Bulldawg Illustrated http://feeds2.feedburner.com/BulldawgIllustratedNewsReleases ATHENS-----Georgia head coach Mark Richt and several football players addressed the media Tuesday during the Bulldogs’ first weekly press luncheon of the 2010 season. They offered the following comments: Head coach Mark Richt Opening statement… “It’s great to be undefeated and in a great mood. This is awesome. Now we have to play. Louisiana-Lafayette, the Ragin Cajuns. Rickey Bustle, I’ve known Rickey a long time. I knew Rickey when he was coaching at Virginia Tech for years and kind of exchanged a lot of ideas offensively over the years. Not a lot lately, but back in the day. I have a very high respect for Rickey and what he is doing. He’s entering his ninth season there, which is great. I didn’t realize it until today, he coached Todd Grantham back in his day. So I probably should have been reading the newspapers and I would have known that by now. I just caught wind of that, so that’s pretty interesting. I know coach Grantham will be excited about hooking up with coach Bustle. “From what I hear they are very, very healthy. I got a report that Brandon Nash, a backup linebacker, might be the only guy who is iffy for the game. So it looks like their entire two-deep units are healthy and ready to go. We are very similar to that right now which is a tremendous blessing for us. Richard Samuel for us maybe would not be able to go, who would normally go. Chris Burnette, he’s iffy right now, but everybody else looks like they will be ready to play, which is great. Everybody is going to be able to practice this entire week who will probably play, so that’s good too. “First game of the year, I know our guys will be excited. We know it’s going to be high noon. It looks like the weather is starting to cool down a little bit possibly by then, which will probably be good for everybody including the fans. I hope it does cool down to the mid-80s anyway. We’re just looking forward to playing. We’re looking forward to getting it kicked off and just seeing what we’ve got.” On the opening game for Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray… “I hope it’s friendly for him. Aaron – he’s human. He’s a freshman and he’s going to have nerves just like everybody else. I’m a 50-year old man and I’ll be nervous too, which is a good thing. Louisiana-Lafayette, you look at them last year. They played Kansas State and beat them. Kansas State plays Texas A&M and beats the heck out of A&M. They are a very capable team and a very veteran defense, as I mentioned, with a fourth-year coordinator, juniors and seniors and guys who know what they are doing, guys who will be very confident from a defensive standpoint. I don’t know how friendly they’ll be to him. Hopefully our fans will be friendly to him and hopefully our fans will realize he’s a freshman, he’s a rookie. He’s going to make mistakes. He probably won’t just be lights out as far as his accuracy and his decisions and all those things. He’s going to be finding his way and hopefully his teammates will help him out offensively and defensively and even in the kicking game. All those areas can really help a young quarterback. I feel good about that. I feel good about the guys around him.” On starting a freshman quarterback… “What I’ve learned is that you are better off starting slow and you are better off starting with a smaller package and repping him over and over and over with this smaller package. And then hopefully he’ll have success and you can kind of grow as you go. That’s what I’ve learned and tried to help him understand. Most of these guys were pretty good playmakers in high school. They are used to being the guy making plays. Sometimes they feel like every time the ball is snapped they have to make a play, you have to do something spectacular. Aaron is a pretty mobile kid, and who knows how many times he created and scrambled and made plays. That’s kind of what he’s used to. He has to understand that you have to trust your feet. When I say trust your feet, when we drop in the pocket, when you hit that back foot in the ground you are looking at a first progression. When you hitch once you are looking at your second, and when you hitch third you are checking it down or you are starting in scramble mode or you are throwing it away. It’s not going to be like every play I’m going to ad lib and do all these great things. You just have to understand, you don’t have to be the hero. You just have to run this system, and what we have to understand is that no matter how much he knows, he’s going to be going through some things for the first time and we have to help him.” On whether the success that David Greene and Matthew Stafford had as freshmen raises expectations for Aaron Murray... “Greene was really the only one who kind of went through it unscathed or close to being unscathed. Greene was very, very disciplined in what he did. Greene created a lot of great habits as a redshirt freshman in that spring and fall. He rarely did the heroic thing or sometimes the boneheaded thing, where Stafford, he wanted to make plays. He was about making plays. He was about wanting to do great things and guys with that kind of arm strength and that kind of ability, they can’t help themselves sometimes. So if you look at Stafford, we struggled with Stafford because we turned the ball over a bunch with him. At the end of the year when we quit turning it over, we won. We beat a No. 5 Auburn at Auburn, and I guess we beat Georgia Tech and we beat Virginia Tech, who had the No. 1 defense in the country that year. He finally just quit trying to be that hero. We struggled with Matthew as the starting quarterback as a freshman and we struggled a little bit less with Greene because of the decisions those guys made.” On eliminating turnovers… “That’s why you scrimmage and that’s why you do 11-on-11. You try to get the QB in as many situations as possible. It’s just like our practice game. We were in long field goal range, but we were in range. We had a third down play, and it was a screen. The defense smelled it out and they were ready to defend it. (Murray) could have thrown the ball at his feet and been incomplete and been in field goal range, but he knew he shouldn’t throw it directly to the guy because he’d have trouble, but he decided to begin a scramble and got sacked for about eight or nine yards. We were out of field goal range and had to punt. We might have lost three points right there. Later on we had a third down inside the 10, and the scout team actually brought a different look than we thought we were going to see and he made a good decision not to throw it into coverage, but he began to scramble and he was out of the pocket. All he had to do was throw it over their head, and he chose to try to spit one in there. It was not an interception, but it should have been intercepted. There was a possibility of losing 10 points on two decisions in that game. We’ve been practicing 20-something days and all of last spring. You have to live it out. That was probably more meaningful to him than anything you can say in a pass skeleton drill or even an 11-on-11 drill. It was closer to a real game, and I think it hopefully resonated with him more than what we would say in a meeting.” On the importance of the mental outlook going into the Louisiana-Lafayette game… “I know Louisiana-Lafayette is coming in to beat a top-25 team and make their reputation at the expense of us. Our guys understand that. It’s been rare that we weren’t pretty jacked up and excited to play an opening game, so I think that helps a lot. I think our players have a very healthy respect for who we are playing, mainly because when you watch the film you see guys who can make plays. They are sending guys to the NFL too. They don’t have a talent base problem. When you are in the Deep South you are going to find players and athletes. They are very well coached, so I don’t think our guys are falling into that trap at all.” On minimizing mistakes... “That is all they are hearing from me mainly. That’s a big part of what we are talking about. The goal is to at least make the opponent beat us. Let’s not beat us. Let’s see how good we can be if we don’t help them. Let’s try that and see how it goes. That’s been a pretty strong message.” On Bacarri Rambo… “I’m sure it’s an honor for