Richt happy with Georgia's 1st scrimmage of spring

Georgia football coach Mark Richt was very pleased with Saturday's inaugural spring scrimmage at Sanford Stadium but elected not to keep statistics. The 90-minute workout was closed to the media.

"I thought today was outstanding, really outstanding, in regards to the guys playing with a lot of energy," Richt said. "There were some really nice plays on both sides of the ball."

Richt cited the play of tight end Orson Charles and receiver Michael Bennett and said quarterback Aaron Murray had a couple of nice throws to receiver Marlon Brown, including a touchdown pass on a fade route. He also praised walk-on tailback Brandon Harton, a 5-foot-6, 167-pound sophomore from Reidsville who he said had a 65-yard run.

Tailbacks Washaun Ealey and Carlton Thomas sat out the scrimmage with hamstring injuries, leaving senior Caleb King with the bulk of the first-team carries.

"Caleb has been practicing very well," Richt said. "He's been practicing with a great focus and a physical attitude, and he seems to be in very good condition when he makes a run."

Murray was happy with how the offense performed, but Richt also gave high marks to outside linebacker Jarvis Jones, cornerback Brandon Boykin and noseguard Kwame Geathers. The scrimmage ended with a series of goal-line stands, which Richt said ended in a tie, but a tiebreaker was added and it went to the defense.

"Our defense is light years ahead of where we were a year ago as far as knowing what to do," Richt said. "I thought Kwame had some nice plays out there. Going against a guy like Ben Jones is not an easy task, and Kwame handled it well today."

Richt did not believe there were any injuries of note during the scrimmage. The Bulldogs will resume practicing Tuesday, and Richt said Ealey could return by the end of the week.

Saturday marked the eighth of 15 spring workouts allotted by the NCAA.

"I think things are going well," Richt said. "The thing I like the most is their mental edge of wanting to play physical and wanting to play hard."

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