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10 I Monday, September 19, 2005 | The Red & Black
SPORTS
KATIE FOLEY | The Red & Black
A Quarterback D.J. Shockley motions for a call in Georigia’s favor after officials performed the first instant replay
review in Sanford Stadium history. Officials decided in favor of the Bulldogs after it appeared that wide receiver
Kenneth Harris fumbled the ball during the third quarter of Saturday’s game.
Milner surpasses expectations
SARA FREELAND | The Red & Black
A Tight end Martrez Milner runs with the ball after catching a pass from quarterback
D.J. Shockley. He eludes Louisiana Monroe’s defensive back, Josh Thompson, but sec
onds later fumbles the ball, which is recovered by Louisiana Monroe.
UPDATED
RANKINGS
AP Poll
Record, Previous ranking
(first place votes in
parentheses)
1. Southern Cal (57) 2-0,1
2. Texas (8) 3-0, 2
3. LSU 1-0,3
4. Virginia Tech 3-0, 4
5. Florida 3-0, 6
6. Florida State 3-0, 8
7. Georgia 3-0, 7
8. Ohio State 2-1, 9
9. Louisville 2-0, 11
10. Tennessee 1-1,5
11. Purdue 2-0,12
12. Miami (Fla.) 1-1,13
13. California 3-0,15
14. Michigan 2-1,14
15. Georgia Tech 3-0,16
16. Notre Dame 2-1,10
17. Michigan State 3-0, NR
18. Arizona State 2-1,18
19. Texas Tech 2-0,19
20. Alabama 3-0, NR
21. Iowa 2-1, 22
22. Iowa State 2-0, 24
23. Virginia 2-0, 25
24. Oregon 3-0, NR
25. UCLA 3-0, NR
USA Today Coaches’ Poll
Record, Previous ranking
(first place votes in
parentheses)
1. Southern Cal (60) 2-0,1
2. Texas (2) 3-0, 2
3. LSU 1-0,3,
4. Virginia Tech 3-0, 4
5. Florida 3-0, 7
6. Georgia 3-0, 6
7. Florida State 3-0, 8
8. Louisville 2-0, 10
9. Ohio State 2-1, 9
10. Purdue 2-0,11
11. Tennessee 1-1,4
12. Miami (Fla.) 1-1,13
13. Michigan 2-1,14
14. California 3-0,15
15. Georgia Tech 3-0,18
16. Texas Tech 2-0,19
17. Arizona State 2-1,22
18. Notre Dame 2-1,12
19. Virginia 2-0, 20
20. Alabama 3-0, 24
21. Iowa 2-1, 21
22. Michigan State 3-0, NR
23. UCLA 3-0, NR
24. Wisconsin 3-0, NR
25. Boston College 2-1,16
GAMEDAY
QUOTES
“We came in to win the game. We
came in believing that we could
be Georgia.”
— Steven Jyles, Louisiana
Monroe quarterback
“Each week I feel like I’m getting
better and better, just trying to get
the timidness out of me.”
— Kregg Lumpkin, on his return
ing from knee surgery last year
“Once they scored, we were like,
‘well, we got to go.' We can’t just
sit here and think we’re going to
be Georgia and automatically win
the game.”
— Russ Tanner on Louisiana
Monroe, scoring in the third quar
ter to make it a 17-7 game
“Glad that’s over with.”
— Mark Richt at the start of his
post-game press conference
By MATTHEW BORENSTEIN
mborenste@randb.com
Georgia’s current leader in
receiving yards had only five
career receptions before the
season.
He had 92 total yards and
never scored a touchdown.
It took two seasons for
junior backup tight end
Martrez Milner to collect
those stats.
Three games into his
third season on the field,
Milner already has surpassed
all those with his six recep
tions for 190 yards and two
scores.
With preseason all-every
thing junior starter Leonard
Pope suspended for violating
a team rule, Milner, who said
he didn’t find out about
Pope’s suspension until just
before the game, started for
the first time this year.
He didn’t disappoint in his
third career start.
Milner caught a perfect
looking 25-yard play-action
pass from quarterback D.J.
Shockley near the end of the
first quarter to end the
Bulldogs’ second drive of the
game and put them up 14-0.
But with his team driving
looking to end the half with
another score, Milner was
stripped from behind by
Louisiana Monroe linebacker
Jason Schule and the
Bulldogs missed on a good
chance to add to the score
right before the half.
“I wish I could get it back,”
Milner said.
But he added that overall,
he was pleased with his per
formance.
Milner’s improvement —
from the player who barely
had a role in the offense to a
top Bulldog goes back to his
confidence and consistency,
head coach Mark Richt said.
“Martrez just needed to
turn the corner on his confi
dence level,” Richt said.
In past practices and
games, Milner would look
great one play and then not-
so-good the next, Richt said.
Now, he is playing with confi
dence and consistency.
Against Boise State,
Milner dropped his first pass
— one he should have caught
— but did not let that affect
his play the rest of the game,
Richt said.
He went on to lead the
team in that game with 111
yards and scored his first
career touchdown on a long
run after a catch.
With two productive tight
ends, the Bulldogs will con
tinue to run sets with both
Pope and Milner as they did
against Boise State, Richt
said.
Even so, Pope remains the
Bulldogs top tight end.
“Leonard’s still the No. 1
tight end right now,” Richt
said adding that Pope will
start next Saturday at
Mississippi State.
“But Martrez is a very
close second and a very tal
ented guy that deserves to
play ... He deserves playing
time regardless of Leonard’s
situation.”
Milner said he does not
feel overshadowed by Pope,
who received much presea
son talk after a breakout sea
son last year.
“He deserves the hype,”
Milner said. “I’m just glad
I have the opportunity to
play.”
