Georgia seeks Gurley reinstatement

photo Georgia junior tailback Todd Gurley rushed 25 times for 163 yards in a 44-17 win over Vanderbilt on Oct. 4, which is the last time he suited up for the Bulldogs.

The University of Georgia announced Wednesday that junior tailback Todd Gurley has requested reinstatement to the team and that he has the support of the school.

Georgia filed paperwork with the NCAA with hopes of restoring the eligibility of Gurley, who was suspended Oct. 9 amid reports he violated NCAA rules by receiving payment for signed memorabilia. Despite missing the Bulldogs' last two games against Missouri and Arkansas, the 6-foot-1, 232-pounder from Tarboro, N.C., still leads the Southeastern Conference with 773 rushing yards and a staggering 8.2 yards per carry.

The No. 9 Bulldogs are off this Saturday before traveling to Jacksonville next week for their annual showdown against Florida.

"We can't control the NCAA and when they give us information, but we're hoping we find out as soon as possible," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. "We would like to know if Todd is going to be able to play against Florida. We would like to know that early enough to prepare for that, so we're hoping for a relatively quick turnaround here, but I have no idea how long it will take."

In a release Wednesday morning, Georgia revealed that it had completed its initial review of Gurley's eligibility. The release also contained an apology from Gurley, who was the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy at the time of his suspension.

"I want to thank the university, coaches, teammates, and the Bulldog Nation for their patience and support," Gurley said. "I take full responsibility for the mistakes I made, and I can't thank the university, my coaches and my teammates enough for supporting me throughout this process. I'm looking forward to getting back on the field with my teammates."

William King, Gurley's attorney, credited the star tailback for taking responsibility and thanked Richt as well as athletic director Greg McGarity and university president Jere Morehead for sticking by his client. There was a recent report of internal squabbling within the university in terms of how the investigation was being handled, but Richt said he was pleased with how it progressed.

"I think all parties were satisfied with how everything went," he said. "We wanted be thorough, and we wanted to do things on Todd's timing, too. We just wanted to make sure that when we presented something that it was correct and not rushed."

Richt said Georgia's game plan next week would not be altered whether the starting tailback is Gurley or freshman Nick Chubb, who has rushed 68 times for 345 yards the past two weeks. The impending dilemma, he added, was how many reps to give Gurley in practice next week if his status remains undetermined.

Florida coach Will Muschamp is hoping Gurley will play, saying Wednesday that his Gators (3-3, 2-3 SEC) want to play the Bulldogs (6-1, 4-1) at their best.

"Certainly Todd is one of the best players in the country," Muschamp said, "and he'll be fresh, I would imagine."

Muschamp announced that freshman quarterback Treon Harris will make his first career start next week, replacing beleaguered redshirt junior Jeff Driskel. Harris rallied the Gators to a 10-9 win at Tennessee on Oct. 4, but he missed the next week's game against LSU due to a rape accusation that was later dropped.

Harris led the Gators to a pair of late scoring drives in last week's 42-13 embarrassing loss to visiting Missouri.

"Treon has a knack for making plays and making some good things happen for our football team," Muschamp said. "We've struggled with production at the quarterback position, and that's been an issue for us. He's got a much better understanding as we continue to move forward, and we've got an open week now where he's getting a bunch of reps.

"Jeff is still going to have a role on our team as a quarterback, but we felt this was the best move moving forward."

Odds and ends

Richt said after Georgia's 90-minute practice Wednesday that Gurley was given the option to practice Oct. 9 but decided against it so he wouldn't be a distraction. ... Richt admitted that he knew Gurley had no chance of playing against Missouri and Arkansas but now says he is in the dark along with everyone else. ... When asked if junior tailback Keith Marshall would be available for next week's game, Richt said he was "not real optimistic."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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