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Georgia coach Mark Richt told reporters at practice Tuesday the game against South Carolina could come down to special teams play.
The claim proved accurate.
Georgia sophomore Brandon Boykin set a team record with his 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 1st quarter.
Blair Walsh connected on a 50-yard field goal and boomed two touchbacks on kickoffs.
Defensive tackle DeAngelo Tyson blocked an extra-point attempt, setting up Georgia’s four-point lead, which took away the option for South Carolina to tie with a field goal on the final drive of the game.
“I knew it was going to be a battle that could come down to field position and field goals,” Walsh said. “I knew it was going to be a close game and I knew this whole week the game could come down to special teams and I think we did the best possible job.
Boykin narrowly missed taking a second return to the end zone, gaining 48-yards before a shoestring tackle.
His return for touchdown displayed speed and strength, as Boykin broke one tackle and outran everyone else. The return was the longest since Lindsey Scott returned a kickoff 99-yards against Lousiana State in 1978.
“I took off to the sideline and everybody maintained their block,” Boykin said. “It was just open space for me. I had to score.”
“I’m really proud of him,” Richt said of Boykin. “He’s a tremendous athlete. I wished we had three of him.”
Freshman Branden Smith, after fumbling his first kick return, also added a 48-yard return.
“It was a lot of pressure, but that’s what it takes. I had to step up and redeem myself,” said Smith, who had a 61-yard rushing touchdown. “I’m only a freshman but I just had to step my game up.”
Tyson’s blocked extra-point in the fourth quarter kept Georgia ahead, 38-37, slowing South Carolina’s momentum after Eric Norwood’s interception and touchdown.
“That’s just a guy giving effort when some people don’t play hard because they don’t think they can block it,” Richt said.
South Carolina kicked five field goals, tying a school record. But in the end, it was the field goal they couldn’t kick that mattered most.
Amazing performance
Georgia linebacker Rennie Curran made the play to end South Carolina’s chances—deflecting a 4th down Stephen Garcia pass attempt on the Gamecocks final drive.
Curran made plays all night, racking up 15 tackles, nine of which were solo.
“Rennie talked to the team before the game and he promised them he was going to play with all his energy and all his heart,” Richt said. “And sure enough at the end he makes a play.”
On the Gamecocks final offensive play of the night, Garcia felt pressure, scrambled in the pocket and looked to throw for the game winning score.
Curran got his left hand up in the passing lane, tipping the ball away from it’s intended target.
“Somebody had to make a play—somebody had to make a play,” Curran said to reporters after the game. “Somebody had to do something. We had worked too hard. I’m just glad I stepped up when I did.”
In the starting lineup
Redshirt freshman Tavarres King made the first start of his young career Saturday, making three catches for 27 yards.
“It was awesome. I didn’t really think too much about it,” he said. “I told myself that I had an opportunity, and that I’d done pretty good last week just blocking my butt off.”
King spent the offseason bulking up, and used preseason camp to work on his blocking. The added physicality is why the Habersham Central product has worked his into the rotation.
“Tavarres, he earned that position,” Richt said. “He blocked his tail off in our last game. He came to compete every play. And he did in practice as well.”
Richt said King’s increased role was needed because far too few receivers played in the Oklahoma State loss.
“Last week we just tried to reduce to too small a group of receivers,” Richt said. “This week we said we’ve got to let these guys play—we’ve got to give them opportunities.”
Lopsided
South Carolina ran 30 more plays than Georgia, using up nine more minutes of clock than the Bulldogs.
The Gamecocks ran 83 plays, the most against Georgia since 2001.
“I don’t think that’s ever happened period, with the difference in plays,” Richt said. “That’s what happens when you turn it over and they had a fake punt.”
Georgia had three turnovers, two fumbles and an interception. Boykin’s kick return for a touchdown added to the disparity.
Injury update
Senior defensive end Rod Battle left during the first half with a knee injury Saturday, and didn’t return.
Richt said Battle would have an MRI, and wasn’t sure of the severity of the injury immediately following the game.
