Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Spring Practice - Day 2

Following Wednesday's session, head coach Mark Richt was pleased with his team's performance this early in the spring.

"We had an outstanding practice today," Richt said. "There were some things from (Tuesday) that we talked about in the coaches meetings and to the team and I think we corrected all of them for the most part. The defense was leading us with their effort and enthusiasm and as a whole, I though we gotbetter today."

Fifth year senior Joe Cox is firmly entrenched as the starting quarterback, the competition will be for the number two spot on the depth chart. Sophomore Logan Gray will devote all of his time this spring to playing quarterback and at this stage is far ahead of incoming freshmen Aaron Murray and Zack Mettenberger. Coach Mike Bobo has stated that the decision to redshirt one or both of the freshmen will be based on how prepared they are by September and not on getting class seperation between them.

While the Bulldogs do not have a practice scheduled for Thursday, Georgia will be hosting its annual NFL Pro Day, which gives the seniors from the previous season and any underclassmen who declared early a chance to work-out for scouts, coaches and administrators from NFL teams. Richt said the workouts were not mandatory for his current team to attend, but he did encourage his players to come and watch. "This is one of, if not the, biggest Pro Days we have had since 2000 so I told our current players to stop by at some point to see what it's like for these former players to basically have a job interview for what they consider the job of a lifetime," said Richt.

Prior to Wednesday's practice, former NFL head coach Tony Dungy held a joint press conference with Richt as they announced the expansion of the national fatherhood program, All Pro Dad, into collegiate football. Dungy then addressed the team for 30 minutes before the Bulldogs' second practice ofthe spring. "I can't tell you how many hours we spend trying to find ways to help our guys enrich their lives," said Richt. "We are thrilled to have (Coach Dungy) here with us and I think it is always beneficial to have someone here who is dead serious about helping our players grow into being great fathers."

Dungy was also excited to involve Georgia in the All Pro Dad program. "We thought UGA was a great place to start because I know what kind of man (Coach Richt) is and what kind of heart he has so I think this is a perfect fit," Dungy said.

In other Dawg related news, sophomores Alisa Goler and Brianna Hesson each hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to lead ninth-ranked Georgia softball past Kennesaw State, 5-2, this afternoon at the UGA Softball Stadium. Up next, Georgia travels to Columbia, S.C., this weekend for a three-game Southeastern Conference series against South Carolina.

Each Georgia starter had at least one hit and the fourth-ranked Diamond Dawgs scored runs in five of the first six innings in an 11-6 win over Georgia State Wednesday in Atlanta. Georgia plays host to Mississippi State in a three-game series beginning Friday at 7 p.m. The games on Friday and Sunday will be televised by CSS.

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