Sports

Georgia's first team defense lines up block a field goal during practice -- March 31, 2011

ATHENS, Ga — The Georgia Bulldogs returned to the practice field Thursday afternoon continuing preparations for the 2011 season.

During the spring, the message to the offense is simple.

“You’re time is now, we are going to compete this spring,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “You have to show us as coaches that your time is now, show us right now that you’re dependable and ready to play.”

Although it appears that some of the offensive positions are set in stone, Bobo mentions that this is the message to every offensive player, in particular the running back position.

Georgia comes into spring practice with four running backs that could make an impact; senior Caleb King, juniors Carlton Thomas and Washaun Ealey, and freshman Ken Malcome.

For the second spring practice, Ealey wore a green no-contact jersey due to a hamstring injury and did not participate in practice.

And then there is that kid named Isaiah Crowell that will join the Bulldogs in the fall.

While running back is a place of depth, there is a lack of depth at the wide receiver position. Georgia only goes six deep at the position; Marlon Brown, Tavarres King, Israel Troupe, Rontaveous Wooten, Michael Bennett, and newcomer Chris Conley.

Then there is Aaron Murray, who had one of the best freshman seasons in the history of Georgia football. He threw for 3,049 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions on his way to being named to the 1st-tm All-Freshman SEC team.

However, there is still a lot of room for improvement as he enters his second year at the helm of the Georgia offense.

“[Murray has] to be more consistent throwing the ball,” Bobo said. “[He was] kind of streaky last year, hot for a quarter, cold for a quarter. “[He needs] to focus more on fundamentals and be consistent.”

Georgia will conclude spring football with their annual G-Day game on Saturday, April 16, at 1:00 in Sanford Stadium. The game will be televised on CSS and will be open to the public.

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Aaron Murray warms up before a practice -- March 24, 2011

ATHENS, Ga — If there was one bright spot during Georgia’s 6-7 2010 season, it was the stellar performance of freshman quarterback Aaron Murray.

Many thought that this position would be a major question mark heading into the season, but Murray did a great job of answering the call.

In his first year at the helm of the Georgia offense, Murray shined, and completed one of the best seasons in the history of Georgia football.

Murray finished the 2010 campaign with 3,216 total yards and 3,049 passing yards, which was good enough to rank second all-time amongst SEC freshman.

He also finished with a passer rating of 154.48, which ranks second all-time for quarterbacks in the history of Georgia football. The only person to post a higher number is Georgia offensive coordinator and quarterback’s coach, Mike Bobo.

If those numbers don’t impress you, then Murray’s 28 touchdowns and 8 interceptions should do the job. Murray threw no more than three touchdowns in any one game, but he would do that six times.

With that being said, Murray will go without a very important piece that helped him succeed in 2010, A.J. Green—that really goes without saying.

If Murray was a question mark in 2010, then who he will throw to is one of the major question marks in 2011. A topic that I will address later. (more…)

Final Score: Georgia 3, LSU 2. So that’s it from Foley Field. The Dogs get two much-needed wins today. They’re now 3-3 in SEC play. They play one game at Clemson on Tuesday, then head back home for a three-game series against Misssissippi State. Thanks for reading, fans.

Top 7th: Georgia 3, LSU 2– More defensive changes. RHP Tyler Maloof will try to close the game out. He has seven saves in nine appearances. Jonathan Hester is now playing first base for the Bulldogs. Jones grounds out to second. Rhymes gets in a single over the infielders’ heads. Hanover pops out to short. It’s up to slugger Mikie Mahtook to save the game for LSU. A groundout to second, and that will do it. The Dogs win, 3-2, grabbing both games of the doubleheader and winning two out of three against LSU. Gullickson gets his second win of the year, while Maloof earns his eighth save.

Bottom 6th: Georgia 3, LSU 2– Ty Ross is now catching for the Tigers. Grant Dozar comes in at first base. DeRoach singles to left. Lance Martin in to pinch run. Ruiz hits into a fielder’s choice, Martin out at second. A great throw by Ross to pick off the steal attempt by Ruiz. Alsup walks May. Stephens flies out to center, and the inning is over. Heading into the last inning, it’s still Georgia 3, LSU 2.

