The Georgia defensive players held a meeting recently where they tried to clear the air and work on the issues plaguing a unit that returned all but one starter from last season and was ranked the No. 5 defense in the nation. Nose John Jenkins expects it to help.
“We had a tough loss against South Carolina, everybody knows,” Jenkins said. “But it is not the end of the world. We had a good practice today. Everybody has their head on right, and the practice showed today that everyone is moving right. As for myself, I need to be more of a playmaker. I need to be a better playmaker for the next couple games.”
With a defense loaded with playmakers, such as All-Americans Jarvis Jones and Bacarri Rambo as well as other talented players that will play on Sundays in the NFL, it is surprising to see that Georgia is ranked No. 50 in total defense so far this season.
“I can’t tell you what is wrong with the defense,” Jenkins said. “I really don’t think anything is wrong with the defense. I just feel that we need to be more in sync with one another and just play as a unit. Once we start playing as a unit, the sky is the limit.”
Jenkins is very familiar with the sky. Before he grew to the 6-foot-3, 358-pound behemoth that he is, the Georgia nose spent all of his free time sailing through the air on the back of a BMX bicycle. His passion for racing was all-consuming.
“I never played football when I was younger,” Jenkins said. “It was either basketball or BMX racing. Back then I was amazing. I ain’t going to lie. I will toot my own horn on that one. I didn’t lose. You can call my mom. If I [received] a second trophy I didn’t want it.”
Jenkins is now looking to get the Georgia defense back on track against Kentucky on Satuirday.
Dawgs, Tide out in front for Laremy Tunsil 
October, 19, 2012
10/19/12
10:48
AM ET
By
Derek Tyson | ESPN.com
MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- Five-star offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (Lake City, Fla./Columbia) will take an unofficial visit to Florida for its game against South Carolina on Saturday. For the 6-foot-6, 295-pound No. 1-ranked offensive lineman in the country, this will be his second visit to Gainesville in the last three weeks.
Tunsil, who visited Florida for its game against LSU, said he enjoyed his trip to the Swamp.
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Don't forget to send us your best tailgate pictures of your food, friends and family all week long @ESPNCFB and get your photos in our GameDay Live chat Saturday morning. Here are our previous tailgates.
NO. 11 GEORGIA AT KENTUCKY
Saturday, 7 p.m.
Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, Ky.
FSN SOUTH
Records: Georgia 5-1 (3-1 SEC), Kentucky 1-6 (0-4)
Last week: Georgia was idle, Kentucky lost 49-7 to Arkansas
What’s the Story?: With a potentially huge game against No. 2 Florida on the horizon, Georgia needs to dust itself off after an embarrassing loss its last time out against South Carolina and put away a reeling Kentucky team that enters as a four-touchdown underdog.
Three Headlines:
1. Pressuring the quarterback: Georgia simply has not done a good enough job of rushing the passer, but that will be a primary objective on Saturday against the Wildcats’ freshman starter, Jalen Whitlow. He’ll be starting for just the third time, having gone 12-for-31 for 156 yards in his first two starts.
2. Returning to form on offense: Count on Georgia working hard to re-establish the running game that faltered against South Carolina when offensive coordinator Mike Bobo opted to lean on the passing game when the Bulldogs fell behind 21-0 early. Freshmen Todd Gurley (81-575, 9 TDs) and Keith Marshall (64-465, 5 TDs) should get a steady diet of touches against Kentucky.
3. Injuries a factor: Not only as Kentucky been devastated by injuries on offense -- Whitlow is the third quarterback to start a game and three different tailbacks have also started because of injuries -- and its defense has been just as bad. The Wildcats started three freshmen in the secondary last week and should start either two or three on the back end against Georgia depending whether previously injured players can return. The Bulldogs also have a major injury question in Jarvis Jones, who had not practiced as of Wednesday since suffering a sprained ankle against South Carolina on Oct. 6.
