murray will have three to four years under center, and VHT Christian LeMay is on his way in next year. Mason could of course make the competition interesting years from now, but this is very much a situation where Georgia can afford to have a short-term outlook. with Logan Gray moving to receiver, the need is there now to develop a permanent option at #2 QB.

It’s also too soon yet to know what Richt would do if he had to turn to a backup in a game. “It would just depend on how far (Mason) progresses as we go,” Richt said. “I hope we don’t have to worry about that.” Me too. Whether that answer turns out to be Gray or Mason, Georgia is going to be in bad shape at quarterback if Murray suddenly becomes unavailable. You’ll either have a raw true freshman getting his feet wet, or you’ll have a rusty junior with little game experience who has done none of the prep work. Which poison do you pick?

I cast my vote with Mason back in May under one very obvious condition:

If Mason – and of course this is a big condition – shows a fair amount of competence in August, he just about has to be named the #2. I’d take an inexperienced guy who’s in the meetings and getting the reps every day over someone more familiar with the playbook whose repetitions and preparation are mostly at another position. It’s not just a matter of Gray stepping back in to QB if the need arises; even ARod needs to take batting practice and stay sharp. Either way, here’s hoping the backup QB is an afterthought this year.

Richt downplays that concern by noting Gray’s experience and intelligence and reminding us “he’s not gonna forget how to throw the ball.” That’s true, but he’s also not going to have a clue about the defense he’s facing. The only scenario in which Gray might be a better choice is if the need to go to the backup is determined early enough in the week for Gray to have some practice reps and go through the quarterback position meetings and prep. Otherwise I’ll stick with the raw but focused and prepared freshman over someone relying on muscle memory – this is playing quarterback in the SEC, not riding a bicycle.

Ideally, Georgia will blow past the 25.5 point line in the season opener, and Richt will have some considerable garbage time with which to play. Who comes off the bench to spell Murray? That would be the perfect time to play Mason. It’s not going to instantly prepare him for the big time in Columbia, but it would be the start of building that experience he’ll need if the question of a replacement comes up down the road. You’d also expect to play Mason in that scenario because that’s the exact same time Gray should be getting his first significant game experience at receiver. Gray isn’t likely to be anywhere near the first team for a while, and he’s not spending all this time working at receiver just to be switched back to QB when the second team goes in.