Top 6th: Georgia 3, LSU 2– Katz flies out to center. Edward does the same. Snikeris hits a single between third and short for his second hit of the game. Dieterich’s wild pitch sends Snikeris to second. LSU sends in Beau Didier to pinch run for Snikeris. Ty Ross is in as a pinch hitter. Ross singles right up the middle, but Cone makes a great throw to nail Didier at the plate. Georgia preserves its slim lead.

Bottom 5th: Georgia 3, LSU 2– Verdin flies out to deep left. Farmer chops one right back to Eades for another out. Cone makes it three up, three down with a groundout to short.

Top 5th: Georgia 3, LSU 2– Pitching change for the Bulldogs: LHP Blake Dieterich takes the mound. He fans Watkins to start out the inning. Jones earns a walk after a full count. Rhymes singles to center, Jones to second. Hanover flies out to right field. Verdin nearly picked off Jones at third after the catch, but Jones slides in safely. Georgia coach comes out, and Gullickson will intentionally walk Mahtook, who hit a home run in the fourth and has 27 RBI on the year. The bases are loaded for Nola. Nola gives it a ride to deep center, but Cone makes the catch at the warning track. LSU strands three and still trails, 3-2.

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Final Score: Georgia 9, LSU 5. Palazzone improves to 3-1 with his first complete game. He gave up five runs on seven hits and struck out four. Gausman (2-2) gets the loss for LSU, giving up seven runs on six hits. Farmer had three RBIs on a bases-loaded double in the second inning. Welton went 2-3 and scored twice. Ruiz also scored twice and had the game’s only home run. Georgia’s record improves to 10-13 (2-3 SEC), while the Tigers have lost four of their first five SEC games. We have the second game of this doubleheader coming up in just a little bit. Stay tuned.

Top 7th: Georgia 9, LSU 5– Jones grounds out to short. Rhymes grounds out to third. Hanover bloops a single into shallow center. Mahtook grounds to second, and that’s the ballgame. Georgia ends its four-game losing streak with an impressive 9-5 win in the first game of this doubleheader.

Bottom 6th: Georgia 9, LSU 5– Farmer pops up to first. Cone flies out to center. Chase Davidson pinch-hits for the Bulldogs. He’s batting .280 on the year, goes down swinging. Three up, three down. LSU will have one more chance to score four runs in this seven-inning game. Georgia up, 9-5.

Top 6th: Georgia 9, LSU 5– Two defensive changes for Georgia: Jonathan Hester is in at first base, and Colby May is in at third. Palazzone strikes out Katz, who watches a pitch get the outside corner. Ross singles to center. Lowery lines out to right. Watkins grounds into a fielder’s choice; Ross is out at second. Palazzone has been great since that four-run third inning. He’s allowed two hits and struck out two in the last three innings.

Bottom 5th: Georgia 7, LSU 5– HOME RUN. Ruiz opens up the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot to right. That’s the second career home run for Ruiz and his first since last season. Welton hits a standup double to center. LSU makes a second change at the mound. Right-hander Kevin Barry is now pitching. Barry has pitched in 11 games this season, with one save. He has allowed just four hits in 8.2 innings pitched. Stephens heads to the plate with two hits in two at-bats. Stephens does his job on the bunt, getting Welton to third. One out. Powell earns a walk. Leadoff man Hyams flies out to center on a good catch by Mahtook; Welton scores. Powell steals second. Verdin flies out to short to end the inning. Bulldogs score twotrand one. The scoreboard reads 9-5, Georgia.

Top 5th: Georgia 7, LSU 5– Hanover flies out to left-centerfield. Mahtook is now 2-3 on the day after flying out to shallow center. Nola also flies out to center, making it three and out. It’s time for the fifth inning stretch.

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And the game has been officially postponed. The rain wouldn’t let up, and the teams will play two seven-inning games tomorrow starting at 12pm. I’ll be back to fill you in on those games. Sorry to disappoint any who were really looking forward to reading about some Saturday afternoon baseball. But check back here tomorrow at noon, and I promise to make it up to you, barring any unreasonably high expectations.

