Dawgs Scrimmage Today

The Georgia Bulldogs conducted their second scrimmage of the spring Saturday morning at Sanford Stadium.

The two-hour workout in full pads featured much better effort and enthusiasm compared to the first one, according to Bulldog head coach Mark Richt.

“It was hard-hitting, the energy was there all the time, and I saw some good leadership,” said Richt. The defense started strong and no one was better than sophomore end Justin Houston. He was credited with four tackles, two tackles for a loss, two sacks and a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown. “Justin was the most productive defensive player Saturday,” said Richt. “He caught my eye and made a lot of plays. We missed some more opportunities to catch the ball.”

Houston’s touchdown came on the first play of a one-minute drill with Joe Cox directing the offense. The senior finished the day 6-for-18 for 65 yards and two touchdowns including a 26-yard scoring strike to sophomore A.J. Green. The longest touchdown play of the morning came from freshman Aaron Murray to sophomore flanker Israel Troupe. The pair hooked up on a 64- yard bomb right before halftime. Murray ended up 6-for-10 for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Troupe was the team’s leading receiver with three catches for 111 yards. Sophomore quarterback Logan Gray was 7- for-9 for 52 yards and one touchdown while freshman Zach Mettenberger was 1-for-5 for 39 yards.

Meanwhile at tailback, Georgia’s current healthy options are sophomore Caleb King (10 rushes for 43 yards) and redshirt freshman Carlton Thomas (6 rushes for 25 yards). Junior Kalvin Daniels shared the workload in the last scrimmage but did not see action Saturday due to a shoulder injury. Therefore, junior Fred Munzenmaier saw extensive playing time Saturday with a team-high 11 carries for 54 yards and one touchdown.

“Fred did well today and a lot of his reps were tailback rushes, and he looked very fluid,” said Richt. “If we blocked it for three yards, he got five. He did a good job of finishing runs. He runs like an athletic fullback with power and vision.”

In the fall along with King, Daniels and Thomas, Georgia will have a healthy Richard Samuel, Dontavius Jackson and incoming freshman Washaun Ealey competing at tailback. For now, Munzenmaier has made the most of his playing time and presents a different style of runner, according to Richt.

Georgia had one injury during the scrimmage when junior reserve safety Andrew Johnson dislocated his right ankle.

The Bulldogs will have three more practices next week before wrapping up spring drills with the annual G-Day game next Saturday at 1:05 p.m.

For the second straight day, Georgia won all four events, including another 5-0 sweep in Western Horsemanship, to defeat Auburn 15-5 and win the 2009 Southern Equestrian Championship in Bishop Saturday afternoon.

Georgia’s title was the program’s fifth straight at the Southern Championships, which equate to the SEC title meet. On Saturday, the top-ranked Bulldogs (12-4) had beaten South Carolina by an identical 15-5 tally.

“This was just a beautiful day all around,” Georgia coach Meghan Boenig said. “The weather was ideal, the riding conditions were terrific, and the level of competition was extremely high on both sides. I’m just really, really pleased at how our girls performed today. It was a great momentum builder for Nationals.”