Athens — And then they rest.

That's what was on the agenda for the Georgia Bulldogs as they departed New Orleans on Wednesday and returned to their respective homes following a dominating performance against Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl. The No. 4-ranked Bulldogs took control early and cruised to a 41-10 win over 10th-ranked Hawaii in a game that started late Tuesday night and did not get over until nearly 1 a.m. Wednesday.

The players will return to Athens for a team meeting on Sunday and then will adjourn to focus on spring semester, which begins Monday, and their lives as college students. NCAA rules mandate a required amount of down time from coach-supervised training and conditioning after the season ends.

But that doesn't mean there won't be some work going on in the near future.

"The kids are champing at the bit," said Dave Van Halanger, the Bulldogs' director of strength and conditioning. "We can say there's no weightlifting, but that doesn't mean some of them might not be in here on their own. But I don't think we'll see much of anybody for a couple of weeks."

Expectations are at an all-time high for the Bulldogs after they went 11-2 and finished on a seven-game winning streak in what was projected to be a rebuilding season. Georgia returns 17 of 22 starters off that squad and likely will open next season as a preseason top-five team.

Sturdivant update

Georgia came out of the Sugar Bowl with three significant injuries, the most notable of which was to starting left tackle Trinton Sturdivant.

The freshman was hurt in the second half and left the game on crutches. Georgia lists his injury as a sprained knee, but more tests are planned for this week. Sturdivant injured a knee this time last year during a prep all-star game.

Senior punt returner and wide receiver Mikey Henderson is recovering from a concussion after taking an illegal hit to the head by Hawaii's Keenan Jones on an early punt return. Junior linebacker Marcus Washington aggravated a left ankle injury and did not return.

Tailback trio

The tailback tandem of senior Thomas Brown (19 rushes, 73 yards, 1 TD) and redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno (9 carries, 61 yards, 2 TDs) combined for 134 yards on 28 carries and three touchdowns. Brown finished his career with 2,646 yards. Moreno completed his first year with 1,334 yards and 14 TDs on 248 carries.

Kregg Lumpkin, who returned from a knee injury, played most of the fourth quarter but only got three carries and finished with seven yards. He also had seven yards on a kickoff return.

Etc...

Quarterback Matthew Stafford improved to 2-0 this season against Heisman Trophy finalists. He beat Florida's Tim Tebow and Hawaii's Colt Brennan head-to-head. ... The Bulldogs now are 72-19 in Richt's seven seasons, including 2-1 in BCS bowls.