Georgia running back Todd Gurley (3) hurdles Tennessee defensive back Brian Randolph as he runs for a first down Saturday in Athens, Ga.BULLDOGS GLANCE• No. 13 Georgia (3-1, 1-1 SEC) vs. Vanderbilt (1-4, 0-3)• Sanford Stadium• Saturday, 4 p.m.• SEC Network & 102.3 FM
Junior tailback Todd Gurley is Georgia's most prominent Heisman Trophy candidate in two decades and headlines the Bulldogs every time they take the field, but the attention he is receiving is not having a negative effect within the locker room.
"People who have known him from day one will just say he's Todd," senior center David Andrews said after last week's win over Tennessee. "He's a great teammate and a great guy, and we're blessed to have him back there."
Said senior receiver Michael Bennett: "He's obviously just a phenomenal back who leads by the way he plays. I think people are finally starting to see the kind of leader he really is."
Bennett and Andrews arrived in Athens before Gurley, as did senior quarterback Hutson Mason, and they all readily admit that Gurley is expressing himself more verbally this season. Former quarterback Aaron Murray, who rewrote several Southeastern Conference career passing records during his four seasons as the starter, was the offensive leader in Gurley's first two years.
"Before, he might have been a little immature," Bennett said. "He was more about, 'I'm just going to play. I'm not going to say much.' Now he gets in our ears and we respond to him, because he's the best player in the country."
No punishment
Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said in Tuesday's news conference that Gurley will not face any disciplinary action for being in a downtown bar early Sunday morning. Gurley was falsely accused of assaulting another Georgia student, but video surveillance showed the student being hit by a white male.
Georgia players for years have been discouraged from being downtown late at night during the season.
"I'm not going to tell you the rules we have because people will say we didn't handle the rules right," Richt said. "He's not going to have anything punitive on him. He definitely gets who he is in the public eye and everything, and I think he is being responsible."
Dealing with Sims
Kicking deep to Vanderbilt's Darrius Sims can come with a price. The sophomore cornerback had a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the Sept. 20 game against South Carolina and added a 100-yard return in the third quarter against the Gamecocks.
"Those are huge momentum plays," Richt said. "Do we want to kick it deep to a guy and to a team that has proven it can put a hat on everybody and create a seam and let a guy in about eight seconds change the dynamic of a game? You have to make some of those decisions going into the game.
"There are some times where if the wind is at our back, we might try to knock it out, and if it's in our face, we might not do it. Sims is a special player and a guy we've got to get an answer for."
'Trying to be perfect'
Mason threw his first two interceptions of the season in Saturday's escape of Tennessee, and he threw for just 25 second-half yards to wind up with 147.
"I think he's probably trying to be perfect," Richt said. "There are a couple of times when you've just got to cut the ball loose. I think there have been a couple of times he's held the ball when it wasn't as clean as maybe he wanted to be, but it's not always clean.
"We want separation and we want a quarterback to see that it's coming open, but there are some times you've got to throw to tight windows or lay it out there deep. Give our guy the best shot at the ball is all we're asking."
Richt was asked about backup Brice Ramsey and said the coaches have not discussed working the redshirt freshman into games.
Odds and ends
Richt reiterated that redshirt junior receivers Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley are set to play this week but said senior receiver Jonathon Rumph (hamstring) is doubtful. ... The Bulldogs practiced Tuesday for two hours in full pads. ... Georgia is 73-17-2 in homecoming games and has won seven straight since a 2006 loss to Vanderbilt. ... Vandy coach Derek Mason: "You can't let Gurley beat you. You've got to let the quarterback beat you."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.