Lack of experience possible problem for GSU

Athens — You’ll have to excuse Georgia Southern coach Chris Hatcher if he seems unsympathetic to Georgia’s personnel woes.

While the Bulldogs bemoan their youth and inexperience on the offensive line and lack of depth at safety and fullback, the Eagles’ roster is made up of 70 freshmen and sophomores and several other transfers.

In fact, the majority of the players that take the field for the Eagles on Saturday will be playing their first game for Georgia Southern.

“I’ve never played with these guys before,” Hatcher said this week. “You look on offense, out of the top [22 players] there are 17 that have never played in a game at Georgia Southern. Defensively, 13 of 22 have never suited up for us.”

That, Hatcher said, makes it hard for him to judge how they might perform in a televised game at Sanford Stadium.

“It’s hard for me to say,” said Hatcher, in his second year in Statesboro. “I don’t know how they’re going to react if we were playing in front of 92,000 or in front of 4,000. I just don’t know. I wish I did. I sure would sleep better at night.”

Included in those first-timers are two quarterbacks, Lee Chapple, a redshirt freshman from Norcross (Greater Atlanta Christian), and Antonio Henton, a transfer from Ohio State. Both will play Saturday, according to Hatcher. They’ll be replacing Jayson Foster, who won the Walter Payton Award (Division I-AA’s version of the Heisman) after piling up 2,080 all-purpose yards and 24 TDs last season. “They don’t have any game film on our team,” Hatcher quipped. “I can assure you of that.”

Returns up in the air

Assistant coach Jon Fabris promised he wasn’t kidding Wednesday when he said he still had 12 different players fielding punts in practice. He said that he hoped to have it narrowed down to a half-dozen by pregame warm-ups Saturday.

“I’ve not settled on anybody yet, which is not good,” Fabris said.

Fabris was spoiled the last few seasons when he had both Thomas Flowers and Mikey Henderson at his disposal. Flowers is the school record holder for career punt return average (14.9 yards per return) and Henderson is fourth (13.2).

“We lost 99 returns between those guys,” Fabris said. “It’s unusual to have two guys like that come in at the same time and leave at the same time.”

The good news: Both those players came in 2004, which Fabris said is the last time he can remember being this uncertain.

“Hopefully we can find someone like that,” he said.

Uga VII’s debut

Uga VII, the new bulldog mascot for Georgia, will be introduced at 12:19 p.m. on Saturday, right after a video tribute to Uga VI.

Richt said he’s not met the new mascot yet but hopes to before the 92,000 fans in attendance.

“It would be hurtful if I didn’t get to meet him before everybody else,” Richt quipped. “I’m sure it will be an exciting time though. You’d like to measure the decibels when they do introduce him. The crowd will go crazy.”

Etc.

In the state of Georgia the televised broadcast provided by Comcast Sports Southeast will be available only via pay-per-view on cable television. It must be ordered through your local cable television provider. Outside Georgia, it is being offered via ESPN’s GamePlan package. … Despite the massive construction project going on in what used to be the Tate Student Center lower parking lot, the Bulldogs are planning to hold their “Dawg Walk” there as usual. It will take place at 10:45 a.m.