UPDATE: The Red & Black just received an email from associate athletic director Claude Felton saying, “Joe Cox will be the starter Saturday.”
UGAsports.com is reporting Logan Gray has taken over as Georgia’s starting quarterback.
The report cites anonymous players who say that because of shoulder problems, Joe Cox did not take the majority of snaps with the No. 1 offense Wednesday.
But wait there’s more … David Hale, of the Macon Telegraph, has spoken to players who say the report is not true. Hale’s sources said Cox still received most of the reps with the No. 1 unit Wednesday.
Coach Mark Richt is available to the media at 4:15 p.m. and I’m sure this will be addressed immediately. Regardless a quarterback controversy is upon us….
Caught up with first-year corner Branden Smith briefly the other night, here’s the Q&A. A word of warning: He’s not the most talkative guy in the world
So how was your first game experience?
I’d say very nervous. It was a good experience though. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time and I got my chance to play. So it was very good.
And playing on offense?
It was good. But right now I’m just staying focused on defense right now.
Is that something you’re hoping to continue?
You’ll have to talk about coach Bobo about that.
What was the idea behind getting you out there on offense? Was it just your speed?
I really don’t know. You’ve still got to talk to coach Bobo about that. I really don’t know about offense. Our offensive coordinators do, you’ve got to ask coach Bobo.
Did you enjoy returning kicks?
Hopefully I can return more kicks in the future. I like doing it. That’s a big thing right there, helping the team on special teams. In the future I wish I can do it again.
And the Caleb King story adds another chapter.
It looked as if the sophomore tailback was ready to play this weekend—he went through Sunday’s practice with no problem.
But when returning Tuesday in full pads it looked like King wasn’t as close to retuning as initially thought.
“He did not pull anything but he fatigued the hamstring a little bit faster than it normally would so we pulled him out at that point,” said coach Mark Richt.
On Wednesday King went through individual drills and some scout team. His status for the South Carolina game is still in question.
“If they don’t think I’m 100 percent I know they’re not going to play me,” King said. “If don’t play, I’m going to play at all—but if I do I’m going to play a lot.”
King’s battled the hamstring injury for over a month.
“It’s frustrating because I don’t know what they’re going to do with me,” King said.
“I would think he is [frustrating], but he’s a very difficult guy to read,” Richt said. “He’s kind of a straight-faced guy—you’re not really sure what he’s feeling. I know he wants to play. He seemed really excited he was ready to go on Sunday. You could see that in his eyes. But now that he’s not certain I’m sure he a little frustrated with it.”
Richt said the important factor is for King to be 100 percent healthy before returning.
“But you’ve just got to be patient with those injuries,” Richt said. “Those are the things that if you get too anxious and you try to will your way into doing it you’re going to get in trouble. So we’ve just got to be smart.”
Change of plans
Lightning forced the team indoors midway through practice Wednesday. The players broke into position groups and went to meeting rooms for the rest of the allotted practice time.
“If you look at it—we got to get off the field and save our legs,” said defensive tackle Marcus Washington. “That could help us get our legs back under us and make sure we’ll full speed when we get out there to play.”
Kickoff duty still an on-going battle
Richt said kicker Blair Walsh did a good job handling kickoff duties in the loss at Oklahoma State—saying his best kick was actually on the 74-yard return by Cowboy Perrish Cox. Richt blamed poor coverage for that.
But junior college transfer Brandon Bogotay is still a valid option.
“It wasn’t like Bogotay did poorly,” Richt said. “In my opinion they both did enough to win the job…Bogotay’s not done by any stretch.”
Richt said Walsh won the job because of consistency and hang-time.
Durham returns to practice
Senior wide receiver Kris Durham practiced for the first time this season Wednesday.
Durham, who is redshirting this season and will be back next year, had offseason shoulder surgery.
Coaches held Durham out of drills where contact was possible, but the rehabilitation is entering a new phase.
Injury updates
From sports comm:
The Georgia Bulldogs will wear a helmet sticker to honor the
Georgia-based 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team during their game against South Carolina this Saturday. The 1-inch by 1.5-inch sticker will be a replica of the combat team’s shoulder sleeve insignia.
