UGA’s Chris Conley appears on track to play vs. Auburn

Georgia coach Mark Richt was defensive about Chris Conley’s availability for Saturday’s game against Auburn. That’s good news for the Bulldogs.

Conley, Georgia’s leading receiver, has been out since Oct. 19 with a sprained ankle. But after doing agility drills and light running on the side all week he practiced Wednesday. He was running routes and catching passes during the 20-minute period in which reporters are allowed to observe practice.

“I wish they had waited until later to let him practice,” Richt said. “He didn’t practice the whole time.”

Conley’s work was somewhat impromptu. Richt said he was watching Conley as a trainer put him through series of running drills. Seeing Conley “winding and zig-zagging” without much trouble, Richt “grabbed” Conley and sent him to offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who was having the offense worked on its game script.

“I said, ‘look, he’s going half-speed,’” Richt told the quarterbacks. “Then Conley kind of ran a little bit faster than half-speed and snatched the ball, and coach Bobo’s looking around like, ‘maybe we should let him practice a little bit.’ So he ran routes there and versus the (scout team). He didn’t practice the whole time, but he got some work in.

“He looked good, and I don’t think he had any setback. He looked promising today. Hopefully he’ll continue to get better.”

Richt wasn’t prepared to pronounce Conley ready to return against Auburn. But his presence in that game would be a bonus for the Bulldogs. The 6-foot-3, 206-pound junior leads Georgia in receptions (30) and receiving yards (418) and is tied for the team lead in touchdown catches (4). He’s also versatile, able to play any receiver position.

“Right now I’m just not sure what we’re going to do with him,” Richt said. “If he’s healthy enough he’ll play. How much he’ll play is just hard to say right now. He is in better shape to play than I thought he’d be when I saw him on Monday.”

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“That might play a little bit of a role in it,” Matthews said with a grin. “But really I’m just trying to play my role on the team.”

Exactly what role he will play Saturday is unclear. Matthews started the first four games of the season at free safety, but missed three with a hamstring injury and didn’t get on the field against Florida. He played last week against Appalachian State, but only after Corey Moore was ejected for targeting.

“They just wanted to ease me back in there,” Matthews said. “I’m ready to go now, but it’s up to the coaches.”

Matthews was one of Georgia’s promising freshmen before a hamstring injury in preseason camp derailed his progress.

“It’s been frustrating with the injuries,” he said. “I think every player is frustrated when they have a big injury. I’m blessed to have not had a season-ending injury, but it’s kept me from having the kind of season I wanted to.

“I wanted to play as a true freshman and play in big games, and I’ve done that. So that’s a blessing. I have that experience under my belt. Now I’m ready for these next couple of games, and the future is bright for years to come, too.”

Returns key: Auburn features the No. 1 punt returner in America in senior Chris Davis, who has averaged a gaudy 24.1 yards on 10 returns and had an 85-yarder for a touchdown Saturday against Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs, led by sophomore punter Collin Barber, have allowed only 1.2 yards per return.

“It’s huge,” Richt said of that matchup. “The biggest key is first you’ve got to protect, obviously, and then you hope to kick the ball high enough to get our coverage under there and force the fair catch. That’s ideal. If (Davis) gets started we’ll be holding our breath, because everybody who has allowed him to get started has paid for it. So the goal is to not let him get started.”