Tuesday was a very short practice day for Georgia — barely over an hour — but it represented a major transition for the Bulldogs.
The team was divided into varsity and scout-team squads, signaling the time for full-on preparation for the Aug. 31 season opener against Clemson. On Wednesday night, at the time they’re scheduled to kick off in Death Valley in 10 days on national television (8 p.m.), the Bulldogs will hold a practice game against a Clemson team portrayed by the newly formed scout team.
“It’s the first time it’s Georgia versus ‘somebody’ instead of Georgia versus Georgia,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said afterward. “It’s been offense vs. defense up until this time now. Now the No. 1 units get to play on the same team and get to cheer for each other instead of give each other a hard time. Our coordinators can actually enjoy each other instead of competing, so that’s a good thing. I’m looking forward to it.”
The down side of all that is several players learned Tuesday they will not be part of the Bulldogs’ immediate plans.
“It was a bittersweet day,” Richt said after the practice. “We’re turning our attention to Clemson, which is a good thing, but there are some guys that ended up with some scout-team responsibilities that were in the tank a little bit. It’s not always easy.”
Richt would not say what players were tabbed for scout duty. Georgia completely closed the practice and will close the Wednesday scrimmage as well.
“The thing they’ve got to understand is it’s a very important role, No. 1,” he said. “We need everybody to know their role and play it well if we’re going to have any chance of success. And the other thing is it’s really how you finish your career rather than how you start.”
Richt mentioned Jarvis Jones and Thomas Davis, first-round picks of the past, as former Bulldogs who began their careers on the scout team.
Richt said sophomore Christian LeMay will play the role of Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd in the practice game. Richt said after the Bulldogs run through logistics and kicking-to-scrimmage transitions, the varsity and scout teams will compete for one half. He said he would make it the second half and stake the Tigers to a 28-0 halftime lead.
“We’ll see if Georgia can come back and win it,” he said. “Stay tuned.”
Swann joins injured DBs: Richt was asked after practice how cornerback Damian Swann was able to stay on the field and avoid the injury bug. What he failed to mention, however, was that Swann was injured and limited in Tuesday's practice. The junior was sidelined with a hip flexor and a groin strain. He joined fellow defensive backs Devin Bowman (hamstring), Sheldon Dawson (shoulder), Tray Matthews (hamstring) and Corey Moore (knee) on the injured list. Defensive backs Paris Bostick (toe) and Reggie Wilkerson (knee) are out for the season.
“Well, (the secondary is) not as healthy as I hoped it would be,” Richt said. “There’s guys that are missing reps, obviously. We don’t have every guy who could be getting reps getting them. That hurts us. Some guys might be ready by the time the game starts. But how many reps are they gonna get between now and then to be as ready as they could have been if they had gotten those reps? It’s a problem, but it’s football, we all know that happens in football.”
New additions to the injury list include freshman tailback Brendan Douglas (knee sprain) and junior wide receiver Jonathan Rumph (hamstring).
On the positive side, Georgia got back receiver Malcolm Mitchell, who missed Monday’s practice with a swollen knee, and tight end Jay Rome (ankle). And freshman outside linebacker Leonard Floyd said he expects to play without a club cast on his broken left hand Tuesday. “I can’t wait,” he said.
“I think it’s more of a preventative thing more than anything that guys are out,” senior defensive tackle Garrison Smith said.
Scholarships awarded: "A few" walk-ons were awarded scholarships this week, but Richt wouldn't say which ones. In the past Richt made an highly anticipated announcement in a team meeting, then released the news to the media. Last year he awarded aid to seven walk-ons, but the Bulldogs had fewer available this time.
“I’ve decided not to make any announcements this year,” Richt said Tuesday. “For some guys it’s a great celebration, and for other guys it’s a heartbreaking day because they were hoping to be one of the guys to get it. So I told the guys in private who got them.”
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