Greetings for the first time this season from Sanford Stadium.

The countdown is ending. Real football is here.

The field is ready for games.

Georgia president Michael Adams even helped paint the midfield logo yesterday.

“Russ” will be here today for the final time before he becomes the Uga IX mascot.

Buffalo is here to pick up a paycheck of nearly $1 million and get some national exposure.

“We’re the visiting team and 92,000 people in there are going to be very, very antagonistic in regards to the environment and the hostility of that environment,”Buffalo coach Jeff Quinn said

There were 300 tickets still available for the game as of Friday.

Georgia’s freshmen—including tailbacks Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall—will be on display for the first time as Bulldogs, but you’ll have to wait to see Malcolm Mitchell at cornerback.

“Malcolm’s a guy I think that can be a dynamic corner,” defensive coordinator Todd Grantham this week before Mitchell sprained an ankle in practice on Thursday.

Freshman Josh Harvey-Clemons will get a chance to play at nickel corner and safety.

“We have packages where he’s in the game so we’re going to play him,” Grantham said.

Freshman Sheldon Dawson, who Grantham said “has really good ball skills” and “really good quickness” will also debut.

It’s supposed to get up to 93 degrees today. It’s already steamy in the press box.

–One intriguing storyline we touched on in a notebook this week is going up against veteran coach Lou Tepper, now Buffalo’s defensive coordinator.

Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo looked at film from a couple of years ago when Tepper was head coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

“We’ve watched it,” Bobo said. “He hasn’t been a defensive coordinator in a whole (while) so there’s some uncertainty there about what you’re going to see, but the bottom line is we prepare against a lot going against our guys—some odd fronts, some over fronts. We’ve got to be sound in what we do, know our rules and go from there.”

—Buffalo quarterback Alex Zordich is the son of Mike Zordich, who played on Penn State team that beat Georgia 27-23 in the Sugar Bowl in the 1982 season. He’s now the secondary/safeties coach for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.

–Georgia’s starting offensive line is set. So are the top reserves—Austin Long or Watts Dantzler.

“It will be one of those two depending on position,” Bobo said.

Dantzler said this week he’s worked all over the place in practice.

He was competing with freshman John Theus for the right tackle spot before Theus nailed that down.

Dantzler has worked most recently in practice at left guard. He’s worked at every other spot on the line this preseason except center.

“Whether I go in there because someone’s tired or we have a big lead, I’m ready to go,” Dantzler said. “I’m looking forward to it and anxious to get things rolling.”

–As expected, inside linebacker Alec Ogletree and safety Bacarri Rambo aren’t dressed out. As was reported back in the spring, but not confirmed by Georgia, they appear to be suspended. One surprise is that senior receiver Marlon Brown isn’t dressed out. A Georgia spokesman said he has a pulled leg muscle and may have been held out for precautionary reasons (UPDATE: Word now is that he is out with a left hamstring strain).

–Freshman offensive lineman Greg Pyke isn’t dressed out (Check that. It turns out that it was walk-on Caleb Drake not dressed out. He’s in the same No. 73.) Pyke seems headed for a redshirt season. Defensive end Dexter Morant also isn’t dressed for the game. Walk-on receiver Taylor Bradberry has his right arm in a sling. He was listed having a thumb injury.

–Cornerback/receiver Malcolm Mitchell is on crutches. Georgia said he sprained an ankle in Thursday’s practice. He’s obviously out.

–Georgia unveiled the no-huddle offense in the opener last season against Boise State. So what’s up their sleeve this time around? “Throwing it to 12 the whole time,” joked receiver Tavarres King about calling his number every play.

–Connorn Norman announced to start in place of Rambo, Christian Robinson for Ogletree at inside linebacker and Ramik Wilson at the outside linebacker spot opposite Jarvis Jones.

–Please follow me in-game at Twitter.com/marcweiszer