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♦ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2006
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ENI/(#ary Harmon
Sob Davidson lines up his shot at the opening day of shuffle board competion during
the Golden Olympics held this past week. The competition was held at the Mclntyre
Room at the Rec Department in Warner Robins.
—’ I—
Susan Hubbard shoots for her first score.
Joe T. will start against Tennessee
ATHENS - As Georgia
senior Joe Tereshinski
worked to fast track his
return from a high ankle
sprain, coach Mark Richt
spotted him in the training
room one day rehabbing and
offered him a pat on the
back for encouragement.
Richt on Tuesday gave
Tereshinski something
that he really wanted. He
announced that, barring a
setback, Tereshinski will
return as starting quarter
back on Saturday against
No. 13 Tennessee.
“We need some more lead
ership on offense,” Richt
said. “Our quarterbacks, for
being young, have handled
things pretty well. To be that
confident leader, it’s tough
to do that when you’re really
just feeling your way. Joe is
very confident and knows
exactly what to do and guys
will respond to his leader
ship I’m sure.”
Freshman Matthew
Stafford, who started
the first two games in
Tereshinski’s absence before
redshirt freshman Joe Cox
got a start, will be the back
up.
Richt hopes Stafford can
play a first-half series.
Georgia has slipped to
89th in the nation in scoring
offense and 90th in pass
ing offense after Tereshinski
was sidelined the last three
games
“Joe T is not going to come
in and rescue them with his
physical abilities, but I think
maybe his personality and
temperament will be a bene
fit,” said ESPN analyst Todd
Blackledge, who will work
Saturday’s game.
Georgia may “rally
around,” Tereshinski’s
leadership and steady play,
Blackledge said.
Richt needed only
Monday’s practice to make
his decision.
“He moved well,” Richt
said. “That was the thing
I was looking at the most.
You’d think he might be a
little rusty with his passing
accuracy but he was very
accurate, very sharp, very
focused. He was very busi
ness-like.”
Richt sticking with
Massaquoi
A group of Georgia receiv
ers had wrapped up their
postpractice work catch
ing high-speed balls from
the JUGS machine Monday
evening, but Mohamed
Massaquoi lingered.
“You’re here for a reason,”
Massaquoi
said. “You
just work
harder and
come back
next week
and hope
for better
results.”
Ayearago,
Massaquoi
made it look
so easy as a
NOTEBOOK
By MARC
WEISZER
Morris News
Service
freshman when he led all
Georgia receivers with 38
catches for 505 yards and
caught two touchdowns.
One of the most sure
handed receivers last sea
son, Massaquoi has strug
gled with drops this season.
He had two against Colorado
and at least one against Ole
Miss, but Richt isn’t giving
up on Massaquoi, who has
five catches for 70 yards.
“We’re putting Mohamed
as our No. 1 receiver,” Richt
said. “We think Mo has had a
couple of bumps in the road
for Mo. That’s the one thing
that separated Mohamed
from everybody last year is
he would snatch that ball.
He’s had more than a couple
of drops, but we think he
gives us the best chance.”
Massaquoi said remaining
a starter keeps his confi
dence up.
“A player like me, my
teammates are depending
on me and you thrive off of
that,” he said. “There are so
many guys out here working
for you, you want to repay
the favor.”
Massaquoi is not tossing
and turning at night trying
to figure out what’s gone
wrong.
“You really can’t do
that,” Massaquoi said.
“You’ll just beat yourself
Golden shuffle
ENI/Oary Harmon
to death.” Richt estimated
that Georgia dropped at
least five passes against Ole
Miss. By Georgia’s count,
the Bulldogs have 14 drops
this year.
“We just have to get our
comfort level back and get
back to doing what we’re
used to doing, having fun,”
Massaquoi said.
Georgia zeroes in on
another top rusher
Tennessee redshirt fresh
man LaMarcus Coker
rushed for 125 yards against
Memphis, his second straight
100-yard game.
That could be bad news on
the heels of Ole Miss junior
tailback BenJarvus Green-
Ellis rushing for a career
high 135 rushing yards on
24 carries against Georgia.