It’s been about a thirty-minute delay now, and the players on both teams are growing restless. They’ve resorted to a new method of competition: they’re writing messages on baseballs and tossing the balls back and forth to the opposing dugout. It’s like instant messaging without electronics. Got to love old-school communication.

Looking ahead, the Bulldogs will finish up their series against LSU tomorrow at 2pm at Foley, then take a one-day trip up to Clemson on Tuesday. On April 1, they resume their SEC schedule in a three-game home series against Mississippi State (16-6, 2-2 SEC). Georgia ranks dead last in the SEC in both team batting and team pitching. They do not have a player ranked in the top 10 for any major category in the SEC.

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ESPN’s Cara Capuano tells us all about the NCAA Women’s tournament including the Lady Dawgs chances of winning their next round, as well as some UGA football talk.

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SI’s Zach Lowe returns to the show to talk about the recent demise of the Atlanta Hawks.

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Aaron Murray warms up during practice -- March 24, 2011

ATHENS, Ga — The Georgia Bulldogs were back on the practice fields Thursday afternoon completing their final spring practice without full pads.

Head coach Mark Richt called Tuesday’s practice “a bit sluggish”, following the 12 day layoff between practices following spring break, but he says the practice Thursday afternoon was much better.

“It was a good day of competition, like I hoped it would be,” said Richt. “It was very highly spirited.”

Mark Richt and the coaching staff made many positional changes before spring practice that affected both sides of the ball. The early practices will give these players the opportunity to learn about their new position.

Of the notable changes on the defensive side, Jarvis Jones has made the transition from inside linebacker to outside linebacker, and Alec Ogletree has moved from safety to inside linebacker.

“[Ogletree] is doing a really good job,” said junior inside linebacker Christian Robinson. “He’s still working, but his footwork is getting better. He still needs to get in linebacker shape.”

In the time the media was allowed to attend practice; Tavarres King, Branden Smith, and Brandon Boykin were fielding kicks.

The Bulldogs also spent the early part of practice learning about punt coverage and block assignments. The majority of defensive players were on the field being taught how to block, release, and get in their lanes—all important facets of being successful in the punting phase of the game.

Special focus on the early part of practice as Richt and coaches go over punt coverage assignments -- March 24, 2011

The Bulldogs will return to the practice fields Saturday morning, where they will put on full pads for the first time this spring.

“We will set up every drill for competition,” said Richt looking forward to Saturday’s practice. “There will be a winner, and there will be a loser.”

Saturday will also be Junior Day at Georgia, where top level high school talent will come to Athens, Georgia. This will give these high school juniors  the opportunity to attend practice, meet the coaches, tour the facilities, and to learn more about the University of Georgia.

Georgia’s annual spring game, G-Day, will kick off Saturday, April 16, at 1:00 in Sanford Stadium and will be televised on CSS.

Continue to come back to WUOG Sports for continuous updates of Georgia Bulldog spring football.

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Mark Richt on the Practice Field for Georgia's Second Spring Practice on March 22, 2011

ATHENS, Ga — The Georgia Bulldog football team returned to the field Tuesday afternoon for the second spring practice of the 2011 year.

The Bulldogs began practice on March 10, but following Spring Break, Georgia returned to the practice field for the first time in 12 days.

“Overall, it was a bit sluggish, but we’re getting better” said Mark Richt. “Defensively, we made a lot of progress today, making a lot of plays.”

A couple reasons for the sluggish practice. First, spring break was last week for the University of Georgia so the players and coaches had a whole week off.

“Spring Break, for spring football, it really stinks,” said Richt in his time with the media following practice.

Richt and his family went down to the Jamaica, but Richt was still not able to escape from the spotlight. (more…)

Dawgs do not score any runs in the bottom of the 9th. The final score from Foley Field is Georgia Tech-15 Georgia-6.

Player of the game is Matt Skole with his two homers and 8 RBIs.

The Dawgs will look to rebound on Friday in the first of a three game series with LSU. Friday’s game starts at 7:30 at Foley Field.

Thanks for reading and supporting WUOG Sports. I’m Dayne Young, have a great night.

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