Now we will find out whether the Georgia Bulldogs learned any lessons from what happened last spring.

The Bulldogs – along with the rest of UGA’s student body – were dismissed for spring break on Friday. This is significant mainly because of what went down last year.

You may recall:

• Starting cornerback Branden Smith was pulled over in Alabama on his way to vacation in Panama City Beach and was charged with possession of marijuana.
• Starting safety Bacarri Rambo claimed to have consumed marijuana-laced brownies during a beach vacation on the Gulf Coast. That caused him to fail a subsequent drug test and, because it was not his first such offense, he was suspended for four games.
• The same fate awaited starting linebacker Alec Ogletree. He, too, ended up being suspended four game for flunking a drug test for the second time in his career.

After much consternation and controversy, Georgia got through all that last year and managed to piece together a 12-2 season. But this time around the Bulldogs would just as soon avoid all the aggravation and get to the 2013 season with all hands on deck.

And with the first two games being against Clemson and South Carolina, Georgia is going to need every player it has.

“The only thing we’ve talked about is you don’t want miss those first two games,” said senior quarterback Aaron Murray, who has decided to pass on a vacation this spring. “To be able to go to Clemson and be in that environment, to be on ABC primetime and then come back for us and South Carolina, probably two top 10 teams, those two games are going to be a lot of fun, a lot of hype, a lot of excitement. You don’t want to miss that and that’s our biggest message.”

Missing a pair of top 10 matchups should be incentive enough to steer away from illegal drugs and party responsibly. But Georgia coach Mark Richt is leaving nothing to chance.

On Thursday he brought in former Georgia and NFL offensive lineman Steve Herndon to talk to the team about making good choices and avoiding trouble. Herndon, who once had his own substance abuse issues, now owns a recovery residence in Smyrna called "Safety Net."

Richt said each position coach was also having discussions their respective players and that he would have final words for the whole team before turning them loose.

“We always talk about that kind of stuff,” Richt said. “It has to do with making good choices, that’s the big thing.”

But the most powerful message the Bulldogs have received was what happened last season. Georgia has one of the most stringent student-athlete behavior policies in the SEC and several members of the team experienced that last season.

Cornerback Sanders Commings (domestic battery) and linebacker Chase Vasser (DUI) also were sidelined for two games due to offseason arrests. Richt has often said the best way to get a student-athlete's attention is to impact their playing time.

That’s ringing loud and clear with Georgia’s current football players.

“Everybody knows that,” junior linebacker Amarlo Herrera said. “Coach Richt mentions it every time we meet, every time he talks to us. He’s always bringing it up. We know how important this season is and how important those first couple of games are. I don’t think anybody wants to get suspended for those games.”

Said senior offensive lineman Austin Long: “I think everyone on the team knows how big this season is and that one slip-up could ruin it all. I think everybody’s taking part in making sure guys are safe and doing what they’re supposed to be doing. I’m not saying they didn’t know that last year, but stuff happened. And I think guys have learned from that. They’re stepping up and making sure they’re doing what’s right.

So far this year only Ty Flournoy-Smith has found himself in trouble. The freshman tight end was arrested last month by UGA Police for reporting a false crime after cashing in his text books and then claiming they had been stolen.

Richt has yet to say whether Flournoy-Smith’s playing time will be affected. “I’m taking care of him,” he said. “He’s already been in the process of handling some of it. I’m just going to say that it’s internal.”

Georgia does not resume spring practice until March 19. Between now and then different players are taking different approaches to spring break.

Murray is going to Norman, Okla., to train with quarterback guru George Whitfield. Ramik Wilson said he’s going home to Tampa just “to chill” with his family. Herrera said he hasn't decided yet what he's going to do and will spend at least the first part of next week in Athens.

But Zach DeBell and several others players have tweeted about hitting the Florida beaches for college spring break scene. And who could blame them seeing how pretty much every minute of every day is accounted for while they’re on campus.

“It’s a fine line,” Long said. “We’re in college; we’re going to have fun. It’s about knowing not to do stuff you’re not supposed to be doing and being safe and protecting the guys you’re with. Coach Richt has instilled it in us: ‘Don’t do what you’re not supposed to be doing. Watch out for guys you see that aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing, grab them and get them back to a safe place.’”

Said Herrera: “There’s always temptation, no matter if they’re watching us or not. Everybody just has to be responsible, just like everybody has been so far. So we’ve just got to keep that up this week.”