Thursday Practice Report

FOOTBALL

The sun burned through the morning cloud cover just as Mark Richt finished his pre-practice instructions for the Dawgs on Thursday, clearing the way for a spirited, two-and-a-half-hour workout in shoulder pads and shorts.

The session, which began with temperatures in the 70s and finished with the thermometer inching into the 90s, came a day after Georgia's first full scrimmage of the fall and left Richt pleased on several fronts. "After a scrimmage you tend to have a kind of lackluster day, especially the next day," Richt said. "We didn't have that today. They got after it. I'm proud of the energy and the effort. We definitely got better today."

Several players donned green, non-contact jerseys on Thursday; however, Richt said the team had not suffered any serious injuries to date. "When you hit really hard for 125 plays, you'll have some of that," Richt said. "To this point, we've been pretty good on the injury front. There's nothing that's going to keep a guy out for a really long time. Overall, the injury front is pretty good. When we're in shorts, even guys in green jerseys can get a lot of good work in. Brandon Boykin was in a green jersey
but got a lot of work in. Derrick Owens was in a green jersey but got a lot of work in today."

When asked if anyone caught his attention while reviewing film of the scrimmage, Richt singled out several players including fullback Zander Ogletree and linebacker Christian Robinson.

"Zander Ogletree (46) had a really great scrimmage, especially on the goal line," Richt said. "He delivered a lot of physical shots across the board, but isolation blocking is I think the toughest to do over and over and over. Zander got the best of it yesterday. He did his job better than the other guy.

"Christian Robinson has had a really fine camp in his ability to recognize things, communicate things and get guys lined up quickly so that we're in position to play and to play fast," Richt added. Georgia's defensive newcomers were available to the media for the first time on Thursday, including linebacker Amarlo Herrera, a linebacker from College Park who returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown in the scrimmage at Sanford Stadium.

"I wasn't focused on me. I was just trying to do something for the defensive team to beat the offense," Herrera said. "I've just been studying the playbook hard and adjusting to the speed. We go fast all the time."

The annual Fans Picture Day will be held Saturday, August 20yh in the Reed Plaza area behind the north side of Sanford Stadium from 1-5 p.m. Members of Georgia teams other than football and interim mascot Russ will be available from 1-3, and the football players and coaches will be in attendance from 3-5 p.m. Due to recent public issues surrounding student-athlete autographs across the country, no outside items may be brought to Picture Day. The UGA Athletic Association will provide each fan with two free schedule posters to be signed by the players and Coach Richt. No other items will be permitted.