Dawgs Ready For Missouri

FOOTBALL

Seventh-ranked Georgia continued preparations for its SEC season opener with Missouri as the team conducted a 90-minute practice in jerseys, shoulder pads, shorts and helmets Wednesday.

Georgia will face the Tigers (1-0, 0-0 SEC) Saturday in Columbia at 7:45 p.m. ET (ESPN2), and Richt began his post-practice media session Wednesday by crediting the scout team for their help in preparing the team.

“Everybody has a role, and Tuesday and Wednesday are really important days for our scout team to give the starters a good look in practice,” said coach Mark Richt. “I appreciate the job they do; they were working hard out there from the time we started special teams and that carried over in to offense and defense.”

Richt was asked about the availability of a trio of players for Saturday’s game who were again limited in practice Wednesday due to ankle injuries. Sophomore cornerback/wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell along with offensive tackles John Theus and Watts Dantzler did see some scout team work in practice. Richt said he is hopeful they will all be able to travel to Missouri.

“Malcolm is doing pretty good, I’m encouraged from what I saw, but I’m not certain he’s full speed, but we’ve got a couple more days to go,” said Richt.

Early in the season, Richt said the staff is mixing and matching players up front and seeing who can perform when they get on the field.

“Sometimes, that’s how guys get playing time, something happens, they get in the game and they show that they are ready,” Richt said. “When a coach sees you can do it, you’re more likely to play more so we tell everybody that you have to prepare for the moment.”

In related news featuring the Georgia-Missouri game, the 2012 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award® Marquee Match-up for week two, as chosen by fans on Facebook, will be the SEC showdown between Davey O'Brien Watch List candidates Aaron Murray (Georgia) and James Franklin (Missouri). Throughout the season, the Davey O'Brien Foundation will highlight the best weekly quarterback match-up as the race for the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award continues.

Fans are invited to cast their vote for the nation's best college quarterback as often as once daily at www.VoteOBrien.org. The 2012 Davey O'Brien Winner will be announced on The Home Depot College Football Awards airing Dec. 6 on ESPN and will be honored at the 36th Annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner on Feb. 18, 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas.