Georgia-Florida week opens with the biggest question about the game still in the NCAA’s hands: Will Todd Gurley, the Bulldogs’ suspended star tailback, be allowed to play against the Gators on Saturday in Jacksonville?
“We’re just waiting for a response,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said Sunday. “We just don’t know, really, what to expect. We’re just going to keep practicing hard and preparing for the game. But we really don’t know. We’ll just wait and see.”
Gurley has been suspended since Oct. 9, missing two games amid an investigation into allegations he violated NCAA rules by receiving money for autographing memorabilia. Georgia applied to the NCAA last week for Gurley’s reinstatement with hopes that college athletics’ governing body would deem the two-game absence sufficient and allow him to return for the Florida game.
The decision will be made by the NCAA’s student-athlete reinstatement committee.
Gurley, a leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy when suspended, issued a statement last week that said, “I take full responsibility for the mistakes I made.” He didn’t elaborate on the “mistakes.”
Richt said Sunday the Bulldogs enter this week with Gurley scheduled to participate in practice as the team installs its game plan.
“Todd has been practicing all along, so he’ll continue to practice,” Richt said.
Regarding another tailback, freshman Sony Michel, who has missed the past three games with a broken shoulder bone, Richt said Georgia expects to gain insight this week into when he can play.
“Sony has been running and changing direction and getting closer and closer to being able to play,” Richt said. “I think the biggest thing is going to be … an X-ray or CT scan or something that will be coming back pretty quick to get an idea of how far along he is as far as the healing process. If he feels great and the bone has healed, I would think he would have a pretty good shot at competing this week.”
Richt also said tailback Keith Marshall, sidelined the past four games with knee and ankle sprains, made progress last week and “hopefully will be even better this week.”
With Georgia’s once-deep tailback position severely thinned by the suspension of Gurley and the injuries to Michel and Marshall, freshman Nick Chubb has filled in superbly by rushing for 345 yards in road wins over Missouri and Arkansas, enabling the Bulldogs to improve their record to 6-1 (4-1 SEC).
Georgia moved up to No. 8 in the USA Today coaches’ poll released Sunday, while remaining No. 9 in the Associated Press media poll.
Both Georgia and Florida had an open date last week. While the Bulldogs were feeling good about the back-to-back road victories without Gurley, the Gators (3-3, 2-3 SEC) were reeling from a 42-13 home loss to Missouri.
Florida coach Will Muschamp announced that true freshman Treon Harris will replace fourth-year junior Jeff Driskel as the Gators’ starting quarterback against Georgia. In limited action this season, Harris has completed 12 of 18 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 51 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.
Richt said he was impressed by what he saw from Harris in relief of Driskel late in the Gators’ loss to Missouri.
“He’s very much on target with his throwing,” Richt said. “It seemed like he created a lot more problems for Missouri’s defense once he got in there. I think it opened up more running room for the backs. I think (Missouri) just had a little more respect for him as a runner.”
Georgia will enter Saturday’s game with three consecutive victories over Florida. A fourth in a row would be the Bulldogs’ longest winning streak in the series since taking six in a row from 1978-83.
Georgia lost 18 of 21 games to Florida from 1990 through 2010 before winning the past three.
Florida’s program and Muschamp’s future have been under fire since the ugly loss to Missouri, and Richt was asked Sunday if the Gators’ position might make them particularly dangerous this week.
“Well, they’re always dangerous to me. That’s for sure,” Richt said. “They’re a fine program and we have a lot of respect for them.”
About the Author
