ATHENS, Ga. – Georgia sophomore inside linebacker Christian Robinson will make his first start against a Southeastern Conference opponent Saturday when the Bulldogs visit South Carolina, but his father may be in for the tougher afternoon.
Ken Robinson played linebacker for the Gamecocks in 1982-83 and 1985-86 and ranks seventh in program history with 340 career tackles.
“I guess, in his mind, he’d wish that I would have a great game and somehow it not work out for Georgia,” Robinson said Tuesday. “That sounds sick, but I know he wants the best for me. If I do well, he’ll be happy at the end of the game.”
Robinson collected three tackles during last Saturday’s 55-7 defeat of Louisiana-Monroe after compiling 19 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss last season as a redshirt freshman. He previously played at Greater Atlanta Christian, where his father was a defensive assistant from 2002 to ’07 and the head coach in 2008-09.
Starting Bulldogs tailback Caleb King also played at GAC.
“When I got redshirted my freshman year, my dad said that was the last year he could cheer for Carolina,” Robinson said. “It’s definitely been something where you don’t want to be on the short end. He actually said he would be 100 percent for me.”
Toeing the line
Seven players scored touchdowns for the Bulldogs last Saturday, which had not occurred since a 70-6 win over Louisiana-Monroe (then Northeast Louisiana) in 1994. Aaron Murray threw for three scores and the defense collected three interceptions, but coach Mark Richt wasn’t thrilled with the same starting offensive line that ended last season.
Tackles Clint Boling and Josh Davis had false starts on consecutive plays in the second quarter, and Georgia’s average of 5 yards per carry was enhanced by Branden Smith’s 17-yard reverse and Murray’s scrambles of 21 and 16 yards.
“Hopefully those were just some first-game jitters that we got out of our system last week,” center Ben Jones said. “Clint Boling is a veteran, and he was just probably trying to get a jump on the snap.”
Said Richt: “We will be sharper than we were Saturday as the season progresses. I’m confident of that because I’ve seen them be sharper.”
Odds and ends
Reports surfaced Tuesday stating that junior receiver A.J. Green’s troubles with the NCAA have stemmed from him selling a jersey for $1,000 to a private collector. Those reports claimed he had paid back the money and would play Saturday, but offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said after practice that he had not heard any decision regarding Green’s status. … South Carolina senior tight end Weslye Saunders, who had the best game of his career last year at Georgia with eight receptions for 96 yards, was suspended for last week’s opener and has not been cleared. … The Bulldogs are 33-6 in opponents’ stadiums under Richt, including a 4-0 mark in Columbia.