The defense got slightly the better of the offense in Georgia’s annual spring intra-squad game Saturday in Sanford Stadium. The Black team, featuring the first-team defense and second-team offense, prevailed 24-17 over the Red team, which had the first-team offense and second-team defense, before what was announced as a G-Day record crowd of 46,815.
The score, of course, will quickly be forgotten. But here are five take-aways from G-Day:
1. The quarterback competition
Coach Mark Richt has made it clear throughout spring practice that the Bulldogs’ starting quarterback won’t be chosen before August. If anyone came to Sanford Stadium on Saturday looking for that timetable to be accelerated, they left disappointed.
“I think it’s still a race,” Richt said afterward. “I don’t think there’s any question that it’s going to go through the summer and (into) the fall before we make a decision on who that guy is to start the first ballgame.”
Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta shared reps with the first- and second-team offenses Saturday, meaning they switched back and forth between the Red and Black teams. Jacob Park worked with the second-team offense on the Black team.
Ramsey completed 5 of 9 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. Bauta completed 16 of 25 for 171 yards and a touchdown. Park completed 10 of 15 for 92 yards and threw the day’s only interception.
Richt said he’d like to have a clear No. 1 quarterback by the Sept. 5 opener against Louisiana-Monroe, but said that’s not a certainty.
“I would hope to say ‘this is the guy’ going into that very first ballgame,” Richt said. “But there is a possibility (alternating two quarterbacks in that game) could happen.”
For the strong-armed Ramsey, Georgia’s top backup quarterback last season, G-Day was up and down. He overthrew an open Malcolm Mitchell on the game’s first play, but connected with Isaiah McKenzie on a stirring 72-yard touchdown. He hit Reggie Davis in stride for a 60-yard gain, but three plays later overthrew Jay Rome in the end zone.
“They are getting there,” Richt said of the quarterbacks. “I see great progress. I’m very encouraged.”
Georgia didn’t make any of the quarterbacks available for interviews Saturday.
Other players agreed the quarterback competition is close, none venturing to publicly predict who’ll win it.
2. ‘Center’ of attention
Aside from the quarterback competition, a major issue on offense for Georgia this spring is the search for a starting center to replace three-year starter David Andrews, who graduated. Isaiah Wynn started at the position with the first-team offense Saturday, while Hunter Long played there some with both the first and second units.
During the Red team’s first possession, Wynn’s shotgun snap sailed over Ramsey’s head for an 18-yard loss to the 2-yard line. “Just a bad snap,” said Wynn, who added that he got more comfortable as the game went along.
“I’m not counting Hunter out of the race either, but Isaiah has the talent base … and the skill set,” Richt said. “He needs the experience. He’s got to prove he can handle the responsibility of that job.”
3. Another injury at receiver
McKenzie showed his speed on the 72-yard touchdown pass, running the final 40 yards or so after the catch. But he then had to be helped off the field with a pulled hamstring.
It was another reminder of Georgia’s lack of depth at receiver.
“We were very thin when the spring began, and we’re thinner now,” Richt said. “That’s the third hamstring injury at that position (the others to Shakenneth Williams and Charlie Hegedus). A lot of times that’s what happens when you get a high volume of reps.
“But everybody should be healthy in the fall, and we’ve got some young men we signed who are coming in to bolster that group.”
4. Defense makes presence felt
As usual on G-Day, the quarterbacks wore non-contact jerseys to protect them from injury. That posed a challenge for Georgia’s pass-rushers, who had to stop short of taking the QBs to the ground.
“I hate it, but we realize it’s for the good of the team,” outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter said. “We don’t want to hurt the quarterback doing some crazy stuff coming off the edge if an offensive lineman missed his assignment.”
Still, Carter and fellow outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins made their presence felt by putting pressure on the quarterbacks. They were credited with one sack apiece.
Some early enrollees from the 2015 recruiting class also commanded attention on defense: Linebacker Natrez Patrick was credited with eight tackles; defensive back Jarvis Wilson had the day’s only interception, returning it 53 yards; and defensive tackle Jonathan Ledbetter had seven tackles.
5. Not much Chubb
Star tailback Nick Chubb carried the ball only three times, for 34 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown, as the coaches continued their policy of severely limiting his carries and playing him mostly in third-down passing situations during spring scrimmages. He caught three passes Saturday for 23 yards.
“It hurts when your friends are out there playing and you’ve got to watch, but it’s (the coaches’) decision,” said Chubb, who added that he has no problem with it.
A.J. Turman got a lot of action at tailback, gaining 106 yards on 26 carries and scoring two touchdowns, one on a 52-yard run.
“Today was a great day to help me get some confidence,” said Turman, who was sidelined last season after foot surgery. “Hopefully I get used a lot this season. It’s been a while since I’ve been out there.”
Adding to Turman’s work load: Tailback Keith Marshall, who returned to practice Tuesday after missing time with a pulled hamstring, was held out of the game.
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