him to start. He’s excited about starting. He’s earned the right to start obviously. He’s pretty much earned it because he picked it up the quickest. He learned what to do pretty quickly. He was able to help other guys get lined up properly. And he’s a good player. He has very good ball skills, and he’s not afraid to hit you. He’s got good speed and he’s got just a knack for football. He’d be a heck of a quarterback I think too. He’s got some ability to do those things. I think he’ll do well. But we will substitute. We need to play more than one team along the way. The media keeps wanting to know who’s starting. I’m more concerned about who’s ready to play. The questions I ask our coaching staff are not who’s starting, I ask them who is ready to go in the game and play significant downs for us, so there will be more than him but he’s doing good.” On the importance of Georgia’s backups… “You have to have depth and quality depth, guys who can come in and play well. A year ago when we had a lot of injuries or even during camp a little bit when guys were out for a week or a few days, it just gives the next guy a chance to get more reps and get better. I think that’s crucial. Most teams, as the season wears on, if you don’t have enough depth, you’re in trouble. Anybody that you play in the first game of the year, everybody is healthy, everybody is undefeated, everybody is excited, and they might not be the same team game eight, nine or 10 that they are game one.” On Trinton Sturdivant… “Trinton is doing well. Trinton has been practicing. The last practice game, he got maybe 12 or 13 snaps. Trinton has been hooking it up in our inside running drills, which for a lineman that is live basically. When you go thud with linemen, they are banging heads every play. They are in the middle of a bunch of bodies trying to block a scheme and can get rolled up, so he has gotten those reps and he’s gaining more confidence and he’ll play.” On players making mistakes off the field… “The flaw is if a guy does something that deserves to be disciplined and you don’t discipline him. That’s where the flaw us. The flaw is in us as humans. We’re flawed, we’re human, we make mistakes. When we make a mistake, then we get disciplined for it. As long as we have 18-22 year old guys who are human beings, they are going to make mistakes. That’s just all there is to it. If you don’t discipline it, you have a problem. If they don’t learn from it, then they have a problem. If it’s severe enough that they don’t belong on the team, then they go, that’s just the way it is. I think a lot of times, you guys cover us over and over and over and you’re not everyday watching what’s going on next door. If you lived in that neighborhood and you watched what happened everyday, you would probably say they have problems too. The problem is we are human, the problem is the culture of the college kids around the country and the things that they think are fun and what they do and just sometimes flat immaturity and that kind of thing.” On Caleb King… “He’s ready and he’s in great condition. He’ll get more carries I’m sure than he would have if Washaun (Ealey) was there. Carlton will have to step up, and Fred Munzenmaier might get a few totes at tailback too, so I’m sure he’ll be excited about that.” #11 Aaron Murray, QB On the cohesiveness of the offensive line… “I think that they’re a great group of guys. They’ve worked together, at least some of them, for three years now. I’ve said it 100 times but I think that they’re probably the best offensive line in the SEC and probably one of the best groups in the country. Those guys, all of them could play on Sundays. They all enjoy each other. They’re a great group of guys and they really like to hang out with each other. They work well together, which is huge. There’s no risk between those guys. There’s great communication out there, which is really reassuring when you get to the line of scrimmage and they’re all saying the same thing and are all on the same page. It’s great to have those five guys in front of me.” On potential nerves before the game… “I wouldn’t say that I get nervous. I would say that I get more juiced up. I get really excited, and I need to take that down a notch. I get extremely pumped up. It’d be a great thing if I was on defense and I was trying to take someone’s head off, but offensive wise, you want to be a little more mellow. I think that I’ll be fine once I get calmed down a bit. I’m just excited about the opportunity to come out and play.” On opening the season at Sanford Stadium… “It’s going to be a great experience and a great way to start the season and my career. Being at home and being in front of all of the fans, it’s definitely very exciting and I’m very excited to get out there on Saturday.” #16 Kris Durham, SE On coming back from his season-ending shoulder injury last season… “It’s not starting over, because I kind of understand the concept of everything out there. It’s hard to put into words, but it’s exciting. It’s nerve-wracking. I’m just excited and antsy. I even have a little bit of anxiety because I’m so ready to be out there on Saturday.” On play of QB Aaron Murray… “I didn’t realize, because I didn’t get to throw with him a lot last year because I was injured, just how good of a player Aaron really was. He’s intelligent. He’s a student of the game and it’s almost like he’s a veteran already. He really is something special.” #78 Josh Davis, OT On the play of junior OG Trinton Sturdivant… “Trinton is really excited about going back again. He’s being smart and making sure that he’s not doing anything that will hurt him during his return. In my opinion, Trinton looks great. He’s almost back to his old form. He’s ready. It’s all he’s been talking about every day at practice. ” On the play of the offensive line as a whole… “We feel good as a whole. We know that we have to get comfortable out there as a whole and we know what we have to do out on the field. We’re ready for [Saturday].” #51 Akeem Dent, ILB On overcoming his injury… “It was frustrating in the beginning when I had some adversity, but now I’m in a position to be well and be ready to play football.” On getting the call despite missing camp… “It’s an honor. The guys in there while I was out did fantastic and really took on a leadership role and did a nice job. To have missed camp was unfortunate but now I feel like I’m ready to go and I’m glad to be back in there.” On the rest of the defense… “We worked hard all preseason and all camp and we’re ready to go. I know everyone is ready to make a contribution. I trust in my teammates 110 percent.” On his senior season… “You get to that point where you start to feel like it’s your last season. You always think you’ll play football all your life, but you don’t know that. When your senior season rolls around you have to take advantage.” #18 Bacarri Rambo, FS On the defense’s keys to success… “I think we have to win the turnover ratio. When you are able to create turnovers it really sets the tone for the defense. In the past we’ve been ranked low in that category so we have to go out there and focus on getting turnovers and getting our great offensive players back on the field because they’ll make plays. Our coaches have stressed that to us. Coach [Todd] Grantham is aggressive on play-calling, and we’ll do things and force the quarterback to throw bad balls and help us do what we need to do.” On playing against an opponent… “It’s been a very long time since we got a chance to hit an opponent so we’re all ready to go out there. It’s different when you’re playing your own guys. We all want to go out there and do it but at the same time you don’t want to hurt your teammates. We’re excited to face an actual opponent.” On getting to start his first game… “It feels great to get out there and start and to know I’ll have everybody screaming. It’s exciting to start my first college game – it’s a dream come true. I’ve been dreaming about that since I was a little boy. My dad always told me I’d get where I need to be if I worked hard and I’ve been working hard to get to this point. I’m going to continue to do that to achieve my dreams of succeeding here and playing at the next level.” On the difference in starting vs. coming off the bench… “Being on the sideline and watching guys play and having an idea of what to do when my turn is called is helpful. But now that I’m starting I really have started to focus and pay much more attention to my playbook because I’ll be out on the field all the time. On one hand it’s very difficult being on the sideline but in some ways it helps too. I want to be a starter and have my name called at the beginning of the game.” #94 DeAngelo Tyson, DT On where he is now… “You can never be comfortable because there’s always room to learn, but right now I feel a little bit of comfort knowing the system and knowing we can play fast. At first there was a lot of stuff to learn [with the new system] but the coaches that we have are great teachers. When you have great teachers you become a great learner.” On what the defense expects… “We’re going to play whatever Coach Grantham calls. We are comfortable with the things we’ve worked on in practice, we’ve gone over everything a lot of times, so we’re just going out and having fun. That’s what we’ll do each and every Saturday.” Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1214/Richt-Bulldogs-Preview-Louisiana-Lafayette- ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia football kicked off another week of preseason practice with a 90-minute session on Monday at the Woodruff Practice Fields. Coach Mark Richt said the hot temperatures, which moved into the 90s again, were just fine with him. “It was hotter today,” Richt said. “The guys had to push through it. Most of them did just that. We’re getting done what we need to get done. ... It’s good when it’s hot. It looks like it will be hot all week, and I’m glad about that. I hope it’s hot next week, too.” Richt was asked if this felt like a bye week since the Bulldogs will be in game mode next week. “Yeah, a long bye week,” he said. “It’s time to play a game. I’m glad we’re blending in some scout work. Everybody is ready to play. It’s been a long camp, but we’ve gotten a lot out of it.” Richt said end Demarcus Dobbs (ankle), center Chris Burnette (concussion) and end Dexter Morant (shoulder) missed practice on Monday. He said receiver Logan Gray (ankle), center Ben Jones (knee), guard Cordy Glenn (mono) “are getting close.” Linebacker Akeem Dent (toe) was able to log some non-contact work for the first time on Monday. Said Richt, “We’re getting there.” Tackle Clint Boling said the injuries to Jones and Glenn has meant valuable practice reps to several reserves. Boling said the depth should make a difference during Georgia’s first three games, all of which will kick off near high noon. “They’ve all been playing well,” Boling said of the backups. “They’ve taken advantage of their opportunity to step in and get the job done. The good thing is, we’ve all been together for awhile, so we should be fine when everybody’s back. It’s going to be hot in the first couple of games, but it doesn’t matter when game time is; you’ve just got to be ready to play.” Richt said the Bulldogs will practice again on Tuesday, then will have a practice game on Wednesday and a kicking practice on Thursday. Georgia, which was ranked No. 21 in the preseason edition of the USA Today coaches poll and No. 23 in the Associated Press poll, will begin the 2010 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 4, against Louisiana-Lafayette at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff for the opener against the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 12:21 p.m., and the contest will be televised on the SEC Network nationwide. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1212/Richt-says-the-guys-had-push-through-it-after-hot-Monday-practice ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia Bulldogs altered their daily routine slightly on Tuesday, spending the day primarily preparing for Wednesday's final live scrimmage of their preseason camp. "I thought it was a good, productive day, and I'm hoping tomorrow will be even more productive," head coach Mark Richt said. The Bulldogs practiced for less than 90 minutes in jerseys and shorts, walking through numerous offensive and defensive sets. Approximately every 20 minutes, the team broke from football drills and conducted brief conditioning runs. "Today we decided to have a walk through to try to prepare them as we want them to look tomorrow for the practice game," Richt said. "We gave them a little bit of a break from the hitting, but we did so in the heat and we did conditioning every 20 minutes to try to get them in condition for the heat. Hopefully we allowed the special teams to learn how the looks we want them to give should look tomorrow." Richt wants to emulate game conditions as much as possible on Wednesday. "We don't get a preseason game so tomorrow is as close as we're going to get," Richt said. "We're going to play a half of football and do our normal pre-game warm-up. We'll choose captains and simulate a coin toss. We'll kick it off like a regular game. We'll have our coaches situated up or down where they'll be during the season. We'll have the clock going. We'll have SEC officials. We'll have everything as close as possible except for the crowd noise. "We want them to get used to (game conditions)," Richt continued. "We haven't transitioned from kick off coverage to defense, from punt return or block to offense, from extra point/field goal to kicking off." While the Bulldogs are yet to release a depth chart for the opener, Richt expects the personnel representing Georgia in the scrimmage to most likely play early against Louisiana-Lafayette. "The coaches are basically putting together the game utilizing everyone we think will play in the first half and everyone else goes to Louisiana-Lafayette," Richt said. "In cases, we'll be two-to-three deep. In some cases, that might just be two-deep. For instance, we have some sets that might have all three tight ends in the game on the goal line. The only thing that won't be first teams on the Georgia sideline will be some special teamers. They might play offense or defense for Louisiana-Lafayette and have to cross over and put on a vest to show that they're 'Georgia.'" The Bulldogs' final scrimmage will be Friday. "This is our last scrimmage that will be live," Richt said. "We'll have a situational scrimmage that will be 'thud.' If situations don't occur tomorrow, we may have to fabricate them on Friday." Georgia, which has been ranked No. 21 and No. 23 in the preseason editions of the USA Today coaches and Associated Press polls, respectively, will begin the 2010 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 4 against Louisiana-Lafayette at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff against the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 12:21 p.m., and the contest will be televised on the SEC Network nationwide. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1213/Georgia-Football-Practice-Notes ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia Bulldogs returned to practice on Tuesday after Monday's workout was cancelled due to rain. The forecast for Tuesday appeared equally bleak, but the Bulldogs did get in their two-and-a-half hour, full-pads session without incident. "We did get a break with the weather," head coach Mark Richt said. "Yesterday, it looked like it was going to rain at this time every day this week. This morning, it looked like it was going to really poor this afternoon. But about an hour before we started it came around and was fine. "Practice today I thought was good," Richt continued. "We worked hard. We're getting better. We've cut down on our penalties. We've still got a couple of dumb ones here and there, but I think the guys understand what we want." The practice was the 14th of the preseason, nearly halfway through the 29 available before the season opener. "I mentioned to the players that I thought we were basically at the midway point in camp and from I've seen I believe we can have a pretty good team," Richt said. He also emphasized that players still have the chance to prove they deserve playing time. "We've got some guys slated as starters who our our right now like (Akeem) Dent, Ben Jones and Cordy Glenn," Richt said. "I told the other guys who are getting reps right now to show your coach you're ready to play. We want to play multiple players. We're going to play at noon at noon and at noon those first three games. We have to have