ATHENS, Ga. – The midseason numbers of Georgia’s top returning playmakers from last year are troubling:
Junior tailback Caleb King has 228 yards on 44 carries and a two-game suspension for missing a court date to address a speeding ticket.
Sophomore tailback Washaun Ealey has 246 yards on 60 carries and a one-game suspension for hit-and-run of a parked vehicle and driving on a suspended license.
Junior receiver A.J. Green has 215 yards on 13 catches and a four-game suspension for violating NCAA rules by selling his Independence Bowl jersey for $1,000.
And sophomore receiver Tavarres King has 257 yards on 13 catches and a one-game suspension for underage possession of alcohol.
If there is a silver lining to the melee that has been Georgia’s 2-4 season, it’s that most of these suspensions have been served. Caleb King’s is the exception, as he received his punishment Tuesday following Monday’s arrest for failing to appear for a Aug. 6 court date in Walton County.
“It’s hard to have great continuity week by week if a young man has done something to keep himself from being on the field,” coach Mark Richt said. “It’s our job to deal with those things and not let them take away from preparation or the focus of the team. It’s something I would prefer not to have to manage, but we’ve been managing it.
“This week, I don’t think there is any doubt our guys will be focusing on Vanderbilt.”
Off-the-field problems have been common for the Bulldogs in recent seasons, but this year has been unique considering who has faltered. Ealey and Caleb King were Georgia’s top two rushers last season with 717 and 594 yards, respectively, while Green and Tavarres King were the top two receivers with 808 and 377 yards.
The Bulldogs have scored 68 points the past two weeks when all four players were available, but they won’t be together again until the Oct. 30 game against Florida.
“Enough has happened that I think the team is tired of it,” quarterback Aaron Murray said. “The coaching staff is, and I think the athletic director is and everybody else associated with the University of Georgia. We’ve definitely seen too much of everything that’s going on.”
The fact Caleb King’s punishment for missing a court date is stiffer than Ealey’s for hit-and-run is a reflection of a tougher standard now within the program, Richt said. The coach added that he has met with new athletic director Greg McGarity to discuss recent incidents and how they may be better addressed in the future.
One measure taken is checking the license of every player each week instead of each month.
“The student-athlete has got to take the responsibility,” Richt said. “Georgia is not going to take care of their traffic violations. They have to. Now, we can get involved in helping them make sure it gets done, but we are not doing it for them.”
Had Georgia’s players behaved better from the start, might the Bulldogs have loftier aspirations than trying to reach 3-4?
“You can’t go back and say, ‘What if, what if, what if,'” Murray said. “We felt we had opportunities in all four games with the people we had. We just didn’t play complete games.”
Said Tavarres King: “People are going to stumble here and there. I’m not sure, but I definitely think that things would be different.”