Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley became the latest recipient of the Christian Robinson GATA Award on Friday.
The award is given annually by beat writers covering the Bulldogs and is presented to the player who displays the most “gracious attitude toward answering” questions — hence, the acronym G.A.T.A. Past recipients are the inaugural winner and namesake, former linebacker Christian Robinson, and tight end Arthur Lynch.
“I hadn’t heard of it before,” Conley said after receiving a plaque Friday. “Now that I know what it is and what it stands for I’m honored and delighted to receive this award. It’s something that’s very interesting and it’s nice to be associated with Christian Robinson and everything that he did while he was here at Georgia.”
Conley’s skills in front of a microphone come naturally. He’s a journalism major with an emphasis on communication and also has interests in film and directing. He’s also the SEC’s representative on the NCAA’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, as well as a member of UGA’s leadership academy.
“I understand writers have a difficult job sometimes,” Conley said. “When you get five or six guys all giving the same answer, it’s hard to write off that. I try to think about the question and give good answers.”
Conley can play a little ball as well. The junior from Dallas is Georgia’s leading receiver despite missing two games with an ankle injury. He has a team-best 42 catches for 605 yards and has scored four touchdowns.
Uriah LeMay draws praise: Georgia coach Mark Richt was asked Friday what young players have stood out during bowl practices. He mentioned several, but singled out freshman wide receiver Uriah LeMay.
“He’s a young guy who’s just catching the ball,” Richt said. “Is he running every route just right, is he knowing exactly how to line up just right, is he running every route just like it ought to be run? He’s got a ways to go there. But he’s a guy who’s snatching the ball, a couple of times in traffic. He’s got the ingredients to be pretty good if he can really hone his skills and really learn what to do. He’s stood out to me a little bit.”
Richt also mentioned redshirted outside linebacker Davin Bellamy and inside linebackers Reggie Carter and Tim Kimbrough.
The other LeMay: Uriah LeMay's older brother, Christian LeMay, was back at practice on Friday. The redshirt sophomore quarterback was out the previous two days "for personal reasons," according to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo, who declined to elaborate further. LeMay has fallen to fourth on Georgia's quarterback depth chart and there has been speculation he might seek a transfer.
Ticket update: Two weeks before its Jan. 1 Gator Bowl game against Nebraska, the Bulldogs have sold fewer than half of their allotted tickets. As of Friday, Georgia fans had purchased 7,200 of the 15,000 tickets the Bulldogs hold for the New Year's Day bowl in Jacksonville, according to Tim Cearley, UGA's associate AD for ticket operations. However, the tickets will remain on sale through Dec. 31.
Georgia’s doing better than its opponent. The Cornhuskers have sold only about 3,000 tickets for the Gator Bowl, according to published reports.
Etc.: Among the things the Bulldogs worked on during Friday's 90-minute practice was defending a missed field goal. Auburn made such a play memorable when it returned a field goal that came up short nearly 109 yards for a game-winning touchdown. Richt said Georgia's players knew it was coming Friday and still had a hard time bringing down the returner. "Only one guy touched him with one hand," Richt said. "If the guy has the range, I'd still kick it but you have to have guys out there in case they run it back." … The Bulldogs will have a short one-hour workout on Saturday before breaking for Christmas. The team will reconvene in Jacksonville on Dec. 26.
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