players to get through those. I've told the guys there right now to work hard to hold onto it or at least show you're ready to play." Richt also said on he and his staff have discussed their personnel and each player's progression to date. "We did talk today about personnel," Richt said. "I sat for about an hour and a half with our offensive staff and a little less than that with the defense. We didn't so much make judgments about the depth chart as much as trying to get an honest evaluation on each player...who is ready to play. We won't be too concerned with who is going to start until the week of the game." The annual Fans' Picture Day is slated for this Saturday at Sanford Stadium. Interim mascot "Russ" will be available for photos from 1-3 p.m., while the 2010 Bulldogs will be at the stadium from 3-5 p.m. Georgia, which was ranked No. 21 in the preseason edition of the USA Today coaches poll, will begin the 2010 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 4 against Louisiana-Lafayette at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff for the opener against the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 12:21 p.m., and the contest will be televised on the SEC Network nationwide. # # # Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1211/Bulldogs-back-to-work ATHENS, Ga. --- The members of the Georgia football team switched sports on Monday. The Bulldogs traded their helmets and shoulder pads for goggles and life vests as they went swimming at Gabrielsen Natatorium inside the Ramsey Center. Several players braved the 10-meter platform, while others remained on the lower boards and even more just splashed around in the cool water. The break was especially welcome as the players began fall semester classes on Monday. "I definitely think it was a well-deserved break," linebacker Cornelius Washington said. "It was a release for us because it was such a fun time. I think the day off will give us some pep for practice on Tuesday. We'll have our legs under us and we'll be rested. Coach (Mark) Richt is really good about doing things like that for us. It was fun watching the guys jump. You could tell the look on some of their faces was like, 'Oh boy, I don't know about this.' It got everyone relaxed and we all had a good time." Richt talked several would-be divers into jumping off the 10-meter, using his familiar "finish the drill" pep talk. He also went off the 10-meter board himself, doing a backflip while wearing slacks and a dress shirt. "I'll probably do that every year," Richt said. "I got caught up in some things before we went, so I was in my street clothes. They were getting on me, so I decided to go. I will tell you this, after jumping in and getting out, I can tell you that H. Stockton makes some quality stuff." Richt confirmed that center Ben Jones had arthroscopic surgery on his knee Sunday and that the junior should be ready for the Bulldogs' season opener. The annual Fans' Picture Day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 21, at Sanford Stadium. Interim mascot "Russ" will be available for photos from 1-3 p.m., while the 2010 Bulldogs will be at the stadium from 3-5 p.m. Georgia, which is ranked No. 21 in the preseason edition of the USA Today coaches poll, will begin the 2010 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 4, against Louisiana-Lafayette at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff for the opener against the Ragin' Cajuns is slated for 12:21 p.m., and the contest will be televised on the SEC Network nationwide. Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1210/Bulldogs-Enjoy-A-Break-At-The-Pool The University of Georgia will hold its annual Fan Picture Day on August 21 in Sanford Stadium and will feature Bulldog football coaches, players and interim mascot, “Russ.” Due to the construction on the north side of Sanford Stadium, Picture Day will be held in the Gate 6 and 7 plazas and the club level located between Gates 6 and 7 all on the south side of the stadium. University of Georgia Athletic Association officials request fans to be patient and prepared for longer lines and tighter surroundings due to the construction. Gates will open at 1 p.m. to give fans ample time to get into position to meet players and coaches. The Georgia football players and coaches will be on hand for photographs and autographs from 3-5 p.m. Quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers will be set up in Gate 6. Offensive linemen and defensive linemen will be set up in the club level between Gates 6 and 7. Defensive backs, linebackers and special teams will be set up in Gate 7. Fans are reminded that only two items are allowed per person, and event staff will be in place to enforce the limitations prior to entering autograph lines. Starting at 8 a.m., 150 tickets each for “Russ” and Coach Mark Richt will be distributed from the East Campus Ticket Windows. Fans should be aware that there are two different lines for each ticket and should make plan accordingly if they want to have photos made with both. In the press box, “Russ” will be available for photos from 1-3 p.m. and Coach Richt will be signing autographs and taking pictures from 3-5 p.m. The fans with tickets will be directed to access the press box through Gate 8 or at the barricade off the ramp from the Gate 6/7 area. Fans must show tickets to access these areas, and no stand-by tickets will be distributed. Families traveling with children and strollers will need to make plans to park strollers in the designated parking area prior to entering the press box. No strollers and food or drink will be allowed inside the press box. Fans with tickets for “Russ” must be in line by 1:30 p.m. while fans with tickets for Coach Richt must be in line by 3:30 p.m. Parking is available to the general public in the following campus lots: any lots along East Campus Road, Journalism-Psychology Building, Clarke Howell Hall, Legion Field and Tate Center lots. Handicapped parking will be available in the Tate Center lots. Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1209/UGA-Picture-Day-Saturday-August-21st Athens, Ga. – Greg McGarity, executive associate athletic director at the University of Florida, today was named University of Georgia director of athletics effective Sept. 1. McGarity was introduced by UGA President Michael F. Adams this afternoon at a news conference in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. An Athens native, McGarity graduated from UGA with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism in 1976. After beginning his career in the UGA Athletic Association, he joined the University of Florida in 1992, rising progressively through the positions of associate athletic director and senior associate athletic director to his current position of executive associate athletic director. His duties at Florida include assisting the athletic director in daily operations of the department, assisting in preparation and approval of the annual budget and extensive involvement in long-term planning, contracts, competition scheduling and employment searches, among other areas. Citing McGarity’s top-level experience in one of America’s most successful athletic programs, Adams said McGarity understands UGA’s desire to compete and succeed at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics while maintaining a primary focus on the needs and success of student-athletes. “Greg McGarity is an experienced senior athletic administrator who has spent his entire life in athletics and athletic administration,” Adams said. “He was admired greatly during the time he worked in the department here, and I can tell you from the comments I have read during this process that this is considered to be a great loss at the University of Florida. He has been involved in major personnel decisions at Florida, and I consider hiring the right people in the right positions to be the most important function of a senior administrator.” At Florida, McGarity has been involved in the planning and supervision of several construction projects, including the expansion of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the William Heavener Football Complex. At UGA, he was assistant athletic director for facilities and event management from 1988-1992, an administrative assistant from 1982-1988, head women’s tennis coach and assistant sports information director from 1977-1982, and a student assistant from 1973-1977. McGarity was a letterman on the 1973 UGA men’s tennis team. “I look forward to continuing and furthering the academic and athletic excellence already exemplified by this great institution,” McGarity said. “I am excited about the opportunity to return home and to lead the athletic program at my alma mater, and particularly to work with our students, athletic staff, the UGA administration, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters.” McGarity is married to the former Sheryl Holland, who graduated from UGA in 1976 with a bachelor of science degree in education. They have one son, Alex, 21, who is a rising senior at the University of Florida. “Greg McGarity is an outstanding choice by Dr. Adams to be the athletics director at the University of Georgia,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. “He has a deep appreciation for the history and traditions of the Southeastern Conference and has been a significant contributor to the conference for many years during his tenures at Georgia and Florida.” Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1208/Greg-McGarity-named-University-of-Georgia-director-of-athletics For Immediate Release UGA Sports Communications Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010 ATHENS, Ga. --- One day after the first scrimmage of the preseason for the Georgia football team, Coach Mark Richt decided to shorten practice. And he was pleased with the way the players reacted. “We shortened it a little bit hoping to get a high level of energy, and we got it,” Richt said Wednesday after a session lasting roughly 90 minutes. “I was pleased with the effort and the energy. When you adjust a practice like that, you hope the players will respond, and that’s exactly what they did. “We were able to hit a little bit of everything today. We ended it with the1-minute drill. With young quarterbacks, you want them to get that experience. We also did a lot of fundamental work, and the guys were very sound.” Richt said he was happy the number of injured players not participating in practice was so small. “That’s a blessing,” Richt said. “The strength staff did a great job getting the guys ready for camp, and the guys did a great job of working hard to be in shape when they got here. Having more one-a-days and more teaching time is also paying off.” Richt said the Bulldogs will have a special teams practice on Thursday, followed by another abbreviated practice on Friday before Saturday’s scrimmage at Sanford Stadium. Said Richt, “We’ll make Friday’s practice short so that they will have some juice for Saturday.” During a break in Wednesday’s session, Richt greeted U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and presented him with a Georgia jersey. Fall Semester classes begin at UGA Monday, Aug. 16. The annual Fans' Picture Day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 21, at Sanford Stadium. Interim mascot "Russ" will be available for photos from 1-3 p.m., while the 2010 Bulldogs will be at the stadium from 3-5 p.m. Georgia, which is ranked No. 21 in the preseason edition of the USA Today coaches poll, will begin the 2010 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 4, against Louisiana-Lafayette at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff for the opener against the Ragin' Cajuns is slated for 12:21 p.m., and the contest will be televised on the SEC Network nationwide. Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1207/Bulldogs-Please-Richt-In-Shortened-Practice FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- Tuesday, August 10, 2010 Georgia Football Practice Notes ATHENS, Ga. ---The Georgia Bulldogs squared off against each other Between the Hedges for two hours Tuesday in the first scrimmage of the 2010 preseason camp. It marked the second preseason practice in full pads for the Bulldogs, and Georgia coach Mark Richt said he liked what he saw at Sanford Stadium. "Without question, the number one units whipped the number two units," Richt said. "That's what you want to see, and our number two offense and defense were competing out there. It was a hot, humid day, probably the hottest and most humid of all our practices so far." Richt began his post-scrimmage media session by providing some statistics from Tuesday's action. Redshirt freshman quarterback Aaron Murray was 12-for-21 for 237 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while true freshman Hutson Mason was 9-for-23 for 78 yards and one touchdown. Junior tailback Caleb King had 14 carries for 63 yards while sophomore Washaun Ealey tallied 66 yards on five carries. Junior flanker A.J. Green posted a productive day with five receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns while junior Logan Gray had a pair of catches for 45 yards. Defensively, senior linebacker Akeem Hebron led all tacklers with six while senior end Demarcus Dobbs and junior safety Nick Williams had five apiece. Junior cornerback Brandon Boykin and true freshman safety Alec Ogletree notched interceptions. Murray said that he did some good things and some bad things while directing the first team. "I know I have to continue to work hard, watch film and improve," said Murray. "Today, I felt comfortable in the pocket, I trust the line, and I had time to throw. From watching film, I know I can trust the guys up front, and I don't have to rush and can look down field. I did force a couple throws today trying to make plays, and I will learn from that." Richt said he thought Murray led the team well Tuesday. "He has a very good command of the system, he was getting us in the right plays, and overall, he's done well," said Richt. "He did have one interception, and it was not a wise decision. He knows he doesn't have to be a hero, and it's all right to throw it out of bounds some times." Fall Semester classes begin at UGA Monday, Aug. 16. The annual Fans' Picture Day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 21 at Sanford Stadium. Interim mascot "Russ" will be available for photos from 1-3 p.m., while the 2010 Bulldogs will be at the stadium from 3-5 p.m. Georgia, which was ranked No. 21 in the preseason edition of the USA Today coaches poll, will begin the 2010 campaign on Saturday, Sept. 4 against Louisiana-Lafayette at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff for the opener against the Ragin' Cajuns is slated for 12:21 p.m., and the contest will be televised on the SEC Network nationwide. Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1206/Bulldogs-Hold-Scrimmage-At-Sanford-Stadium ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia Bulldogs conducted a two-and-a-half-hour workout in shoulder pads and shorts on Thursday as they continue to prepare for the 2010 campaign. The session was the fourth of 29 before the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, Sept. 4. The heat played a role in head coach Mark Richt's assessment of the practice. "I would say the heat jumped on us today," Richt said. "It was probably the hottest day and the fact that it's the fourth day. Toward the end there, they didn't give in but it was tough. A lot of guys were battling through. A lot of guys were maybe thinking about giving in. There were probably a couple of guys who did give in. "It's tough to maintain the tempo and the energy we've had to this point every day, especially in this heat and being on field turf," Richt continued. "It's probably 10-15 degrees hotter on field turf than it is on a grass surface. That will probably pay dividends when we play on grass. I still see good things happening." Richt drew attention to the performance of junior Logan Gray, who moved from quarterback to receiver following spring practice. "I like what I'm seeing out of Logan Gray," Richt said. "He's really running his routes pretty well for not having a lot of reps. I know he did it all summer and worked hard all summer. If I'd have been able to watch this summer, I might've seen the progression of it. I'm impressed that he's this far along this quickly. He seems to catch the ball well. He has not been afraid to block, which he probably hadn't had to do much in his football career. I think there are definitely advantages of understanding the offensive system from the quarterback's perspective." Fall Semester classes begin at UGA on Monday, Aug. 16. The annual Fans' Picture Day is slated for Saturday, Aug. 21 at Sanford Stadium. Interim mascot "Russ" will be available for photos from 1-3 p.m., while the 2010 Bulldogs will be at the stadium from 3-5 p.m. Kickoff for the opener against the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 12:21 p.m., and the contest will be televised on the SEC Network nationwide. Thu, 05 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1205/Georgia-Football-Practice-Notes ATHENS, Ga.