Georgia Bulldogs

ATHENS, Ga. -- Marshall Morgan experienced another couple of hilly points on his rollercoaster ride as Georgia’s place-kicker last Saturday.

In the Bulldogs’ 51-44 win against Tennessee, the freshman’s problems with extra points continued -- he failed on one attempt after banking it off the left upright, having already chipped three successful PATs off the left upright in previous games, plus Tennessee’s Daniel McCullers blocked another PAT try -- and yet he also contributed one of the biggest momentum-shifting plays of the game.

Morgan’s 50-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer helped Georgia tie the score at 30-30, helping the Bulldogs right the ship after a dismal second quarter eliminated a big early advantage.

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VANDERBILT AT NO. 5 GEORGIA
Saturday, 7:45 p.m. ET
Sanford Stadium/Athens, Ga.
ESPN2
Records: Georgia 3-0 (1-0 SEC), Vanderbilt 1-2 (0-1)

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Editor’s note: With Georgia set to open preseason camp on Thursday, DawgNation will break down each position group and the storylines to watch in August. After examining Georgia’s offensive and defensive position groups, we complete the series today with the Bulldogs’ special teams units.

Perhaps no area on Georgia’s roster is more unsettled than its special teams units as preseason practice approaches.

The Bulldogs lost a Ray Guy Award winner in punter Drew Butler, a record-setting Lou Groza Award finalist in kicker Blair Walsh and the 2011 Paul Hornung Award winner -- a prize given to the nation’s most versatile player -- to Brandon Boykin, who handled the majority of kickoff and punt returns last season.

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Seventy-seven days remain until Georgia kicks off its season opener against Buffalo on Sept. 1. In the days counting down to the opener, DawgNation will profile, with our “Around the Hedges in 80 Days” series, a Bulldogs player we expect to make an impact. We will review each player’s career thus far and project his long-term potential as we progress through our alphabetical list, from center David Andrews to receiver Rantavious Wooten.

77. Collin Barber
Freshman, Punter
6-2, 191 pounds

Fall forecast: Nothing is guaranteed yet, but Georgia’s coaching staff recruited Barber to be the Bulldogs’ starting punter for the next four years. He just arrived on campus last week, so he still must prove he deserves the job over incumbent walk-ons like Adam Erickson -- who completed spring practice as the starting punter -- and Scott Eichler.

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To get ready for the start of Georgia’s spring football practice today, DawgNation will do a position breakdown each day and feature a player to watch in that personnel group. Today we look at special teams and walk-on kickers Jamie Lindley, Scott Eichler and Adam Erickson.

ATHENS, Ga. -- Georgia signed punter Collin Barber and kicker Marshall Morgan to immediately step in and replace departed seniors Drew Butler and Blair Walsh -- two of the best ever to play the kicking positions at Georgia.

That hardly means that plan is set in stone, however. Just ask Butler.

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ATHENS, Ga. -- Drew Butler is not afraid to say what he wants.

The former Georgia punter knows history dictates that few players at his position are selected in the NFL draft, but it is important to Butler that he become a drafted player.

“I think I’ve worked extremely hard throughout the past four years to become a draft-able choice,” Butler said, “and I think I’ve worked extremely hard throughout this entire evaluation process to be considered the top punter in the draft and to be that first punter taken off the board.”

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Georgia running back Isaiah Crowell, who rushed for 847 yards despite missing time with injuries and disciplinary issues, was named the SEC Freshman of the Year on Monday by the Associated Press -- making him one of eight Bulldogs to receive an All-SEC designation.

Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, who leads the conference with 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, was a unanimous selection, while offensive lineman Cordy Glenn, tight end Orson Charles and safety Bacarri Rambo also made the first team.

Center Ben Jones and quarterback Aaron Murray were second-team selections and punter Drew Butler earned an honorable mention.

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Punter Drew Butler’s ties to Larry Munson run deeper than those of most Georgia players.

Not only was Butler’s father Kevin a participant in one of the beloved Munson’s most famous calls as Georgia’s radio play-by-play announcer, Drew is one of the second-generation Bulldogs to have been a member of the team during Munson’s 42 years behind the mike.

Munson died Sunday night at age 89 of complications from pneumonia.

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University of Georgia players and coaches know that the annual showdown with Florida often determines who will win the SEC East division. This season is no different. So what are they saying about the game and their lack of success in past contests?

"I don’t think it is mental. Every year it is a new team. Players graduate – there are freshman starters on both teams – so it is a whole new thing. I don’t think mentally we are intimidated or, 'Oh, they've got our number.' We just haven’t been as lucky as them and sometimes they just beat us and we are not playing our best game." -- quarterback Aaron Murray

"We have got to win. The season has pretty much come down to one game. It has been that way for the past couple weeks, but this is it. Our seniors know that, our coaches know, and I think our team knows that as well. We have to bring it this week." -- punter Drew Butler

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