Saturday, 7 p.m.
Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, Ky.
FSN SOUTH
Records: Georgia 5-1 (3-1 SEC), Kentucky 1-6 (0-4)
Last week: Georgia was idle, Kentucky lost 49-7 to Arkansas
What’s the Story?: With a potentially huge game against No. 2 Florida on the horizon, Georgia needs to dust itself off after an embarrassing loss its last time out against South Carolina and put away a reeling Kentucky team that enters as a four-touchdown underdog.
Three Headlines:
1. Pressuring the quarterback: Georgia simply has not done a good enough job of rushing the passer, but that will be a primary objective on Saturday against the Wildcats’ freshman starter, Jalen Whitlow. He’ll be starting for just the third time, having gone 12-for-31 for 156 yards in his first two starts.
2. Returning to form on offense: Count on Georgia working hard to re-establish the running game that faltered against South Carolina when offensive coordinator Mike Bobo opted to lean on the passing game when the Bulldogs fell behind 21-0 early. Freshmen Todd Gurley (81-575, 9 TDs) and Keith Marshall (64-465, 5 TDs) should get a steady diet of touches against Kentucky.
3. Injuries a factor: Not only as Kentucky been devastated by injuries on offense -- Whitlow is the third quarterback to start a game and three different tailbacks have also started because of injuries -- and its defense has been just as bad. The Wildcats started three freshmen in the secondary last week and should start either two or three on the back end against Georgia depending whether previously injured players can return. The Bulldogs also have a major injury question in Jarvis Jones, who had not practiced as of Wednesday since suffering a sprained ankle against South Carolina on Oct. 6.
SEC releases 2013 conference schedules
October, 18, 2012
10/18/12
4:35
PM ET
By
Edward Aschoff | ESPN.com
The SEC released the 2013 conference schedules for all 14 teams Thursday.
There are a few things that stand out with next year's SEC slate. For one, I'm sure fans outside of Athens, Ga., will be slow clapping at the fact Georgia will get back to playing one of the top teams in the SEC West, as the Bulldogs will host LSU on Sept. 28. That's great for TV, but it's part of a tough conference stretch for the Tigers, who play at Georgia and at Mississippi State in consecutive weeks before hosting Florida and then going to Ole Miss. LSU then plays at Alabama on Nov. 9 and will end the season at home against Texas A&M and Arkansas.
Florida's usual late-season games against South Carolina and Vanderbilt are back and will be played in mid-November. The Georgia-South Carolina game has also been moved back toward the beginning of the season (Sept. 7).
Alabama gets Ole Miss at home for the second straight year and will play Kentucky (Oct. 12) and Tennessee (Oct. 26) from the East. That means no Florida, Georgia or South Carolina for the second straight year for the Crimson Tide.
We also won't see those permanent rivalries that were discussed earlier this year. There's no Arkansas-Missouri or South Carolina-Texas A&M. Maybe one day.
Also, Vanderbilt was supposed to play Northwestern next season, but the Commodores canceled that series, meaning the 2013 and 2014 games between the two schools won't be played. Vanderbilt also canceled next year's opener against Ohio State. Instead, the Commodores will host Ole Miss to open the 2013 season and are also scheduled to host Austin Peay, UAB and Wake Forest. Vandy will play UMass on the road on Sept. 28.
Here's the complete conference schedule for all 14 teams:
ATHENS, Ga. -- The SEC office released the conference’s 2013 football schedule Thursday afternoon, and while it is only a one-year setup -- the league hopes to develop a long-term scheduling system for 2014 and beyond -- it does address one of Bulldogs fans’ biggest gripes.
Every other season since 1996, Georgia has played Tennessee and Vanderbilt on consecutive weekends, playing both games in Athens one year and making trips to Knoxville and Nashville on back-to-back weekends the next season. In 2013, the midseason trips to Tennessee are broken up by an Oct. 12 home game against Missouri.
