Dawgs Post Another Shutout

BASEBALL

Five Georgia pitchers combined on a seven-hit shutout of Savannah State Tuesday at Foley Field, beating the Tigers 5-0.

The Dawgs (8-0) have thrown back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1986. Freshman David Sosebee made his first career start and pitched two innings in a planned staff day. Georgia’s 10-hit attack was led by freshman Hunter Cole and junior Kyle Farmer, both of whom had two hits and a RBI in four at-bats.

Georgia's bullpen saw a lot of action, with freshman Jarrett Brown, redshirt freshman Jay Swinford and freshman Luke Crumley all pitching two innings, while junior Jesse Scott contributed one inning. Georgia’s staff tallied four strikeouts and just two walks.

The Dawgs took an early lead when Farmer singled to left field to drive in freshman Nelson Ward who reached on his first career triple. Georgia went up 3-0 in third when junior Kevin Ruiz laced a two-run single to center field single that brought in Levi Hyams and Cole.

“I thought Kevin Ruiz got the big hit of the game, it was a 1-0 game until he came through,” said coach David Perno. “We had a lot of young guys go today on the mound, and they did a pretty good job. We still have room to improve in all areas.”

Savannah State (3-5) threatened in the seventh, but Scott overcame a two-on-one-out situation by striking out the next two batters. Scott recorded two of Georgia's four strikeouts. Tommy Freeman went six innings and allowed three runs on seven hits to fall to 0-2.

The Dawgs increased their advantage in the seventh when Farmer scored after Cole popped a single to right field. Georgia added to its lead again in the eighth, when Brett DeLoach drove in Colby May with a single to center field for a 5-0 advantage.

Georgia returns to action Wednesday, February 29th when they host Western Carolina at 5 p.m.

Jarvis Jones Named Player Of The Year

FOOTBALL

Georgia football outside linebacker Jarvis Jones was named Collegiate Player of the Year at the seventh annual Atlanta Sports Awards at the Fox Theatre Monday in Atlanta.

One of nine awards given away to athletes, coaches and sports alumni, the honor comes to Jones after being named a Butkus Award finalist, winner of the CFPA Elite Linebacker Trophy and an All-American for his efforts in the 2012 season.

Named First Team All-SEC and a defensive captain, Jones recorded 70 tackles, including 19.5 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks, to go along with two forced fumbles, two pass breakups and 49 quarterback pressures. The redshirt sophomore ranked first in the SEC and tied fifth in the NCAA in sacks (0.96 per game) and first in the SEC and tied 16th in the NCAA in tackles for loss (1.39 per game).

Created in 2006 by the Atlanta Sports Council, the Atlanta Sports Awards has become a way to rally the Atlanta sports community to recognize athletic excellence on a yearly basis. The Atlanta Sports Awards honors those who distinguish themselves from among the five million people living in Atlanta. That includes all professional sports teams, universities, junior colleges and more than 250 public and private high schools in Atlanta.

The Atlanta Sports Council promotes the value of sports growth in Atlanta and Georgia by acting as an authority on the economic impact, visibility and quality of life issues associated with sports. Its mission is to lead, organize and support sports development. The Atlanta Sports Council was created in 1985 under the original name of Sports 2000, and is a division of the Metro Atlanta Chamber.

NCAA Approves Major Changes

FOOTBALL

The NCAA approved a number of changes this week in Indianapolis that will have a significant impact on the game this fall.

• Kickoffs will move up from the 30 yard line to the 35 and will make a touchback much more prevalent than a return.
• Members of the kicking team will be limited to a 5 yard running start.
• Following a touchback, the offense will begin play at the 25 yard line instead of the 20.
• Any player that loses his helmet during a play will be forced to leave the game for one play.
• Jumping over a blocker in an attempt to block a punt will no longer be allowed.

These changes were approved to lower the injury risk on what has become the most dangerous play in the game….returning a kickoff.

With a freshman kicker and punter arriving on campus this fall to replace Blair Walsh and Drew Butler and the dismissal of three key special teams players, these changes could prove to be beneficial to the Dawgs.

Dribble Dawgs Upset Mississippi State

BASKETBALL

Gerald Robinson scored eight of his 13 points in overtime as Georgia stunned 20th-ranked Mississippi State 70-68 in overtime Saturday afternoon in Starkville.

Robinson's two foul shots with 24 seconds left in the extra period gave Georgia a 70-66 lead. After State responded with an Arnett Moultrie dunk with 14 ticks left, Robinson was fouled with just eight seconds left. Though he missed the front end of a 1and-1 free throw, Georgia hindered State's final drive up the court enough to leave guard Dee Bost with a desperation 20-footer at the final horn.

