Thursday Practice Report

FOOTBALL

The fifth-ranked Georgia football team had a two-hour practice in cold, rainy weather on Thursday morning as the Dawgs continued their preparations for the Capital One Bowl game against No. 21 Nebraska on New Year's Day in Orlando.

After starting the day with overcast skies, a light rain and temperatures in the low 50s arrived shortly after practice started. Coach Mark Richt was pleased with his team’s effort following a session that he was not impressed with on Wednesday.

"Wednesday there was not as much energy as there was out there today,” Richt said. "There was a lot of really good energy out on the field today. I think when it’s cold and rainy, the guys tend to move a little bit quicker. We bypassed the breaks today and just kept rolling which gave us a good pace. We had a little ‘bull in the ring’ drill and a couple mild fights so I thought it was a good day with energy."

Georgia will now practice on Friday morning before releasing the team to go home for a Christmas break. The Dawgs will reconvene December 26th in Orlando for the final preparations.

When Georgia takes the field in 2013, a pair of junior college players will also be in on the roster. Defensive lineman Chris Mayes (Griffin, Ga.), who originally signed with the Dawgs out of high school, and receiver Jonathon Rumph (Cayce, S.C.) both signed a National Letter of Intent with Georgia over the last two days.

It was also announced that junior offensive lineman Austin Long underwent outpatient surgery on Thursday after fracturing his right hand in practice on Wednesday. Long is expected to make a full recovery.

Following practice, the media who cover the Dawgs awarded their recipient of their G.A.T.A (Gracious Attitude Toward Answering) Award. Junior tight end Arthur Lynch earned the honor. The media also announced that the award would now be permanently named for senior inside linebacker Christian Robinson, who was the inaugural winner in 2011.