-----With temperatures hovering around the mid 90s and the heat index reaching triple digits, the University of Georgia football team hit the field Wednesday for its third session of the preseason. After a couple of days of working out in jerseys, shorts and helmets, the Bulldogs added shoulder pads to Wednesday’s two-hour practice. Georgia’s first session in full pads is scheduled for Saturday. This routine follows the NCAA’s five-day “acclimatization period” that all teams must follow at the start of preseason practice. The Bulldogs will have a total of 29 practices before their season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette. “It was definitely the hottest day for us, and everybody held up extremely well and I was really proud of them,” said Georgia head coach Mark Richt. “We finished extremely well.” Richt praised the play of senior linebacker Darryl Gamble and junior flanker A.J. Green, saying they are having an excellent camp. Meanwhile freshman defensive end Dexter Morant, a 6-7, 240-pound native of Manning, S.C., has left the program, Richt confirmed Wednesday. “Football is not for everybody, and Dexter has lost the desire to play,” said Richt. “We tried to convince him it was in his best interest to stay and fight through it because a lot of guys go through it, but in the end, he felt like it wasn’t for him. Right now, I’m not sure what he is going to do. I wish him the best, he’s a good kid.” In other personnel news, Richt said sophomore split end Tavarres King’s suspension would likely remain for just one game after King’s off-season alcohol-related incident. Classes resume at UGA on Monday, Aug. 16. The annual Fans’ Picture Day will be Aug. 21 in Sanford Stadium. Interim Bulldog mascot “Russ” will be available for photos that day from 1-3 p.m. while the 2010 Bulldogs will be at the stadium from 3-5 p.m. The season opener against the Ragin’ Cajuns is slated for a 12:21 p.m. ET kickoff on Sept. 4, and it will be televised on the SEC Network. Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1204/Football-Practice-Bulldogs-Add-Shoulder-Pads-in-Day-3 ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Georgia football team completed its second preseason practice on Tuesday afternoon working out for approximately two and a half hours on the Woodruff Practice Fields. The Bulldogs practiced in jerseys, shorts and helmets for the second-straight day as part of the NCAA's five-day "acclimation period." It marked the second of 29 practice sessions before the season opening game. On Wednesday, the team will add shoulder pads, and Georgia's first session in full pads is slated for Saturday, Aug. 7. After Tuesday's practice, head coach Mark Richt addressed the Bulldogs' first two practices of the preseason noting that the team's offseason preparation has been very apparent. "It's been a very good start," Richt stated. "I think it was very evident that a lot of guys worked very hard physically but also worked hard mentally. A lot of guys made progress from a mental standpoint, so you know they were studying playbooks and improving. "One guy in particular I want to make mention of is Shawn Williams. Shawn has probably dropped about 10 pounds, and he is much quicker. You can tell he really studied. He is got the attention of our coaching staff, and he's just one example of that. There are a lot of guys who look like they got very serious to where they could compete more." Richt also said that while the freshmen still have "a long way to go," there have been some freshmen who have caught his eye including offensive lineman Kenarious Gates, quarterback Hutson Mason, safety Alec Ogletree, fullback Alexander Ogletree and cornerback Derek Owens. In regards to Mason, Richt added that he was another player who clearly put in a great deal of offseason preparation. "You can tell he studied all summer long," Richt said. "He didn't have a spring to draw from. I will say that Aaron Murray has done a fantastic job of coaching the true freshmen quarterbacks. When they showed up to the meetings, they had a pretty decent working knowledge of what we are trying to do. Hutson has done a nice job of taking in a lot of information and being able to understand things pretty quickly." Richt also addressed the Bulldogs' defense, "I talked with Coach (Todd) Grantham) just a little bit ago after today's practice, and he's impressed. He said a lot of guys have been studying this summer. As we are installing at a relatively rapid pace, they are doing a good job of staying with it. There's a lot of recall he said, so that's a tribute to our guys. They are serious about wanting to win." Classes resume at UGA on Monday, Aug. 16. The annual Fans' Picture Day will be Aug. 21 in Sanford Stadium. Interim Bulldog mascot "Russ" will be available for photos that day from 1-3 p.m. while the 2010 Bulldogs will be at the stadium from 3-5 p.m. The season opener against the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns is set for a 12:21 p.m. ET kickoff on Sept. 4, and it will be televised on the SEC Network. Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1203/Football-Bulldogs-Offseason-Preparation-Showing-In-Preseason-Practice COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. ----- Georgia junior Trey Thompkins is among 10 collegians that will continue training against the USA National Team as members of the USA Basketball “Select” Team, it was announced Monday by the sport’s national governing body. The Select Team will convene in New York on August 9 for a week-long training session against the USA Team finalists. This National team will represent the U.S. at the 2010 FIBA World Championships, to be held Aug. 28-Sept. 12 in Turkey. The 10 invitees participated in the first USA World Championship trials in Las Vegas during the week of July 19. Thompkins first gained experience in the international arena last summer as a member of the gold medal-winning USA team at the U19 championships in New Zealand. “It’s been such a blessing to be a part of USA Basketball and to participate on the Select team this year,” Thompkins said. “I think it’s great that we (collegians) can give the National Team a run for its money and definitely help them get better and reach their goal of winning the gold medal.” In addition to Thompkins, the USA Select Team includes the following players: JaJuan Johnson (Purdue University / Indianapolis, Ind.); Jon Leuer (University of Wisconsin / Orono, Minn.); Shelvin Mack (Butler University / Lexington, Ky.); Kyle Singler (Duke University / Medford, Ore.); Chris Singleton (Florida State University / Canton, Ga.); Nolan Smith (Duke University / Upper Marlboro, Md.); Mike Tisdale (University of Illinois / Riverton, Ill.); Kemba Walker (University of Connecticut / Bronx, N.Y.); and Chris Wright (University of Dayton / Trotwood, Ohio). The two teams will meet for training at two locations in New York, first at John Jay College and later in the week at the New York Knicks practice facility. The USA Select team is being directed by Villanova coach Jay Wright. “One of the great developments of our Las Vegas camp was the USA Select Team, which consisted of juniors and seniors out of the college ranks that we brought in to scrimmage against the USA National Team. It worked so well we’ve decided to bring to New York a smaller group of players from that Select Team to do the same thing. They were very valuable to us and it’s a great experience for them,” said USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo. Thompkins, a 6-10 junior from Lithonia, was a unanimous All-Southeastern Conference first-team selection last season for the Bulldogs. He is the only member of the 8-man Coaches’ All-SEC team to be returning in 2010-11. As a sophomore he averaged 17.7 points and 8.3 rebounds, both team highs. Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1201/Thompkins-Invited-Back-to-Train-vs-US-Team IRVINE, Calif. --- More than 30 United States Olympians, including Georgia’s Allison Schmitt and Coach Jack Bauerle, will be participating in the 2010 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships Tuesday through Saturday. Joining Schmitt and Bauerle in California will be several Georgia teammates, including Morgan Scroggy, Chelsea Nauta, Mark Dylla and Bill Cregar. The meet, which will take place at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, is one of the biggest swimming events of the year. The meet will serve as the selection meet for the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Championships, which will take place in Irvine, Aug. 18-22, and will feature top competitors from Japan, Australia, Canada and more than 20 other countries. Both Nationals and the Pan Pacific Championships will also serve as the selection meets for the 2011 FINA World Championships in Shanghai, China. The National Championships will follow the traditional meet schedule of morning prelims and evening finals. Finals begin at 6 p.m. PT and prelims begin at 9 a.m. PT. The competition will be broadcast by NBC in two shows on Aug. 7 and 8. The NBC show on Aug. 7 will air from 4-6 p.m. ET and the show on Aug. 8 will air from 4:30 to 6 p.m. ET. In addition, Universal Sports will broadcast finals live on Aug, 3 (6-8:30 p.m. PT) and 4 (6-8 p.m. PT). Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines will serve as the analyst and Dan Hicks will handle the play-by-play duties for the broadcast. The meet will also be webcast live by Swimnetwork.com throughout the duration of the competition. Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1202/Georgia-Will-Be-Well-Represented-At-Swimming-Nationals ATHENS-----Former University of Georgia All-American Yvette Hyndman flew to the Big Apple Tuesday and made her World TeamTennis (WTT) Pro League debut with the New York Buzz. Hyndman, a four-time All-Southeastern Conference player, replaced Swiss sensation Martina Hingis in the Buzz lineup after she was not feeling well. Hyndman played doubles with British star Sarah Borwell, and they fell 5-1 to Coco Vandeweghe and Raquel Kops-Jones of the Boston Lobsters at the SEFCU Arena on the campus of the University of Albany. The Lobsters won the overall match 25-9. A native of Bradenton, Fla., Hyndman flew in from Jacksonville and arrived in Albany approximately 30 minutes before the match. Hyndman will continue with the Buzz for their final two matches of the regular season this week. On Wednesday, the Buzz will compete against the Philadelphia Freedoms, which features Andy Roddick, at the NYB Pavilion, and on Thursday, they will face the St. Louis Aces, which includes Anna Kournikova and Lindsay Davenport, at the Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center. For live scoring and complete player/match statistics, please visit 
www.WTT.com The WTT league features the biggest names in the world playing together in an innovative co-ed team format. It was co-founded by Billie Jean King and Larry King in 1974. WTT is well known for introducing innovative elements to tennis including instant replay, co-ed format, multi-colored courts, cumulative and no-ad scoring, on-court coaching, supertiebreakers and player names on back of their shirts. Team matches consist of five events; with one set each of men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles and mixed doubles. The first team to reach five games wins each set. A nine-point tiebreaker is played if a set reaches four-all. One point is awarded for each game won. If necessary, overtime and a supertiebreaker are played to determine the winner of the match. Wed, 21 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1200/Hyndman-Steps-In-For-Hingis-Makes-World-TeamTennis-Debut ATHENS, Ga. --- Former Georgia golfer Erik Compton, who has undergone two heart transplants, will be profiled in the upcoming edition of Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel on HBO. The episode featuring Compton will debut on Wednesday at 9 p.m. When Compton was 12, he required a heart transplant due to viral cardiomyopathy and he took up golf as part of his recovery and rehabilitation. He was an All-American during his two years at Georgia (2000 and 2001) before turning pro. In 2008, Compton underwent another transplant after suffering a heart attack. He returned to professional golf five months later. The 30-year-old recently made headlines when he qualified for the U.S. Open. Since turning pro in 2001, Compton has earned six professional victories, three coming on the Canadian Tour. “Erik has been through so much in his life, but he refuses to let anything slow him down or stand in his way,” Georgia coach Chris Haack said. “He’s been an inspiration to so many people, including myself, and I’m glad he’s going to be on this HBO program. Erik has never quit and never thought about giving up, and this program will show that to the world.” Other HBO playdates for the episode with Compton include July 15 at 2:35 a.m., July 17 at 10 a.m., July 19 at 1:30 and 8 p.m., July 23 at 5 p.m., July 24 at 12:30 a.m., July 25 at noon, July 27 at 11:30 a.m. and 6 p.m., and July 30 at 3:30 a.m. It also will be available on HBO2 July 16 at 10 p.m., July 20 at 3 p.m., July 21 at 1 a.m., July 22 at 10 a.m., July 31 at 11 a.m., Aug. 3 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 8 at 2 p.m. In addition, the episode will be available on HBO On Demand July 19-Aug. 8. Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1199/Ex-Bulldog-Compton-To-Be-Profiled-On-HBO-Show PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland --- Fresh off his top-20 effort in the U.S. Open, Georgia’s Russell Henley helped the United States defeat Europe 13-11 in the Palmer Cup in a match that ended on Saturday. Henley, a rising senior for the Bulldogs, went 3-1 in his competitions as Team USA improved to 7-6-1 in the series, which pits top collegians from the United States and Europe in a Ryder Cup-style event. Henley and Tyson Alexander defeated James Byrne and Jesper Kennegard 3 and 1 in a four-ball match. Henley and Alexander dispatched Kennegard and Henrik Norlander 1-up in a foursome match. In singles, Kennegard topped Henley 2 and 1, but Henley bounced back with a 4 and 2 win over Kennegard. In Saturday’s clincher, Henley never led by more than one hole through the first eight, but controlled the next eight, winning four and losing just one. Sat, 26 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1198/Georgias-Henley-Helps-Team-USA-Win-Palmer-Cup ATHENS----Former University of Georgia All-America first baseman Rich Poythress doubled and scored the winning run for the California League in the 14th annual All-Star game with the Carolina League Tuesday in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Following his one-out double in the ninth inning, he scored on a go-ahead single by Stockton’s Stephen Parker for a 4-3 win. Poythress, a member of the High Desert Mavericks in Adelanto, Calif., ranks among the top prospects in the Seattle Mariners organization. He was a second round pick in 2009. Currently, he leads the league with 65 RBI, has a team-best 14 home runs while owning a .298 batting average in 67 games. Before Tuesday’s game, he competed in the home run derby and advanced to the finals. He made it through two rounds before Winston-Salem’s Jon Gilmore edged him 5-3. The second half of the minor league season for the Mavericks starts Thursday. In related Mariners news featuring former Bulldogs, All-America closer Joshua Fields is 1-1 with six saves and a 3.14 ERA in 28.2 innings for the Double-A West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx. A first round pick in 2008, he has registered 28 strikeouts and 18 walks while holding opponents to a .190 average. However, he has not pitched since June 11. Currently, he is on the disabled list due to tightness in his right forearm. Meanwhile, outfielder Matt Cerione, a 13th round pick of Seattle in 2009, is batting .228-29 for Clinton in the Single-A Midwest League. Trevor Holder, who helped the Bulldogs to a pair of College World Series (CWS) appearances in his career, recently was promoted to High-A Potomac where he is 