“We are really playing well, and we’re playing together – playing complete basketball; I’m truly proud of them," Georgia coach Mark Fox said. "This is a good team we beat. We beat a terrific basketball team, a team we had great respect for before we came here. So, to leave here with a win, it’s very gratifying."

Freshman Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led Georgia (12-12, 3-7) with 20 points. None of those was more important than his 3-pointer with 1:08 left in overtime, giving the Dawgs a 68-66 lead. He was also instrumental in getting Georgia untracked offensively after a cold-shooting start to the game. Caldwell-Pope had 14 of his points in the first half, including four 3-point shots.

The fast pace and wide-open shooting belied the slow start to this game. It took nearly eight minutes for either squad to reach double figures, State getting there first on a 3-pointer by Bost at the 12:42, putting his team in front 12-7. Dustin Ware's jumper at the 9:24 mark got Georgia into double digits at 16-11.

The visiting Dawgs trailed early but used a barrage of 3-point shots to regroup in the first half. Caldwell-Pope sank three treys and Dustin Ware added another. Caldwell-Pope's put back of another missed 3-pointer from Robinson, however, got Georgia its only brief lead of the half at 29-28.

“State is not a team of great depth," Fox said. "We tried to force them to run the floor, and we tried to force them to defend. I don’t think that we played beautiful offense, but I think that we played pretty smart and gave ourselves a chance to win."

Bost led all scorers with 21 points. His final bucket of regulation, a driving layup with 1:39 left, was perhaps the biggest score of the game to that juncture. The foul shot that completed his 3-point play gave State (19-6, 6-4) a 58-55 lead.

Georgia responded, however, with a dunk from Donte' Williams, and after one of two foul shots from State's Renardo Sidney, Robinson tied the game at 59 on a driving layup with 28 seconds left.

The Dawgs hit the road again Wednesday with the first of two games against South Carolina. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m.

Athletic Board Approves Facility Upgrades

Three facility funding requests totaling $3.83 million were approved Wednesday at the quarterly meeting University of Georgia Athletic Board of Directors.

The largest of plans is a scoreboard control room located on the southeast club level corner within Sanford Stadium. From this location, all video boards in Georgia’s athletic facilities can be operated without having to lease or move HD equipment from venue to venue. At a projected cost of $2.6 million, a HD control room would provide the ability to produce live programming, produce special events and shoulder programming for television and digital distribution.

The Rankin Smith Academic Center will also see a renovation to its Callaway Room at an estimated price of $750,000. Originally designed as a banquet or large study hall, the Callaway Room will be broken off into rooms to allow for a more individualized study and counseling place. The room will be able to hold approximately 200 more one-on-one and small group sessions per week.

Lastly, the South Side SkySuites in Sanford Stadium will be upgraded with new furniture before the start of the 2012 football season. Opened in 1994 with no major furniture upgrades since, the new furniture will address the functionality of the space while maximizing seating and viewing opportunities. To furnish the original 30 suites will cost around $480,000.

“The thing that will really affect the student-athletes the most is obviously the Rankin Smith Center,” said Athletic Director Greg McGarity. “Activity in that building is going on six days a week. It’s already used so much, and this just adds to the ability to service our student-athletes. The others are more geared to the fan experience, as far as suite holders that are paying significant dollars and that is like upgrading your house. We are going to have to do that every 10 years, and the time has come to do that. The other makes our operations more effective and efficient. We don’t have to rent equipment anymore. We have our own studio. It is going to be endless the ways it will help us and the University too.”

Also presented to the board was an academic report by Faculty Athletics Representative David Shipley. Shipley announced Georgia’s nominees for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship and Brad Davis Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship. Cross country runner J.P. Hackney and swimmer Wendy Trott serve as the McWhorter nominees while volleyball’s Kathleen Gates and football’s Aron White are nominated for the latter.

Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services Ted White provided more insight into Georgia student-athlete academics while Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance Jim Booz highlighted recent NCAA legislation. The auditor’s report was also presented to the members.

Three Freshmen Dismissed From Team

FOOTBALL

Three University of Georgia freshman football players have been dismissed from the team for violation of team rules according to an announcement by Bulldog head coach Mark Richt.

Sanford Seay of Leesburg, Nick Marshall of Rochelle, and Chris Sanders of Tucker were dismissed Friday morning after meeting with Richt.

Seay was redshirted in 2011, Marshall played mostly special teams, and Sanders played in the first three games before being sidelined with an injury the remainder of the season.

“It’s a privilege to play college football and to be a part of this team and University,” said Richt. “Along with that privilege comes certain responsibilities. Mistakes were made and part of our job is helping them learn from mistakes. Going forward, we are committed to assisting them find opportunities where they can continue their education.”