ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia’s football team resumed spring practice Monday, but middle linebacker Marcus Washington was relegated to watching.
Washington injured his left shoulder March 7, the final practice before spring break, and will undergo surgery that he said will take six months of recovery time. The 6-foot, 250-pounder from Keysville said he will likely redshirt, something he hasn’t done since signing in 2005.
“Coming in, I’m thinking this is my last year, and you get emotionally tied to that,” Washington said. “Now I’ve got to sit out a whole another year.”
A six-game starter last season, Washington had 40 tackles with 2.5 sacks. He missed two games when the same shoulder popped out against Ole Miss, and he was replaced down the stretch by Dannell Ellerbe.
Washington had eight tackles and a sack in last year’s win at Alabama and six tackles and a sack in the win over Florida.
“It’s a big blow,” defensive coordinator Willie Martinez said. “Marcus is a very smart player, smart and tough, and any time you get an experienced guy like that out of your lineup, it hurts you from a standpoint of resting guys. You need as many guys as you can throughout the year.
“We proved last year that the more guys we can play, the better it is for us down the stretch.”
Akeem Dent, Darryl Gamble and Darius Dewberry are expected to get practice time behind Ellerbe leading up to the G-Day game April 5. Dent is the strongside starter, but that position is being used less and less as defenses counter the increasing number of spread offenses with five defensive backs.
“We’ll have enough guys who can play inside,” head coach Mark Richt said.
Breaking down
Richt admitted he got a bit emotional when Georgia clinched the SEC basketball tournament Sunday with a 66-57 defeat of Arkansas.
“I just started crying when it was happening,” he said. “It was awesome. I was so happy for the players, so happy for the coaches, so happy for Georgia and so happy for the fans. Just to see history being made like that was pretty spectacular.
“That was a very special thing that happened, and I think when people look back on it, they’ll see it as the defining moment in Georgia basketball.”
Odds and ends
Georgia’s defense continues to dominate practices, Richt said. ... Redshirt freshman receiver Israel Troupe will be allowed to play baseball after the G-Day game. ... Richt said he may use Knowshon Moreno more in practices this spring if it will help the younger backs learn how to finish runs. ... Third-string quarterback Logan Gray (foot) practiced but was limited. ... Most of Georgia’s staff spent last week on a cruise that started in Puerto Rico.
Georgia photo
Georgia middle linebacker Marcus Washington, a six-game starter last year, likely will miss the 2008 season with a shoulder injury.
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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