Perhaps the two most-discussed facets of the schedule will be how a scheduling quirk will bring the Bulldogs back to Auburn next year for back-to-back seasons, and that the South Carolina game, which before this season had been Georgia’s SEC opener every season since 1992, moves back to the front of the schedule.
"The 2013 schedule will obviously be very challenging,” UGA athletic director Greg McGarity said in a university release. “Our number one priority throughout this process was to protect our long-standing rivalry game against Auburn, and in order to keep this series intact, it necessitated a return to Auburn in 2013. We will start working on the 2014 rotating SEC schedule this Spring, and we can confirm that Auburn will be returning to Athens in 2014."
Let’s dig into some of the finer points of the Bulldogs’ new league slate:
Every other season since 1996, Georgia has played Tennessee and Vanderbilt on consecutive weekends, playing both games in Athens one year and making trips to Knoxville and Nashville on back-to-back weekends the next season. In 2013, the midseason trips to Tennessee are broken up by an Oct. 12 home game against Missouri.
Perhaps the two most-discussed facets of the schedule will be how a scheduling quirk will bring the Bulldogs back to Auburn next year for back-to-back seasons, and that the South Carolina game, which before this season had been Georgia’s SEC opener every season since 1992, moves back to the front of the schedule.
"The 2013 schedule will obviously be very challenging,” UGA athletic director Greg McGarity said in a university release. “Our number one priority throughout this process was to protect our long-standing rivalry game against Auburn, and in order to keep this series intact, it necessitated a return to Auburn in 2013. We will start working on the 2014 rotating SEC schedule this Spring, and we can confirm that Auburn will be returning to Athens in 2014."
Let’s dig into some of the finer points of the Bulldogs’ new league slate:
ATHENS, Ga. -- Away from the court, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope does not seem like the type of guy who would get overly excited about anything. But the soft-spoken sophomore and Georgia basketball coach Mark Fox admit that there were times in his Freshman All-SEC season where he simply was not under control.
“I think Kentavious is really naturally a very quiet, soft-spoken young man, but when the scoreboard turns on or when we start playing, his personality changes and he cares about winning, he cares about playing hard and sometimes we have to slow him down,” Fox said.
“I think looking back at last year, he had a lot of plays defensively where maybe he picked up a foul or two because he didn’t know how to control his motor, he was so aggressive.”
“I think Kentavious is really naturally a very quiet, soft-spoken young man, but when the scoreboard turns on or when we start playing, his personality changes and he cares about winning, he cares about playing hard and sometimes we have to slow him down,” Fox said.
“I think looking back at last year, he had a lot of plays defensively where maybe he picked up a foul or two because he didn’t know how to control his motor, he was so aggressive.”
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All-American safety Bacarri Rambo missed Georgia’s first four games of the season due to violating team rules. He suited up against Tennessee and South Carolina, playing with mixed results as he himself readily admits.
“I still left some plays out there on the field,” Rambo said. “I need to do better. I got a little rusty.”
That rust was most apparent in the second play of the game against the Gamecocks when he allowed what appeared to be a certain interception to be ripped from his arms by South Carolina’s Damiere Byrd.
“I still was [rusty] last week, but now I am over it,” Rambo said. “That is the thing about playing defensive back; you have to have amnesia. You have to forget about the goods and the bads.”
Rambo said he is looking forward to Kentucky and facing the Wildcats’ La’Rod King. His body just needs to catch up to his mind.
“I just feel like I am a little rusty, not mentally put physically,” Rambo said. “My timing is off but my mind is in the right place.”
Five storylines: Georgia vs. Kentucky
October, 18, 2012
10/18/12
7:00
AM ET
By
David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Saturday’s matchup between Georgia and Kentucky seems like a blowout in the making, but we’ve seen these circumstances before.
