“Pretty Darn Good First Day”

FOOTBALL

Georgia coach Mark Richt knew his Dawgs were excited about the first day in full pads even before they took the field.

“I overheard one of the freshmen say, ‘We get to wear the silver britches today,’” Richt said. “I thought that was kind of neat.”

Under mostly overcast skies, the Dawgs practiced for approximately two hours Monday morning. In addition to strapping on the pads for the first time, the Dawgs went through what Richt called “a competition day,” meaning points were assigned to each drill. Afterward, he said the defense emerged as the day’s winner.

“I thought it was a pretty darn good first day in pads,” Richt said. “In full pads, you’re able to compete. The defense won a close, spirited competition. ... There were some plays made. When you compete, you get after it and you try to win. And that’s OK because it gets the blood flowing.”

Senior defensive end DeAngelo Tyson said he was impressed with what he saw from his teammates.

“We have a good defense and good players on defense,” said Tyson, who had 36 tackles playing nose last season. “I thought it was a good practice today on both sides of the ball. When you keep score like that, it makes it more exciting and you’ve got even more motivation and focus. I was pleased with the energy today. I saw guys on defense running to the ball and making plays.”

The Dawgs are scheduled to practice twice on Tuesday.

Georgia, which was ranked No. 22 in the preseason edition of the USA Today coaches' poll, will open the season against No. 7 Boise State on September 3rd.

The annual Fans Picture Day will be held Saturday, August 20th, outside Sanford Stadium. Georgia football players and coaches will be available for autographs from 3-5 p.m.