ATHENS — Georgia coach Kirby Smart might’ve wanted to take the Bulldogs indoors on Tuesday anyway, but a gas leak right across the street left him no choice.
Fire trucks blocked Lumpkin Street from Pinecrest Road to Smith Road — the block that happens to encompass the Vince Dooley Athletic Complex, due to a busted gas main running along the road. But the temperature at the time of the Bulldogs’ 3 p.m. practice was an unseasonably high 85 degrees with 45 percent humidity. So it certainly didn’t hurt for Georgia to seek the respite of the House of Payne, otherwise known as the Payne Indoor Athletic Facility.
The Bulldogs were going at it hard inside with another full-pads, full-contact practice. The 100,000-plus-square foot building was filled with the echoes of coaches’ whistles and yells as Georgia continued its preparations for Saturday’s homecoming game against Vanderbilt (3-2, 0-1 SEC). The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs (5-0, 3-0 SEC) were installed as early 27½-point favorites.
A few observations from the limited viewing window:
- Georgia's defensive backs were getting a lot of work on cut-blocks during position drills.
- Quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Justin Fields were getting the exact number of repetitions during passing drills. Both players seemed sharp as the ball rarely touched the ground.
- Head coach Kirby Smart was overseeing Georgia's defensive backs when the went to deep-ball drills. Once again, the Bulldogs enlisted former defensive back and current defensive assistant Bacarri Rambo and his cannon arm to deliver the deep balls, which were impressive in their length, height, effortless delivery and perfect spiral.
- Starting safety Richard LeCounte was wearing a protective sleeve over his lower-left leg due to a contusion has suffered in the Tennessee game. He was not otherwise affected.
- No change in Georgia's offensive line lineup. Right guard Ben Cleveland remained out with a broken leg. Freshman Cade Mays earned high marks for his work as a fill in.
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