The 11th-ranked Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1 SEC) -- four-touchdown favorites over the Wildcats (1-6, 0-4) -- have been double-digit favorites against Kentucky several times in the last six seasons and haven’t always won comfortably. Take last season for example, when 30.5-point favorite Georgia trailed for most of the first half before squeaking by with a 19-10 win that clinched the SEC East title.
The injury-depleted Wildcats are once again big underdogs on Saturday, but Georgia is no certainty itself after a flat performance in its last game out -- a 35-7 loss to South Carolina two weekends ago.
The 11th-ranked Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1 SEC) -- four-touchdown favorites over the Wildcats (1-6, 0-4) -- have been double-digit favorites against Kentucky several times in the last six seasons and haven’t always won comfortably. Take last season for example, when 30.5-point favorite Georgia trailed for most of the first half before squeaking by with a 19-10 win that clinched the SEC East title.
The injury-depleted Wildcats are once again big underdogs on Saturday, but Georgia is no certainty itself after a flat performance in its last game out -- a 35-7 loss to South Carolina two weekends ago.
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Bobo: Recovering balance key for offense
October, 18, 2012
10/18/12
7:00
AM ET
By
David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Mike Bobo pinpoints one critical error as the difference between the Georgia offense that steamrolled opponents for the first five games and the one that lost its bite and nearly got shut out in the Bulldogs’ most recent game against South Carolina.
“We’ve got to stay more committed to the run,” said Bobo, Georgia’s offensive coordinator, who later added, “I did a poor job.”
The Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1 SEC) set a school record by scoring 40-plus points in each of their first five games, but produced only one garbage-time touchdown in a 35-7 loss against the Gamecocks two weekends ago.
“We’ve got to stay more committed to the run,” said Bobo, Georgia’s offensive coordinator, who later added, “I did a poor job.”
The Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1 SEC) set a school record by scoring 40-plus points in each of their first five games, but produced only one garbage-time touchdown in a 35-7 loss against the Gamecocks two weekends ago.
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Loganville (Ga.) Grayson senior Robert Nkemdiche is the No. 1 prospect in the ESPN 150 and considered one of the most talented defensive linemen to ever play in Georgia. As a highly sought-after recruit with offers from the likes of Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU and Oregon, Nkemdiche has agreed to chronicle his senior season and recruiting experience through a weekly diary with RecruitingNation.
Hey, what’s up everybody, this is Robert Nkemdiche. I play for Grayson High School, the defending AAAAA state champions, although this year we are in the new AAAAAA classification. We came into this season with national recognition and high expectations, but last month we lost a tough game to Parkview. That really served as a wake-up call and set us back on our path to the state championship.
Everything is going great for us right now. We are jelling and our coaches are doing a great job of keeping us focused for each game. Our offense is really starting to hit its stride and our defense has had back-to-back shutouts.
Hey, what’s up everybody, this is Robert Nkemdiche. I play for Grayson High School, the defending AAAAA state champions, although this year we are in the new AAAAAA classification. We came into this season with national recognition and high expectations, but last month we lost a tough game to Parkview. That really served as a wake-up call and set us back on our path to the state championship.
Everything is going great for us right now. We are jelling and our coaches are doing a great job of keeping us focused for each game. Our offense is really starting to hit its stride and our defense has had back-to-back shutouts.
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A recent decommitment has given Class of 2014 receiver Demarre Kitt (Tyrone, Ga./Sandy Creek) new freedom to explore his options and perhaps opened the door for USC to snag one of the top recruits in the Peach State.
"I just got off the phone with USC and they're saying how much they can use me," Kitt said Wednesday night. "They really want me, even with the scholarship limitations. It means a lot to me."
Kitt, who reopened his recruitment last week by decommitting from Georgia, has USC in his top three along with Clemson and Georgia. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound athlete gained interest in the Trojans while on a visit to campus this past summer.
"I just got off the phone with USC and they're saying how much they can use me," Kitt said Wednesday night. "They really want me, even with the scholarship limitations. It means a lot to me."