The 48th IBCT is comprised of approximately 3,000 Georgians and is currently deployed in Afghanistan with the mission of training and mentoring the Afghan Army and Police. The brigade, which is part of the Georgia National Guard, is headquartered out of Macon, with subordinate battalions based in Calhoun, Forsyth, Griffin, Savannah, Statesboro and Winder. Additional company level units are from smaller towns throughout the state.
“When I heard that the 48th was from throughout the state of Georgia, I was excited about the opportunity,” head coach Mark Richt said. “Hopefully, this is a sign of our appreciation for all the men and women who are serving and for their families as well. We owe them all the support we can give.”
Richt was originally contacted this summer via email by LTC John Gentry, a member of the 48th who also serves as the Director of Oconee County Parks and Recreation Department.
“To date we have lost seven soldiers in the line of duty,” Gentry wrote. “A thought that I had to honor those soldiers and families whom have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving the 48th IBCT, the state of Georgia and the USA is this: I wanted to know if Coach Richt and the university would consider sewing on the 48th IBCT patch on No. 48 during this football season?”
The 48th IBCT soldiers who have been killed in action are: 1st Sergeant John D. Blair; Major Kevin M. Jenerette; Sergeant First Class John C. Beale; Sergeant Chavers H. Brock; Sergeant Issac L. Johnson, Jr.; Sergeant Jeffery W. Jordon; and Sergeant Raymundo P. Morales.
The Georgia staff then made the decision to place a sticker on the helmet of every Georgia player for a particular game.
Last summer, Richt was among a group of five college football coaches who toured and visited with U.S. troups in Germany and the Middle East.
“After that trip, I certainly have a greater appreciation for their
sacrifice,” Richt said. “To be there and see them face-to-face was
definitely an eye-opening experience.”
Joe Cox has caught his fair share of heat on message boards since Georgia’s 24-10 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday. But the fifth-year quarterback isn’t listening.
“It’s not that tough at all, to be honest with you, because half the people that have things to say after games have never played a down of football before in their entire life,” Cox said. “So I take it as I wouldn’t criticize someone for something I’ve never played before or never done before. Some people feel it’s their place to try and say how somebody’s doing when they’ve never done it before. That’s been something I’ve never understood.”
“But stuff like that doesn’t bother me. You’ve got to look at the source, at who’s talking. And if it’s somebody that’s never played football, I could care less what you say.”
After the first season-opening loss of coach Mark Richt’s career, the Bulldogs dropped eight spots to No. 21 in the AP poll Tuesday, one of only three ranked teams with a first-week loss. An offense that looked lackluster, out of sync and predictable for the majority of the game was Georgia’s falling point.
“We have to mix things up,” Richt said. “We can’t just sit there and say we are going to grind it out with everyone that we play. We have to have a good mix of run and pass.
I think we ran it 30 times and threw it 30 times, so it’s not like we weren’t mixing it up. I think it was an execution issue probably more than anything else.”
A Georgia team has not started 0-2 since coach Jim Donnan’s team dropped games against Southern Miss and South Carolina to start the 1996 season. As always, Georgia will face South Carolina in its first SEC test of the season on Saturday. The Gamecock offense was equally as unimpressive in a 7-6 win over N.C. State in its opener, but this game is always a tight one, something receiver A.J. Green, a South Carolina native, knows well.
“This is a big one right now coming up this week,” said Green. “Coach Richt has never been 0-1 and people are starting to say things. We really need this one this week.”
Caleb King should play against Gamecocks: Redshirt sophomore tailback Caleb King, sidlined since mid-August with a hamstring injury, is expected to play Saturday against South Carolina, Richt said Tuesday.
“We just have to keep a good eye on him, and he has been willing to communicate what’s going on too,” Richt said. “We do plan on playing him. How much will depend on this week’s practice and probably also will have to do with what he does when he gets his opportunities.”
King had been the Bulldogs’ No. 1 tailback prior to his injury. Sophomore Richard Samuel got the majority of the carries in his stead Saturday, rushing for 87 yards on 20 carries.
