Wednesday Practice Report

FOOTBALL

Cool, blustery conditions greeted the 24th-ranked Dawgs Wednesday as they held a 90-minute workout.

The Dawgs welcomed back a couple of defensive starters to practice this week in sophomore linebacker Alec Ogletree and junior linebacker Cornelius Washington. Ogletree has been out since the first quarter of the season opener with a foot injury while Washington missed the past two games.

“It’s a big deal for Alec to be back out there, he’s excited to be practicing and playing again,” said coach Mark Richt. “Cornelius is too because he knows he’s practicing and preparing to play in a game too. Our system is designed for the linebackers to make a lot of plays, and they were playing well in the preseason and earlier this year. We expect them to continue to play well. They have all the tools.”

Meanwhile, senior cornerback Brandon Boykin and junior safety Bacarri Rambo did not practice Wednesday. Rambo missed the session due to a toe injury while Boykin had a dental appointment stemming from an injury from the Mississippi State game earlier this month.

On Tuesday, the Dawgs (5-2, 4-1 SEC) were drenched during a one-hour practice that was cut short 25 minutes due to the constant, heavy rain. They followed that up Wednesday with a session that began in the 50s and finished in the low 40s with winds ranging from 15 to 20 miles per hour. Wednesday marked the second of three scheduled workouts for Georgia this week. They are slated to practice Thursday before taking a few days off with an open date on Saturday.

“We’re glad to have a bye week because we needed it,” Richt added. “We’ve had preseason camp and played seven straight games, so it’s good to have a break both mentally and physically.”

Also of note, former standout A.J. Green, a first round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, attended practice Wednesday. Through six games, Green, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, has 29 catches for 453 yards and four touchdowns. Like the Dawgs, the Bengals are off this week.

“It was great to see A.J., I said hello to him,” said Richt. “At first, I saw him from a distance and wasn’t sure if it was him, I was thinking, ‘is that a recruit, and if so, who is it?’ It would be nice to recruit him again.”