Kitt, who reopened his recruitment last week by decommitting from Georgia, has USC in his top three along with Clemson and Georgia. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound athlete gained interest in the Trojans while on a visit to campus this past summer.
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Jenkins could fill Jones' shoes again
October, 17, 2012
10/17/12
8:40
PM ET
By
David Ching | ESPN.com
ATHENS, Ga. -- Jordan Jenkins has played the Jarvis Jones role already this season, when the true freshman outside linebacker replaced
his injured All-American “big brother” in Georgia’s starting lineup against Florida Atlantic.
If Jenkins fills in for Jones -- who has not practiced since spraining an ankle in an Oct. 6 loss to South Carolina -- against Kentucky on Saturday, he already has a goal in mind.
his injured All-American “big brother” in Georgia’s starting lineup against Florida Atlantic.
If Jenkins fills in for Jones -- who has not practiced since spraining an ankle in an Oct. 6 loss to South Carolina -- against Kentucky on Saturday, he already has a goal in mind.
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Miss. State sees ATH Ashton Shumpert at TB
October, 17, 2012
10/17/12
4:11
PM ET
By
Dave Hooker | ESPN.com
Ashton Shumpert is being recruited to Mississippi State as a running back, the ESPN 300 prospect from Fulton (Miss.) Itawamba told ESPN via text message this week.
Shumpert, who could also play defensive back or linebacker in college, visited Starkville, Miss., last week to see the Bulldogs beat Tennessee. Shumpert has said he has no preference concerning his college position.
"I enjoyed it," said Shumpert, who noted a conversation with Mississippi State running backs coach Greg Knox as a highlight of the trip.
Shumpert has also recently visited Ole Miss and Georgia, who he has said he grew up rooting for.
Shumpert, who could also play defensive back or linebacker in college, visited Starkville, Miss., last week to see the Bulldogs beat Tennessee. Shumpert has said he has no preference concerning his college position.
"I enjoyed it," said Shumpert, who noted a conversation with Mississippi State running backs coach Greg Knox as a highlight of the trip.
Shumpert has also recently visited Ole Miss and Georgia, who he has said he grew up rooting for.
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Big 3: Bulldogs focused on staying in race
October, 17, 2012
10/17/12
2:46
PM ET
By
David Ching | ESPN.com
Georgia coach Mark Richt used his time on the SEC’s weekly teleconference Wednesday to discuss how the Bulldogs addressed their defensive communication issues during the bye week, the increasing parity within the SEC East and how Georgia hopes to keep itself in the race to defend its division title.
1. Cut back on big plays
Richt said the Bulldogs held a full-contact practice last Wednesday, as they would during spring workouts, so they could work on fundamental tackling skills. The open date also allowed the coaches and players to address the communication issues that have occurred in the secondary -- the culprit in many of the big plays the Bulldogs surrendered in the first half of the season.
1. Cut back on big plays
Richt said the Bulldogs held a full-contact practice last Wednesday, as they would during spring workouts, so they could work on fundamental tackling skills. The open date also allowed the coaches and players to address the communication issues that have occurred in the secondary -- the culprit in many of the big plays the Bulldogs surrendered in the first half of the season.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
David Ching
David Ching came to ESPN.com in 2011 after six years covering UGA for the Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer and Athens (Ga.) Banner-Herald. He lives in Athens. Email him at davidchingespn@gmail.com.
Radi Nabulsi
Radi Nabulsi joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering the University of Georgia for Rivals.com for four years and for the UGA Athletic Association since 1993. Nabulsi is a graduate of the University of Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and lives in Athens. He can be reached at radinabulsiespn@gmail.com.
Kipp Adams
Kipp Adams joined ESPN.com in 2011 after covering University of Georgia football and basketball recruiting for five years at Rivals.com. He lives in Sandy Springs, Ga., and enjoys spending time with his two sons. He can be reached at kippadamsespn@gmail.com.