University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Conduct Last Preseason Contact Practice
August 30, 2011 | Football
Aug. 30, 2011
ATHENS, Ga. --- The No. 19-ranked Georgia Bulldogs practiced in shoulder pads and shorts for just over two hours on Tuesday afternoon as they make final preparations for this Saturday's season opener against No. 5 Boise State.
The Bulldogs and Broncos will clash in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic at the Georgia Dome at 8 p.m. in an ESPN nationally televised tilt.
"Today was the last day in shoulder pads," head coach Mark Richt said. "Tomorrow and Thursday will be in jerseys and shorts. We won't put on the pads again until we're in the dome on Saturday."
Earlier on Tuesday Richt and selected players took part in their initial game week press conference of the season at the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall and talked about the opener in depth.
"It's been a long time waiting for this ballgame," Richt said. "The minute we announced we were playing this game, I think it created a buzz. I know it created a buzz here in the Butts-Mehre building with our players. I remember when we first announced it to the team, looking at the excitement on some of the guys' eyes and even the disappointment on some of (last year's) seniors' eyes that they weren't going to be able to be a part of it. It's been a big deal to us to know that we are going to play Boise State in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
"Boise State, as we all know, is the winningest team in college football since 1997," Richt continued. "Coach (Chris) Peterson has done a tremendous job of getting those guys to believe...getting those guys to play with confidence, swagger and intensity. They are great fundamentally. They just play so hard. They know what they are doing, and they believe in what they are doing, and for good reason. Because they are a team that wins, they will be a very difficult team to beat. Teams that are in the habit of winning are hard to beat, there is no doubt about that."
The Bulldogs are 89-25-3 in season openers all time and have christened 13 of their last 14 campaigns with a victory. Georgia is 9-1 in openers under Richt.
