Georgia held its final practice at Jacksonville University on Monday in preparation for Wednesday’s Gator Bowl matchup against Nebraska. The only real question mark as the Bulldogs packed up their equipment was how they might account for suspended starters Josh Harvey-Clemons and Sheldon Dawson in the secondary.
Georgia coach Mark Richt wasn’t ready to make any pronouncements.
“I don’t want to give away too much about exactly how we’re going to do it,” Richt said. “Obviously it’ll be different with Josh not being in there.”
One name that might figure into the mix hasn’t been uttered in the last two months. Brendan Langley, a freshman from Marietta, started the first four games of the season at cornerback. But he’s barely been heard from since while Dawson and fellow freshman Shaq Wiggins took over at the position.
Richt admitted that the demotion led to some shaky times for Langley.
“It’s been tough on him,” Richt said. “It’s tough for a freshman maybe to get too much too soon and then it all gets taken away and you don’t know how to react. (But) I think with a great offseason and an entire spring and summer, he’ll be able to compete extremely well next year. He’s very talented. We really like his talent base and he’s a hard worker. It was just tough on him mentally.”
Harvey-Clemons and Dawson were suspended for the bowl game due to a violation of team regulations. Harvey-Clemons started in all 11 games he played at either strong safety or the specialty “star” position. Dawson plays cornerback.
One likely scenario is that cornerback Damian Swann will slide into Harvey-Clemons’ role as the star. Meanwhile, Langley and sophomore Devin Bowman have been getting first-team reps at one corner while Wiggins has fielded the other.
After initially pouted over his situation, Langley met several times with Richt and is re-focused and ready to contribute, the coach said.
“We’ve had a few (meetings),” Richt said. “But we do that with all of them, every freshman, for different reasons. Just about every freshman you’ve got, there’s some conversation along the way about how to live in college, how to live at Georgia, how to do things our way. They all get a little bit of that.”
Dogs love Jacksonville: Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is a South Georgia native and is known for being an effective recruiter of the area. That territory, he believes, includes Jacksonville.
“Our philosophy is Jacksonville is just an extension of Georgia,” Bobo said. “A lot of fans and people look at it that way, too.”
The Bulldogs have always had a strong recruiting presence in this area. They’ve been playing Florida on the banks of the St. Johns every year since 1933 and have done well in those games, managing to win or tie 44 of the 82 games played on the site currently occupied by EverBank Field.
“Playing here every year against Florida definitely helps,” Bobo said. “Kids in this area grow up seeing Georgia, hearing about Georgia, seeing Georgia play. If you can get a kid interested in your school early, you think you’ve got a chance.”
Conley, Gurley return: How effective he might be on Wednesday remains to be seen, but receiver Chris Conley returned to the practice field on Monday. The 6-foot-3, 206-pound junior, who leads the Bulldogs in receptions and receiving yards, injured his right ankle Friday and was unable to practice for two days.
“I feel good about it because he’s a very tough kid,” Richt said.
Tailback Todd Gurley and several other offensive players also returned after missing Sunday’s walk-though due to a stomach bug.
He said it: "I'm glad it's close. Bowl games are great, they're fun and all that kind of thing. But after a while, you're ready to play the game and I know I'm at that point and I would imagine the players are, too." — Richt on anticipating the game.
Etc.: Georgia players visited children at Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville on Monday. … Also on Monday, injured quarterback Aaron Murray signed autographs at Palm Beach Autographs at Avenues Mall in Jacksonville. It's his third such event since giving up his eligibility following a season-ending injury. He also signed autographs for $35 a person in Athens and Atlanta this month. A portion of the proceeds go to the charity Extra Special People, Inc. of Athens.
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