University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Resume Preparations For Tennessee Game
October 05, 2008 | Football
ATHENS, Ga. --- Tenth-ranked Georgia returns to action this Saturday against Tennessee, and head coach Mark Richt said the Bulldogs enjoyed their first open date in the 2008 schedule.
The Bulldogs (4-1, 1-1 SEC) are 10-2 when coming off a bye week since Richt has been at the helm. During his weekly Sunday media conference call, Richt said he thinks most schools across the country have a good record after an open date.
“I hope it’s a positive thing for us,” said Richt. “I pulled out my notes from a year ago before our open date and looked at our goals in those two weeks leading up to our next game. It’s to get healthy, get some rest and work on our fundamentals, and we’re on track.”
Tennessee (2-3, 0-2 SEC) was coming off a bye week last year when it played host to Georgia and registered a 35-14 win. The Bulldogs rebounded to win their next 11 games before falling to eighth-ranked Alabama 41-30 on Sept. 27. Meanwhile, Tennessee edged Northern Illinois 13-9 Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak. They are looking to avoid an 0-3 league start after getting beat 30-6 by fourth-ranked Florida and 14-12 to Auburn earlier this year.
“I don’t want to paint the picture that we got it together and they don’t,” said Richt. “I am concerned about us and getting better after our last game and not thinking about them.”
Richt provided an update on several injured Bulldogs from the Alabama game. He indicated sophomore tailback Knowshon Moreno (elbow) and senior fullback Brannan Southerland (foot) will be ready to play, senior linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (knee) is questionable and junior split end Kris Durham (ankle) and junior defensive end Rod Battle (neck) are out. Southerland saw his first action of the season against Alabama but played only on special teams.
“I don’t know if he is 100 percent, but he’ll play fullback, and he’ll play more than just special teams,” said Richt on Southerland. “He practiced both days last week. He’s an outstanding football player. He gives us some more punch. It’s good timing for him to be back.”
Richt was asked about Georgia’s pass rush and getting pressure on the Tennessee quarterbacks.
“Tennessee runs a blend of what they have done in the past, they have a new coordinator and there’s some more spread, but they don’t hold the ball very long,” said Richt. “The only time you do is when it’s third and long so that’s where you can put pressure on the quarterback. However it starts with stopping a team on first and second down or having them play from behind.”
The Georgia-Tennessee game on Oct. 11 will be televised nationally on CBS, with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. All Georgia games also are broadcast live on the Bulldog Radio Network on AM 750 WSB in Atlanta and on both 106.1 FM and 960 The Ref in Athens. The radio audio also can be heard worldwide on both georgiadogs.com, the official website of UGA Athletics, and on XM satellite radio.
The Bulldogs (4-1, 1-1 SEC) are 10-2 when coming off a bye week since Richt has been at the helm. During his weekly Sunday media conference call, Richt said he thinks most schools across the country have a good record after an open date.
“I hope it’s a positive thing for us,” said Richt. “I pulled out my notes from a year ago before our open date and looked at our goals in those two weeks leading up to our next game. It’s to get healthy, get some rest and work on our fundamentals, and we’re on track.”
Tennessee (2-3, 0-2 SEC) was coming off a bye week last year when it played host to Georgia and registered a 35-14 win. The Bulldogs rebounded to win their next 11 games before falling to eighth-ranked Alabama 41-30 on Sept. 27. Meanwhile, Tennessee edged Northern Illinois 13-9 Saturday to snap a two-game losing streak. They are looking to avoid an 0-3 league start after getting beat 30-6 by fourth-ranked Florida and 14-12 to Auburn earlier this year.
“I don’t want to paint the picture that we got it together and they don’t,” said Richt. “I am concerned about us and getting better after our last game and not thinking about them.”
Richt provided an update on several injured Bulldogs from the Alabama game. He indicated sophomore tailback Knowshon Moreno (elbow) and senior fullback Brannan Southerland (foot) will be ready to play, senior linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (knee) is questionable and junior split end Kris Durham (ankle) and junior defensive end Rod Battle (neck) are out. Southerland saw his first action of the season against Alabama but played only on special teams.
“I don’t know if he is 100 percent, but he’ll play fullback, and he’ll play more than just special teams,” said Richt on Southerland. “He practiced both days last week. He’s an outstanding football player. He gives us some more punch. It’s good timing for him to be back.”
Richt was asked about Georgia’s pass rush and getting pressure on the Tennessee quarterbacks.
“Tennessee runs a blend of what they have done in the past, they have a new coordinator and there’s some more spread, but they don’t hold the ball very long,” said Richt. “The only time you do is when it’s third and long so that’s where you can put pressure on the quarterback. However it starts with stopping a team on first and second down or having them play from behind.”
The Georgia-Tennessee game on Oct. 11 will be televised nationally on CBS, with kickoff slated for 3:30 p.m. All Georgia games also are broadcast live on the Bulldog Radio Network on AM 750 WSB in Atlanta and on both 106.1 FM and 960 The Ref in Athens. The radio audio also can be heard worldwide on both georgiadogs.com, the official website of UGA Athletics, and on XM satellite radio.
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