Comments (0) | |

Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009

King questionable for opener

ATHENS — When it happened, Mark Richt called it a seven- to 10-day injury, but 17 days after his last practice, Caleb King still isn’t close to returning to work and could be in danger of missing Georgia’s first game of the season against Oklahoma State.

Richt said he watched King run the sidelines during practice Friday but couldn’t speculate as to when the sophomore tailback might be healthy enough to return from a sore hamstring that has sidelined him for the majority of the preseason and kept him out of the competition for the starting tailback job that now appears to belong to Richard Samuel.

“You just can’t predict hamstrings,” Richt said. “We’re hopeful that he’s ready to practice early next week, but I don’t know how he’s going to feel.”

Georgia has just three full-contact practices left before departing for Oklahoma State, which means the pressure is on for King to prove he’s healthy enough to play in the game.

Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said King would likely need to fully participate in a practice no later than Tuesday if the tailback was going to be part of Georgia’s game plan against the Cowboys.

“I don’t have a definite time line because you never know what’s going to happen with your other guys, but Monday and Tuesday are going to be the bulk of the work days next week,” Bobo said. “I’d definitely like to have him out there Monday, and Tuesday at the latest.”

Georgia is likely to bring only about 70 players to Stillwater, Okla., for the game, making each seat on the plane a valuable one, Richt said. Whether one of those seats belongs to King or not will ultimately be decided by the potential impact the coaches feel he can have in the game.

“We’re not taking anybody on the plane unless we think they can play in that game and help us win,” Richt said. “So if we don’t think he has any chance of playing, he won’t go. If we think he’s got a chance of playing, he’ll be on the plane, and if we need him, we’ll put him in.”

WALK-ON MOVES UP

With King potentially out of the lineup, former Dodge County tailback Kalvin Daniels has worked his way up to the No. 3 spot on Georgia’s tailback depth chart.

“Kalvin’s done a really fine job,” Richt said. “He had a good spring, he’s had a good fall, and he’s really done an outstanding job. Right now he would be our No. 3 if Caleb is not capable to go.”

Samuel and redshirt freshman Carlton Thomas are likely to be Georgia’s top two runners against Oklahoma State. Freshman Washaun Ealey was also in the mix for carries this preseason, but a hyperextended elbow hindered his progress, and at this point he’s not in line to see much action.

“I talked to Washaun (Friday) about keep banging, keep competing,” Richt said. “Sometimes kids will look at that depth chart and think you have no chance, but two weeks later, you might be it. I just wanted to remind him that don’t count yourself out because things can change in a hurry.”

Despite the advice, Richt said he won’t burn a potential redshirt for Ealey simply to allow the tailback to work on special teams in Week 1.

DAVIS SPRAINS ANKLE

After Ben Jones went down with a sprained ankle last week, junior Chris Davis moved over to handle reps at center for the Bulldogs’ offensive line, but that plan hit a speed bump this week, too.

Davis suffered an ankle sprain, too, and was wearing a protective boot for practice Friday. Richt said Davis was day-to-day and said the lineman could return to work Monday.

“He may do scout team only Monday, but that’s how we phase guys in off an injury like that,” Richt said. “We think he’ll be ready.”

Jones didn’t practice again Friday, but he was jogging the sidelines and appeared to be moving well.

Still, with two projected starters missing time, Bobo said finding continuity on the offensive line remained a concern as Georgia readies for the season opener.

“Guys have got to practice together, make calls together and be on the same page,” Bobo said. “The only positive is that the guys who are out there do have experience. But getting those guys healthy and getting them ready to play in the first game is definitely a concern.”

UNLIKELY APPEARANCE

Bobo isn’t expecting a runaway victory for the Bulldogs in Stillwater, but even if Georgia’s up big in the fourth quarter, he said fans shouldn’t expect to get an early look at either of the team’s freshman quarterbacks.

Zach Mettenberger and Aaron Murray were both hoping to land the No. 2 spot on the depth chart during the preseason, but that hasn’t happened so far, and Bobo isn’t going to risk burning a redshirt for either player to get them a few snaps in mop-up duty.

“We still have a few more days of practice before we finalize that decision,” Bobo said, “but right now neither one of them would play.”

FIGGINS STAYS FOCUSED

Thanks to a suspension, junior Bruce Figgins won’t see the field until Week 7 against Vanderbilt at the earliest, but his coach, John Lilly, said that hasn’t altered the tight end’s mind-set this preseason.

“I’ve been really proud of Bruce,” Lilly said. “I think he’s worked extremely hard and tried to help the young guys along, which shows a lot of maturity on his part. I think he’s responded very well at this stage, but now here comes the tough part because the games start being played, and I know that’s going to be difficult for him.”

Figgins earned a six-game suspension for an unnamed violation of team rules in April, but he’s also working his way back from offseason shoulder surgery that held him out of spring practice. Lilly said Figgins still isn’t 100 percent, and there’s a chance the team could decide to redshirt the tight end for the entire season.

“We’re preparing him to be ready to go when that time comes, but with some injuries and trying to rehab his shoulder and things like that, if they’re not responding well, that still could become a concern down the line,” Lilly said. “Right now, he’s mentally preparing to play and we’re trying to have him physically ready to play.”