0-1 with a 2.61 ERA in two starts. A third round pick of the Washington Nationals in 2009, he began this year in Hagerstown, Maryland in the South Atlantic League (SAL). He was selected to the All-Star team for the Suns after going 4-3 with a 3.15 ERA and just seven walks with 50 strikeouts in 65.2 innings. However, he did not play in the SAL All-Star game this past Tuesday due to his promotion. One of Holder’s teammates with the Suns was former Bulldog Dean Weaver. A seventh round pick of the Nationals in 2009, he is having an outstanding season as the Suns closer. Weaver is 1-1 with nine saves and a 2.39 ERA in 21 appearances. Nathan Moreau is another Bulldog in the SAL who was a part of Georgia’s stellar pitching staffs in 2006 and 2008. An 11th round pick of Baltimore in 2008, Moreau is 2-2 with a 2.98 ERA for Delmarva. He began the season in the bullpen and then became a starter in mid-May. During that month, he made seven appearances including three starts and went 1-0 with a 0.36 ERA. He allowed one run and 10 hits in 25 innings. Also in the Orioles organization, there’s former star closer Will Startup who is on the comeback trail. He signed a free agent contract in February. He is pitching for Aberdeen in the New York Penn League where he is 0-0 with a 5.40 ERA in two relief appearances. Startup, the All-SEC closer on the 2004 CWS team, was a fifth-round pick of Atlanta in 2005. He was traded to San Diego in 2007 and made it to Triple-A Portland that year and again in 2009 before being released this past January. He missed all of 2008 because of an elbow injury and had Tommy John surgery in September 2008 and did not play again until August 9, 2009. Former Georgia stars Stephen Dodson and Ryan Peisel, also members of the 2006 and 2008 CWS teams, continue their climb in the Colorado Rockies organization. After playing together in Asheville last year, they are now in Modesto, California with the High-A club. Dodson is 2-0 with a 4.61 ERA in 25 appearances including one start. In 41 innings, he has 28 strikeouts and 14 walks. Peisel is batting .256-2-10 in 42 games. Georgia’s 2006 CWS ace Brooks Brown owns a 5-4 record and a 3.53 ERA in 16 appearances for the Double-A Erie Seawolves. He was a first round pick of Arizona in 2006 and was traded to Detroit last year. On Tuesday, Brown tossed a complete game, allowing two runs on four hits with two walks and nine strikeouts. Elsewhere in the minors, former Bulldog catchers Clint Sammons and Robby Hammock are in Triple-A. Sammons is batting .176-2-13 for the Gwinnett Braves while Hammock is hitting .234-0-4 for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees. Third baseman Lee Mitchell (UGA ’01-03) is heating up for Double-A Jacksonville. Since joining them this month, he is batting .284-2-16. A sixth round pick of the Florida Marlins in 2003, he began the season in Triple-A New Orleans and saw limited action while batting .216-0-8. Former All-America outfielder Joey Side is coming back from elbow surgery. A sixth round pick of Arizona in 2006, He played briefly this season for the Pensacola Pelicans of the American Association. An Independent League team, Side batted .364-0-4 in 14 games before being released June 19. The most recent Bulldogs to sign professional contracts include pitchers Jeff Walters (7th round, New York Mets) Alex McRee (14th round, Los Angeles Dodgers), Justin Earls (31st round, Texas Rangers). Walters has been assigned to the Kingsport Mets of the Appalachian League while McRee is with the Arizona League Dodgers but neither of them has pitched yet. Earls is a member of the Spokane Indians in the Northwest League. He had a successful debut earlier this week, pitching one scoreless inning. Also in that league, former Bulldog standout catcher/designated hitter Bryce Massanari made his professional debut this past Monday. Massanari is a member of the Tri-City Dust Devils in Pasco, Wash. He went 1-for-4 with a run scored. A 30th round pick of the Rockies in 2009, he was sidelined with an ankle injury following Georgia’s run to the CWS Finals in 2008. The Bulldogs other star catcher/designated hitter in 2008, Joey Lewis, is batting .263-6-36 for Burlington (Iowa) in the Midwest League. He was a 41st round pick of Kansas City in 2009. This season, he is playing first base. Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1197/Minor-League-Update-On-Former-Bulldogs ATHENS, Ga. --- Georgia senior Clint Boling and junior Ben Jones have been named to the Outland Trophy Watch List while junior Justin Houston is listed on the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, according to recent announcements from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). Boling, an Alpharetta native, and Jones, a Centreville, Ala., native, were two of 63 offensive and defensive tackles, offensive guards and centers named to this year’s Outland Trophy Watch List and two of 11 players from the Southeastern Conference. The FWAA All-America Committee will select three finalists in late November and eventually the overall winner. A two-time All-SEC performer at a variety of positions on the offensive line, Boling started all 13 games for the Bulldogs in 2009, including the final six at left tackle. He led an offense that racked up 1,216 yards rushing and 11 rushing touchdowns during the final five games of the year last season. Jones has played in all 26 games at center during his two-year career and has started 23 consecutive contests. The 6-3, 300-pound center was named to the All-SEC Second Team following the 2009 season. The Outland Trophy, presented annually since 1946, is the third oldest award in major college football. The Outland Trophy is named after the late John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn and Kansas at the turn of the century. The 2010 winner will be announced on The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show on Dec. 9. The Outland Trophy presentation banquet, sponsored by the Greater Omaha Sports Committee, will be on Jan. 13 in Omaha, Neb. Houston, a native of Statesboro, is one of 74 players named to the Nagurski Trophy Watch List and one of 12 from the SEC. The 6-3, 260-pound defensive end was named to the All-SEC Second Team after starting all 10 games he played in last year and leading the team with 15.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Houston is the top returning player in the league in both of those categories. Each week during the 2010 season, the FWAA will choose a Defensive Player of the Week. If that player is not on the Watch List, he automatically will be added. The FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club will announce five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy on November 18. The annual Bronko Nagurski Trophy Banquet will be on Dec. 6 at the Westin Hotel in Charlotte, N.C. Besides the 2010 winner being announced, the banquet will also celebrate the winner of the Bronko Nagurski Legends Award. Boling and Houston have already been named to the Lombardi Award Watch List while Jones was included on the Rimington Award Watch List. Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1196/Three-More-Bulldogs-Named-To-National-Watch-Lists PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. --- Georgia's Russell Henley will enter the final round of the U.S. Open with a realistic chance at a top-10 finish. One of the two amateurs remaining in the field, Henley recorded his best round of the tournament on Saturday. Henley shot a 1-over-par 72 in the third round at Pebble Beach Golf Links to move to 6-over 219. Henley opened the tournament with a 73 and a 74. Henley will head into Sunday's final round in 16th place, 12 shots behind leader Dustin Johnson but only two shots out of 10th. Henley is tied for 16th in a group that includes the venerable Tom Watson. "This has been an incredible learning experience," Henley said. "I feel like I learn something new every day. Knowing I can play well at this level is real confidence booster. I am looking forward to Sunday and one more round out here." Henley, a rising senior from Macon, had something of a roller-coaster loop Saturday as he notched five birdies and six bogeys. Sun, 20 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.bulldawgillustrated.com/news/1194/Georgias-Henley-Still-Playing-Well-At-US-Open