As Georgia goes through its final week of spring football practice, the early enrollee making the most headway is center Ben Jones.
The 6-foot-2, 306-pound freshman from Centreville, Ala., is currently second on the depth chart behind Chris Davis. Should Jones supplant Davis or at least gain equal footing, it could allow Davis to move back to guard, where he started all 13 games last season.
“Ben has not surpassed Chris, but you see the elements of toughness, of learning what to do, competing every play and concentration level,” Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said following Monday’s practice. “You can see he’s coming, and whether it’s fast enough to start in the fall, I don’t know, but I wouldn’t put it past him.
“He’s definitely going to be in the competition.”
Also drawing praise was Justin Anderson, who has been working as the starting right guard since Clint Boling was sidelined by mononucleosis. Richt called the 6-5, 328-pound Anderson “the quickest guy we’ve got off the football.”
Starting defensive tackle Jeff Owens suffered a dislocated shoulder in last Friday’s scrimmage and is done for the spring. He started all 13 games last season, totaling 27 tackles and four for lost yardage.
“By June, he’ll be up and running full speed,” Richt said. “It will be about a month in a sling and a month of rehab.”
Saturday’s G-Day game at Sanford Stadium will kick off at 2 p.m. and will be televised by CSS.
“It’s like a game day, so we’ll be excited to go out there and compete and at the same time have fun,” tailback Knowshon Moreno said. “I think a lot of people will be watching, and I think it will be a fun time.”
Moreno and quarterback Matthew Stafford are not expected to be playing by the start of the second quarter. The team’s top two receivers, Mohamed Massaquoi and Kenneth Harris, are questionable for G-Day with neck and ankle injuries.
Tickets cost $5 for adults and $3 for children.
Odds and ends
After showing frustration over the extra-point, field-goal and punt protection last Friday, Richt said all three areas showed great improvement Monday. ... If the season started today, Georgia’s kicker would be freshman walk-on Andrew Jenson. ... Richt said third-string quarterback Logan Gray, who briefly worked some at receiver earlier this spring, is becoming much more comfortable in the pocket. ... Cornerback Asher Allen and middle linebacker Dannell Ellerbe continue to perform well defensively.
David Paschall is a sports writer for the Times Free Press. He started at the Chattanooga Free Press in 1990 and was part of the Times Free Press when the paper started in 1999. David covers University of Georgia football, as well as SEC football recruiting, SEC basketball, Chattanooga Lookouts baseball and other sports stories. He is a Chattanooga native and graduate of the Baylor School and Auburn University. David has received numerous honors for ...
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