UGA gets boost at defensive end

By Tim Tucker

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Georgia will get reinforcement at a needy position when defensive end Justin Houston returns from a two-game suspension to play at Arkansas on Saturday

“I’m very excited,” Houston said after practice Tuesday. “I’m trying to hold it in until Saturday, trying to wait and let loose on Saturday.”

His return comes the week after the Bulldogs lost senior defensive end Rod Battle to a season-ending knee injury and as the defense continues to struggle to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Houston replaces Battle as a starter, according to this week’s depth chart.

A redshirt sophomore from Statesboro, Houston was suspended in the offseason for what Georgia called a violation of team rules. He declined to elaborate on the issue Tuesday, saying only, “I just disobeyed a team rule, took my punishment and moved on.”

He continued to practice with the team during the suspension.

“I still practiced hard, like I was going to play,” he said. “It hurt me on game day when I wasn’t out there on the field. ... But it motivated me to work even harder.”

Houston started one game last season and had a strong spring practice.

“He’s very, very hungry right now,” coach Mark Richt said. “He could not stand not being there. It was tough on him but he handled it like you would hope a young man would.”

Still talking about Joe

At his weekly news conference Tuesday, Richt poked fun at the rumors and reports that quarterback Joe Cox wouldn’t play the past two weeks.

“We were going to tell him to wear an eye patch [today] to give something else to talk about,” Richt said.

Actually, Cox was wearing wrapping on the middle finger of his left (non-throwing) hand. He jammed it Saturday against South Carolina.

“This was actually [from] chasing Eric Norwood and tackling him six yards deep in the end zone,” Cox said. “I guess that’s what I get for throwing a pick-6.”

Norwood intercepted a Cox pass and returned it for a touchdown.

“I got [the finger] checked out to make sure nothing was wrong with it. Nothing was,” Cox said.

Cox will skip throwing at practice one day per week — Wednesdays — because of a chronic shoulder condition that he describes as a nerve problem caused by wear on a muscle that protects the rotator cuff.

Injury report

Offensive lineman Josh Davis, who had two shoulder surgeries in the offseason, has been cleared to play. ... Linebacker Darius Dewberry will miss his second consecutive game with a groin injury. ... Tailback Caleb King made progress in practice Tuesday. His status for Saturday depends on how his hamstring holds up the rest of the week.