Defensive end positive about performance: Against a mobile quarterback and a spread offense, Georgia’s defensive ends failed to chart a sack in Stillwater. They recorded seven tackles.
“I think we did a good job of playing the read play and the option pretty well,” said starter Rod Battle. “I think it’s a good starting point minus the loss. But each week presents a new challenge so we’ve got to let that go and get ready for this week.”
With experienced depth continuing to be an issue until Justin Houston returns from his suspension next week, tackle Geno Atkins even spent some plays at the end position, joining former linebacker Marcus Washington and freshman Cornelius Washington as Bulldogs spending their first real time at the position.
“I think they’re continuing to get better and we’ll be glad when Houston gets back,” Battle said.
Here’s a list of quotes from Richt’s weekly Tuesday press conference
Here are the latest polls:
AP:
1. Florida (56)
2. Texas (2)
3. USC
4. Alabama (2)
5. Oklahoma St.
6. Mississippi
7. Penn State
8. Ohio State
9. BYU
10. California
11. LSU
12. Boise State
13. Oklahoma
14. Virginia Tech
15. Georgia Tech
16. TCU
17. Utah
18. Notre Dame
19. North Carolina
20. Miami (FL)
21. Georgia
22. Nebraska
23. Cincinnati
24. Kansas
25. Missouri
Others Receiving Votes:
Oregon St. 113, Michigan St. 83, Pittsburgh 82, Texas Tech 53, Oregon 47, Clemson 40, Florida St. 39, West Virginia 32, Tennessee 30, Iowa 24, UCLA 18, Michigan 18, Baylor 17, Boston College 14, Arizona 12, East Carolina 6, Auburn 4, Colorado St. 4, Air Force 4, South Carolina 3, Arkansas 3, Tulsa 1, Southern Miss 1, Houston 1, South Florida 1
USA Today/Coaches
1. Florida (56)
2. Texas (2)
3. USC (1)
4. Alabama
5. Penn St.
6. Oklahoma St.
7. Ohio St.
8. Mississippi
9. LSU
10. California
11. Boise St.
12. BYU
13. Georgia Tech
14. Oklahoma
15. Virginia Tech
16. TCU
17. Utah
18. Nebraska
19. North Carolina
20. Notre Dame
21. Georgia
22. Miami (FL)
23. Cincinnati
24. Oregon St.
25 Kansas
Others Receiving Votes: Michigan St. 133, Missouri 97, Iowa 70, Florida St. 62, Texas Tech 53, Oregon 50, Pittsburgh 26, Clemson 24, South Carolina 23, Tennessee 21, West Virginia 13, Auburn 13, South Florida 12, Kentucky 8, Arizona 5, Northwestern 4, Michigan 4, Boston Coll. 3, Arkansas 2, UCLA 2, Baylor 2, Tulsa 1, Colorado St. 1, Minnesota 1
Georgia offensive lineman Trinton Sturdivant will miss the rest of 2009 after injuring his left knee in the 24-10 loss at Oklahoma State Saturday.
The redshirt sophomore tore the anterior cruciate ligament after hyper-extending the joint in the third quarter.
Sturdivant endured the same injury in preseason last year, costing him the ‘08 season.
“I saw him today, he’s probably a little bit surprised by it because he really didn’t feel like that was the situation after the ballgame and we weren’t predicting that,” said coach Mark Richt. “He seemed more philosophical, he wasn’t just in the tank. He said, ‘I’ve got two choices; I’ve got to give up or go fight again. We know that he’s going to fight.”
Richt said senior Vince Vance will most likely replace Sturdivant, but that also Josh Davis was close to retuning from a shoulder injury.
Current starters Clint Boling and Cordy Glenn could play tackle if needed, Richt said.
“We know that Trinton is going to battle; he’s got goals in his life and he’ll be back next year,” Richt said.
STILLWATER, Okla. – While quarterback Joe Cox was experiencing flu-like symptoms and did play in No. 14 Georgia’s 24-10 loss to No. 9 Oklahoma State Saturday, another teammate was back home suffering from the swine flu.
