Georgia notes: Knee injury sidelines Rambo

ATHENS -- Georgia starting safety Bacarri Rambo is expected to miss the remaining two weeks of spring practice after injuring his right knee this week.

Rambo has a sprained MCL, Georgia said Friday.

He started all 13 games last season and was second on the team in tackles with 82.

His injury will mean more opportunities in practice this spring for the three players who are competing for the other starting safety position: Jakar Hamilton, Shawn Williams and Marc Deas.

They are battling for the spot vacated when Alec Ogletree moved from safety to inside linebacker at the start of spring practice.

Hamilton and Williams started five and three games, respectively, at safety last season before Ogletree claimed that spot.

“You want everyone to know the plays because you never know if somebody might go down -- just like, for example, Rambo went down,” Hamilton said Friday. “That gives opportunity for me and Shawn to come up and get more plays at the safety position. So come game time, if somebody goes down, we don’t have to rely on just one person. We can rely on other players that can come in and have the same effect."

‘Official sports talk' station

Atlanta radio station 680 The Fan signed a multi-year contract with the UGA Athletic Association’s multi-media rights holder, IMG, to become “the official sports talk radio station” of the Bulldogs.

As part of the deal, 680 The Fan will broadcast Georgia coach Mark Richt's weekly news conferences during the football season, UGA associate athletic director for external operations Alan Thomas said. He added that a three-times-per-week "Bulldog round-table type show" also is being developed for the station.

In addition, 680 The Fan’s sister station, 1230AM The Fan 2, based in Marietta, will broadcast UGA baseball games, beginning in May.

The deal does not include broadcasts of Georgia football or basketball games, Thomas said.

“It gives us an additional opportunity beyond play-by-play programming,” he said.

680 The Fan president David Dickey said in a statement: "We look forward to working with UGA and IMG to bring in-depth and expanded coverage of UGA athletic programs and related content."

First scrimmage

The Bulldogs will hold their first full scrimmage of the spring Saturday morning in Sanford Stadium. The scrimmage is closed to the public and media.

Asked what he hopes to get out of the scrimmage, quarterback Aaron Murray said: "Six touchdowns for the offense. That's the goal. Put some points on the board.

"I think last year our first scrimmage didn't go as well as we wanted it to," Murray said, "so this year we're going to try to get a little faster start, which will be nice."

Hamilton sounded a similarly enthusiastic note for the defense.

"We always get jacked up about practice or scrimmages," he said. "We're just looking forward to playing Boise State this year, so every time we hit the field, that's what we think about -- getting better to go out there and beat Boise State on Sept. 3. Every day is a competition day."

Friday's practice was the Bulldogs' seventh of 14 leading to the G-Day intra-squad game in Sanford Stadium on April 16. About 175 high school coaches, on campus for Georgia's annual spring coaching clinic, watched Friday's practice.

Smith's role

Cornerback Branden Smith, who has been used occasionally on offense the past two seasons, said he has worked only on defense so far this spring.

"They haven't told me anything about offense," Smith said, referring to the coaches. "Right now, I'm just focused on defense."