A good chunk of those
yards came on runs up
the middle, where Danny
Verdun Wheeler was filling
in for Jarvis Jackson, who
was slowed by a foot injury.
“I think Danny Verdun
understood what to do
pretty much, but when it
came to the moment of
truth, the human equation
- linebacker versus running
back - we didn’t knock him
back, he knocked us back,”
Richt said. Linebackers
coach John Jancek said
that Jackson “looked pret
ty crisp,” Tuesday as the
starting middle linebacker.
Verdun Wheeler, now on the
second team, said he missed
too many tackles.
“If we play like we did last
week, it’s going to be ugly
for us,” defensive tackle Ray
Gant said.
This and that
Offensive tackle Michael
Turner, who has missed the
past three games with an
ankle injury, was held out of
11-on-ll drills Tuesday but
worked against the scout
team. If he doesn’t suffer any
setbacks, Richt said Georgia
could use a three-tackle rota
tion Saturday. Saturday’s
game is tentatively set for
7:52 p.m. but could start as
late at 7:57 p.m. depending
on the preceding Michigan
State-Michigan game.
SPORTS
p- - —rrrjt
Jan Collier lets her first shot go.
Chi Chi O’Leary lines up her first shot.
Pollsters rankle Georgia Tech
ATLANTA - Georgia Tech
football coach Chan Gailey
has been known to poke
fun at media members over
polls, projected finishes and
preseason awards.
“I don’t have much confi
dence in what you all think,”
Gailey said in August after
his team was picked to fin
ish third in the Atlantic
Coast Conference’s Coastal
Division.
Yet the sportswriters were
the only pollsters to rank
Gailey’s Yellow Jackets
ahead of the team they just
beat, Virginia Tech, in this
week’s national rankings.
The Jackets went on the
road and decisively defeat
ed Virginia Tech, 38-27, on
Saturday. Georgia Tech is
No. 18 in The Associated
Press poll, three spots
ahead of the Hokies.
The coaches, meanwhile,
have Georgia Tech two plac
es behind Virginia Tech in
their top-25 and the voters
in the Harris Poll put the
Hokies one spot in front.
Harris voters include media
members and former coach
es, administrators and play
ers. The Harris Poll and the
coaches rankings are used
in the formula that produc
es the Bowl Championship
Series standings. The BCS
Perry High School
Football ittM)
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standings play a role in
determining bowl slots.
“The only comment I can
make is one that will get me
in trouble,” said Gailey of
the situation.
Gailey refused to credit
AP voters for their collective
intelligence. Asked Tuesday
if sportswriters might be
smart voters after all, the
coach offered no comment
while trying - and failing
- to suppress a smile.
Some of the Yellow Jacket
players
were per
plexed by
the rank
ings.
“I don’t
know how
you explain
that, but
I guess
that’s just
the coaches
NOTEBOOK
By ADAM VAN
BRIMMER
Morris News
Service
poll,” line
backer Gary Guyton said.
“I guess at the end, every
thing will pan out.”
GAILEY WARNS OF
TERRAPINS COMING
OUT OF SHELLS:
Maryland visits Georgia
Tech at 3:30 p.m. Saturday
as arguably the least
impressive 3-1 team in the
country. The Terps have
yet to score more than 27
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
ENl'Gary Harmon
ENI Gary Harmon
points this season despite
games against William &
Mary, a Division I-AA team.
Middle Tennessee State and
Florida International.
Georgia Tech’s Gailey sees
potential in the Terrapins,
though, particularly with
them coming off their bye
week.
“You look at their skill
level on tape and you can
see where there is poten
tial,” Gailey said. “You’re
nervous that it’s going to
happen this week. They’re
potentially a very good foot
ball team.”
Maryland has struggled
with turnovers, with 11
giveaways in four games.
But quarterback Sam
Hollenbach is a second-year
player, and he has complet
ed 10 or more passes to four
different receivers.
The defense is young,
athletic and unlike any the
Jackets have faced this year
in its scheme. Wide receiv
er James Johnson recog
nizes something else in the
Terrapins: A drive to prove
themselves against a ranked
team, much like the Jackets
did last week going into the
Virginia Tech game.
“They have to prove they
are good too,” Johnson
said.