ATHENS — Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray said freshman tailback Isaiah Crowell need not worry about forgetting an assignment when the Bulldogs face No. 5 Boise State on Sept. 3. If Crowell is not sure what to do, all he has to do is ask.
“Especially in the first few games,” Murray said this week. “Those are going to be like home games for us, without a bunch of crowd noise. So we should be able to communicate a lot, and I think that’s going to help with him getting his feet wet.
“I told him, ‘I’m right there with you. No matter what, you just look at me.’ I’m right beside him most of the time anyway or he’s right behind me.”
That said, Murray added that he doesn’t believe Crowell is going to need much assistance. Not from what he has seen in practices the last month.
“Isaiah’s looking great right now,” Murray said. “He’s working. He’s going a great job studying the playbook and watching film. He’s meeting with [running backs coach Bryan] McClendon. And he’s looks good out there on the field in practice. He’s confident, he’s making some unbelievable cuts, he’s catching the ball nicely. I’m excited about seeing what he can do in that first game.”
Long road to Atlanta
Max Corbet has been Boise State’s assistant athletic director for media relations for 25 years. In that time he has seen the Broncos’ football program rise from WAC also-ran to the most feared BCS buster in the land.
He also has logged thousands of miles as the team crisscrossed the nation for football games. He recently talked about the logistical hurdles the Broncos will face in making the trip to Atlanta to play Georgia.
“It’s a long road trip, but no different than the Virginia Tech game last year, which worked well for us,” Corbet said of that 33-30 victory. “Hopefully it will be the same this time.”
Corbet said Boise State will go to Michigan State next year and Washington in 2013. ESPN is brokering those games just as it did the one against Georgia.
As for facing the Bulldogs in the Georgia Dome, he said it’s not ideal for the Broncos.
“We are really in their backyard,” Corbet said. “It’s just one of those things. It’s not in Athens, but it might as well be. Last year, 80 percent or more of the stadium was Virginia Tech people. That’s part of it.
“We don’t sit around and fret about it. We prepare for it.”
Corbet said Boise State will arrive in Atlanta on Thursday.
At home in Dome
The Bulldogs bused to Atlanta on Friday to hold a closed practice at the Georgia Dome. The “dress rehearsal” practice even included the Bulldogs wearing their Nike Pro Combat uniforms, according to a tweet from Murray.
Coach Mark Richt was extremely secretive about the practice, but athletic director Greg McGarity was not sure why.
“Mark just asked me if they could do it and I said yes, of course,” McGarity said. “The Falcons are in there Thursday and Georgia State plays there Friday, so I think it was the only day we could get in there.”
Etc.
There were unconfirmed reports Friday that cornerback Branden Smith was spotted on campus in a walking cast, or “boot.” UGA spokesman Claude Felton said he was unaware of an injury, but was looking into it. ... Georgia will work out again at 9:45 a.m. Saturday morning in Athens.
Staff writer Doug Roberson contributed to this article.
