University of Georgia Athletics
Thursday Practice Focuses On Special Teams
August 25, 2011 | Football
Aug. 25, 2011
Thursday Practice Focuses On Special Team
ATHENS, Ga. --- The 19th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs focused on special teams for a majority of their 90-minute workout Thursday.
Georgia spent much of the practice time working on kickoff coverage and kickoff returns. Also, the final 20 minutes featured 11-on-11 where the offense and defensive units went against each other. After practice, several of the assistant coaches met with the media.
"I'm seeing a lot of improvement, the guys are focused," said Bulldog offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo. "We've still got to clean up some of the little things and do a good job with our assignments. We need to be able to execute at full speed because we open up against a really solid team in Boise State. We've got to be able to match their effort. They are an experienced team that's played in some big games.
The Bulldog offense welcomes the return of sophomore quarterback Aaron Murray (Tampa, Fla.). He had the nation's highest passing efficiency rating for a freshman at 154.48. He finished the year with 3,216 yards of total offense, the second best total by a freshman in SEC history. Boise State's offense is directed by veteran signal-caller Kellen Moore. The senior was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy last year and led the nation in passing efficiency at 182.63. He has 38 career wins.
The Bulldogs feature a veteran secondary led by senior Brandon Boykin (Fayetteville, Ga). He has 24 career starts and six interceptions plus is a dangerous return specialist with four touchdowns on kickoff returns.
"We've got some veterans like Brandon Boykin, Bacarri Rambo, Sanders Commings and and Shawn Williams, and we're still deciding on some of the younger guys," said secondary coach Scott Lakatos. "Every day we can see them developing and getting more comfortable with our system."
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Jordan Love (Glen Allen, Va.) continues to impress the staff.
"Jordan has done a good job, he's fired up and playing well right now," said Lakatos. "He's doing a nice job of communicating out there, and he's playing fast. He can play in the nickel and he's able to play both corner spots which gives us some depth."
Georgia opens the 2011 season against No. 5 Boise State on Sept. 3. The Bulldogs and Broncos will meet in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic in the Georgia Dome at 8 p.m., and ESPN will televise contest nationally.
