Georgia is holding its first preseason scrimmage this morning at Sanford Stadium.
It’s the closest thing to a game the Bulldogs have had so far heading up to its opener against Buffalo Sept. 1 between the hedges.
The scoreboard is getting a workout too. It showed: Georgia4, Buffalo on it.
Guess somebody picked up where Brandon Boykin left off in the Outback Bowl.
The actual scrimmage is closed to the media, but we will get the usual statistics rundown from Mark Richt afterwards.
Here’s the injury update:
Defensive end Ray Drew (concussion) was on the field watching. Cornerback Damian Swann (sprained neck) was in a non-contact jersey so he looks like a no-go. Chris Burnette (illness) and Abry Jones (knee contusion) returned to practice yesterday and were in regular jerseys.
Outside linebacker James DeLoach (strained hamstring) was in a regular jersey after being limited yesterday. Looks like he will scrimmage.
Interesting that Ramik Wilson was warming up with the inside linebackers and not the outside guys. He plays both, but I had not seen him work early in practice so far with the ILBs.
If you are watching on TV at home (OK, you aren’t) or peeking in around the stadium, the offense is wearing red jerseys and the defense is in white.
The receivers went through drills in this order Tavarres King, Chris Conley, Rantavious Wooten, Blake Tibbs and Taylor Bradberry. The other line was Marlon Brown, Michael Bennett, Justin Scott-Wesley and Rhett McGowan.
I saw freshman Marshall Morgan kicking field goals off a tee before most of the team got there. Looks like he went 1 of 2 from 42 when I was watching and was good from 36. Before the media left, Morgan tried two from about 50. He was wide right and converted the second.
Richt chatted with him as they headed to join the rest of the team at one end of the field.
Scrimmage statistics (provided by Richt):
Passing: Aaron Murray 12-t17-170 TD, Hutson Mason 9-13-86 TD, Christian LeMay 3-6-44 INT, Parker Welch 4-7-18. Faton Bauta 0-3.
Rushing: Todd Gurley 6-58, TD; Ken Malcome 5-32, Brandon Harton 7-25, Kyle Karempelis 4-15, Keith Marshall 7-11.
Receiving: Marlon Brown 6-103 2TDs, Tavarres King 4-66, Rantavious Wooten 2-45 TD, Justin Scott-Wesley 3-43, Michael Bennett 2-26, Arthur Lynch 2-21, Merritt Hall 1-16, Taylor Bradberry 2-13, Kenneth Towns 1-10, Ty Smith 1-2, Harton 1-0.
Tackles: Connor Norman 6, Cornelius Washington 6, Devin Bowman 4, Alec Ogletree 4, Shawn Williams 4, James DeLoach 4, Amarlo Herrera 3, Ramik Wilson 3, Corey Moore 3, Bacarri Rambo 3, Sheldon Dawson 3.
Sacks: Washington 3, Ogeltree 1, Rambo 1, Jordan Jenkins 1, John Jenkins 1.
Tackles for loss: Josh Dawson 1, Branden Smith 1.
Fumble recovery: Herrera 1.
Interceptions: Sanders Commings 1-17.
Pass break up: Jarvis Jones 1.
Quick notes and quotes:
–Richt on freshman tailback Todd Gurley: “He ran the ball well, I’ll say that, but he had some good space provided for him at times when some of the other guys didn’t.Marshallhad a great three-yard run one time, but that doesn’t impress anybody unless you see it in person. I thought the backs ran well, really. There were a couple of times I don’t think they hit it right where they should have or could have. It wasn’t bad.”
–Receiver Marlon Brown on Gurley: “Todd Gurley had some beast runs today. I was like `Is that a freshman out there running the ball?”
–Richt: “Overall in the scrimmage, the No. 1 units played really well. The No. 1 offense actually scored touchdowns in their first three drives. The No. 1 defense didn’t give up but I think one first down in the first three drives. Both No. 1 units were pretty dominant, which I like this time of year.”
–Freshman John Theus was the right offensive tackle on the first drive for the offense.
–Richt on injuries: “It was a good scrimmage. There might have been a couple of bumps and bruises, but I don’t think anything came out of it. I guess I wouldn’t report it anyway. It went well in that category.”
–Please follow me at Twitter.com/marcweiszer
