There was no significant change Wednesday when it comes to the Todd Gurley Watch.
Georgia’s star tailback was on the practice field for the first time since suffering a left high-ankle sprain against LSU on Sept. 28. But apparently his brief time on Woodruff Practice Fields to do “some straight-ahead running” was not impressive enough for coach Mark Richt to upgrade him from a status of “doubtful” for Saturday’s game against Missouri.
“I wasn’t watching,” Richt said of Gurley’s short session. “By the time I looked over there, he was kind of walking off the field. But I asked (trainer) Ron (Courson) about it, and he (said Gurley) did OK. But he’s not ready to practice right now.”
Gurley was sidelined with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter against LSU. He had 73 yards in the game and 450 yards and four touchdowns for the season. Gurley did not play Saturday against Tennessee, and his backup, Keith Marshall, went down with a season-ending knee injury in the second quarter.
That leaves freshmen J.J. Green and Brendan Douglas to carry to load against the No. 25 Tigers. Green gained 129 yards on 17 carries against the Volunteers. Who would be the third tailback in remains uncertain.
“That’s a good question,” Richt said. “We’re working (Kyle) Karempelis, (Brandon) Harton and A.J. (Turman). We’ll probably have to figure it out at the end of the week. But all those guys need to make sure they know what to do.”
Turman, another freshman, appeared headed toward a redshirt season after missing the first five weeks with knee and ankle injuries. But Richt said Georgia would consider playing him at this point.
“I think he’d be all for it,” Richt said. “I haven’t really sat down with him, to be honest with you, but the other coaches have been talking to him, and he seems to be excited to be getting whatever reps he’s getting right now.”
In the meantime, he hasn’t closed the door on Gurley playing Saturday.
“I’m not going to count him out because he is progressing. He is getting better,” Richt said. “But, I mean, if I say he’s out now and on Friday he feels real good, then I would look kind of foolish. He’s rehabbing, he’s getting better, but not good enough to practice today.”
Receivers update: Richt did have some positive news on the injury front. Split end Michael Bennett, who underwent his second knee surgery in a year Tuesday, is in line to return for the Florida game.
“My best guess, and I’m not a doctor or anything, but just from what I’m hearing, my best guess is he has a really good shot at the Florida game,” Richt said after Wednesday’s practice.
Bennett had meniscus repair work on his right knee via arthroscopy Tuesday. He had an ACL reconstruction on the same knee last October. He currently ranks third on the team with 14 catches for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
Fellow receivers Justin Scott-Wesley and Malcolm Mitchell were lost for the season to ACL injuries. As for the receivers who will move up in the rotation this week, such as redshirt freshman Blake Tibbs and walk-ons Michael Erdman and Kenneth Towns, Richt said they have done well in practice.
“I’ve been pleased with assignments and everything like that,” he said. “It’s not like we’re starting from scratch. They’re going to know what to do. I feel good about them.”
Barber on track: It appears that punter Collin Barber is on track to return Saturday. Barber has been out since suffering a concussion on a high block by Tennessee's Geraldo Orta on the Vols' blocked-punt return for a touchdown.
“He’s feeling better, and if he continues to improve, he may be punting this weekend,” Richt said. “That’s the good part.”
Richt declined to say whether the Bulldogs turned in Orta to the SEC office for a possible “targeting” hit. “That’s between us and the league office,” Richt said.
Quote of the day: "He's the poster child for dependability. He's maximizing every gift God gave him. He's not perfect, but he seems to try his best every single rep, cares about school and is serious about the leadership role he has been given." — Richt on junior wide receiver Chris Conley
Etc.: The Bulldogs practiced for two hours Wednesday in partial pads. … Fullback Quayvon Hicks returned to practice after missing the previous two days with a knee/ankle sprain. … Georgia moved into fifth in the SEC with 12 sacks this season. Defensive end Ray Drew had three in the past two games.
About the Author
