Georgia LB has N. Carolina hometown wearing Dog gear

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Georgia LB has N. Carolina hometown wearing Dog gear
Ellerbee relishing new found fame

By MATT WINKELJOHN
Published on: 06/24/08

Georgia senior middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, who has been named to the Bronco Nagurski Award watch list — which goes to the nation's best defensive college football player — said heightened expectations for the Bulldogs haven't changed life too much near campus.

It's another matter in his tiny hometown of Hamlet, N.C.

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"You've got more people watching you. We try to train hard, lift hard every day. It just changes a little bit, but not too much," he said of the daily grind in Athens. "Mom, dad, the whole community, especially when they see No. 1 ... back home I've got everybody wearing Georgia stuff. Even my godfather [Ralph Belk]. He's still a diehard Tar Heel fan, but he's wearing it."

Richt in no hurry to face Ga. Tech's offense Georgia coach Mark Richt, who called in via teleconference from the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., said he's glad the Bulldogs will play Tech last in the regular season to better get a read on Johnson's offense. "You don't know what [approach] is going to work for the talent that he has so we'll have a good idea of what to prepare for, and we'll have an open date [before the game] that's going to help us," Richt said. "We'll have a chance to see what they're going to hang their hat on, and I think that's going to help."