Coach Mark Richt said in his post-game press conference that Cox had been tested for swine flu and the results were negative, he did say that redshirt freshman safety Makiri Pugh tested positive for the N1H1 virus.
Pugh, who actually attended the same high school as Cox in Charlotte, N.C., did not make the trip to Stillwater.
Cox did not travel with the team but made it to Oklahoma on a team booster’s plane Friday night. He downplayed the significance of his illness on his hit-and-miss performance Saturday.
“I felt pretty good,” he said. “I wasn’t 100 percent, but I definitely felt good enough to play a football game.”
Sturdivant goes down, future uncertain
Left tackle Trinton Sturdivant, who was playing in his first game since tearing his ACL last preseason, went down in the third quarter Saturday.
He was holding his left knee and was helped off the field with the help of trainers, and did not return. He was seen leaving the stadium on crutches and wearing a brace that covered most of his left leg.
Richt was unsure about his prognosis.
“I don’t know yet,” he said. “[Trainer Ron Courson] just said we’ll have to wait a day or two. We’ll have to get a picture of it. I can’t speculate right now.”
Maybe losing Knowshon Moreno and Matthew Stafford really was a big deal.
Georgia’s defense kept the high-powered offense of No. 9 Oklahoma State in check for the majority of Saturday’s game. But the Bulldog offense couldn’t quite capitalize as No. 11 Georgia fell to the Cowboys 24-10.
Fifth-year quarterback Joe Cox finished 15-of-30 for 162 yards and a score in his first start in three years. Sophomore Richard Samuel looked solid in his debut as the Bulldogs’ No. 1 tailback, rushing for 87 yards on 20 carries.
The defense held Oklahoma State Heisman candidate Dez Bryant to 77 yards receiving, contained dual-threat quarterback Zac Robinson and kept tailback Kendall Hunter under 100 yards.
The Bulldogs were aided by 14 OSU penalties and the punting game pinned the Cowboys inside their own 10-yard line more than once.
But it wasn’t enough.
“[The offense] looked good there for a minute didn’t it,” said coach Mark Richt. “But I don’t think we’re far off.”
The Bulldogs got off to a good enough start on offense — their first possession of the game was an 80-yard, 10-play drive capped by a four-yard Michael Moore touchdown catch.
It featured a 29-yard Cox completion to A.J. Green, a 19-yard Samuel scamper and snaps taken by backup quarterback Logan Gray and freshman defensive back Branden Smith.
But it would be the only time the Bulldogs would find the end zone all day.
“I don’t know what changed,” Samuel said.
Both defenses kept the scoring silent for the rest of the half. At least until the last three minutes.
While Georgia’s offense showed some positive signs but sputtered, the Cowboys’ came to life at the end of the half.
Bryant got his first two catches of the game in accounting for 65 of the Cowboys’ 68 yards on their fifth drive of the contest. He capped it off with a 46-yard touchdown grab, putting Oklahoma State on the board for the first time with 2:24 left in the half.
On the second play of the Bulldogs’ next drive, tailback Carlton Thomas fumbled when OSU’s Lucien Antoine got his helmet on the ball, setting the Cowboys up on Georgia’s 6-yard line.
The Cowboys would get it to the one before a holding penalty on fourth down forced them into a field goal and made the score 10-7 at the half.
The Cowboys got the ball at the start of the half, and Perrish Cox, just shy of becoming the Big 12’s all-time leading kick returner, took the kick 74 yards to the Georgia 24, setting up a short scoring drive and extending the Cowboys’ lead to 10.
The Bulldogs would add a 53-yard Blair Walsh field goal on the next drive.
But again, it wasn’t enough.
“They pretty much threw every blitz imaginable at us, different coverages, just a lot of different things to confuse us,” Cox said.
The Bulldogs’ fate was officially sealed early in the fourth quarter. Still down just 17-10, Prince Miller returned a punt to the 1-yard line with 11:20 left in the game, but a block in the back sent Georgia back to its own 24. Two plays later, Cox was hit and fumbled.
Bryant quickly scored on a 12-yard pass.
“I feel like I let a lot of people down today,” Cox said.
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