BEST OF SATURDAY
Way to show off your leg:
Redshirt sophomore Brandon
Coutu hit a 58-yard field goal with
about five minutes left in the
fourth quarter, the longest kick
without a tee in Georgia history
Way to take advantage of an
opportunity:
With Thomas Brown out, three
other Georgia tailbacks all made
big plays for the Bulldogs. Danny
Ware rushed for 109 yards and
Kregg Lumpkin and Tyson
Browning both scored touch
downs
Way to take advantage of an
opportunity No. 2:
With starting TE Leonard
Pope suspended, last minute
starter Martrez Milner led the
Bulldogs in receiving yards,
caught a touchdown and did not
let his fumble shake his confi
dence
Use of new technology for
the Dogs:
Georgia was on the right side
of the two instant replay reviews
during Saturday’s game, the first
two reviews in Sanford Stadium,
including one on defensive end
Charles Johnson's fumble recov
ery in the end zone for a touch
down, his first career score
WORST OF SATURDAY
Way to not learn from a sea
son ago:
Penalties were a problem last
season, and this Saturday they
were again for the Bulldogs. The
team was penalized 11 times for
99 yards, and Richt said after the
game the team will pay the price
for all the flags.
Way to blemish a career day:
Although Coutu made the 58-
yard kick with yards to spare, he
missed a 31-yard field goal earlier
in the game.
Way to come out of the
locker room:
Leading only 17-0 at the start
of the second half, Louisiana
Monroe caught the Bulldogs
asleep to start the third. The
Indians recovered an onside kick
and easily drove down the field on
Georgia’s first team defense for
the team's only score.
Way to take advantage of
the opponent:
Louisiana Monroe should
have never been within 10 points
in the third quarter of the game.
The third and fourth should have
been the time for Georgia back
ups to play, but because of the
close game backups like QB Joe
Tereshinski only saw the field late
in the fourth.
— Matthew Borenstein and
David Pittman
Brandon Coutu sets new field goal record
KATIE FOLEY | The Red & Black
A Free safety Andrew Williams holds hands with rover Tra
Battle for support while other teammates pray and look on
after Williams tore the Anterior Cruciate Ligament in his
right knee during the second half of Saturday’s game.
Ball diagnosed with
viral meningitis
By DAVID PITTMAN
dpittman@randb.com
Brandon Coutu was stand
ing next to Mark Richt during
a timeout late in the fourth
quarter Saturday, reminding
the Georgia head coach he
felt comfortable kicking a
long field goal.
Richt decided to attempt
the field goal rather than
punt, and Coutu made the 58-
yard field goal, a school
record for one without a tee
and third longest ever.
Coutu made one from 61
yards before the game in the
same direction, Richt said,
and the two had agreed that
58 yards would be the range
for a field goal in the game.
“He probably could have
made it from 60-whatever,”
Richt said. “It looked like it
had ten more yards on it. It
was a heck of a kick.”
Senior defensive lineman
Kedric Golston, whose locker
is next to Coutu’s, quickly
jumped on top of Coutu soon
after the kick in a celebration.
“I just can’t stop smiling
now ‘cause it’s amazing,”
Golston said.
Four injured players
to return
The four Bulldog starters
or backups who missed
Saturday’s game due to
injury should be back for this
week’s game against
Mississippi State, Richt said
after Saturday’s game.
Junior wide receiver Sean
Bailey, Georgia’s number one
receiver, didn’t play due to a
shoulder injury, Richt said.
Bailey was injured in practice
on Wednesday and on
Thursday, Bailey could barely
lift his elbow past his shoul
der, Richt said.
Starting tailback Thomas
Brown (separated shoulder),
backup linebacker Dannell
Ellerbe (sprained ankle) and
starting linebacker Jarvis
Jackson (thumb) all sat
against Louisiana Monroe.
Jackson might have to
wear a thick cast over the
thumb to further protect it,
Richt said.
“Jarvis has a pretty good
tolerance for pain,” he said.
Georgia utilizes
new instant replay
Georgia was subject to the
SEC’s new instant replay sys
tem for the first time, when it
had two plays reviewed in the
third quarter of Saturday’s
game.
Both reviews went in
Georgia’s favor and upheld
the call made on the field.
Williams out for
rest of season
Redshirt sophomore Drew
Williams is out for the rest of
the season after tearing the
Anterior Cruciate Ligament
in his right knee in Saturday’s
game, Richt said Sunday.
Williams had four tackles
this season as a special teams
player and backup free safety.
Empty seats don’t
bother Bulldogs
A stadium nowhere near
capacity for most of the game
didn’t seem to bother
Golston.
“We love the fans,” he said.
“But we play this game for
everybody in this room and
on this team. When we prac
tice out there in the 100
degree heat, there’s nobody
out there, but that doesn’t
mean we go out and there
and don’t get better.”
— Contributing: Matthew
Borenstein
By PAUL NEWBERRY
Associated Press
ATLANTA — Georgia
Tech quarterback Reggie
Ball was diagnosed with
viral meningitis Sunday and
it’s unknown whether he’ll
be able to play in next
weekend’s crucial game
against Virginia Tech.
Ball was being treated at
Emory University Hospital,
where he was expected to
remain a second night. The
school said the extra night
was mainly a precaution.
The junior became ill
Friday and was hospitalized
the following morning, just
hours before the 15th-
ranked Yellow Jackets
defeated Connecticut 28-13
to improve to 3-0 for the
first time since 2001.
Redshirt freshman
Taylor Bennett started in
Ball’s place, throwing a
touchdown on his first col
lege pass but completing
only ll-of-30 for 142 yards.
Georgia Tech would be a
major underdog against the
fourth-ranked Hokies if Ball
can’t return for next
Saturday’s game in
Blacksburg, Va.
Viral meningitis is com
monly found in college envi
ronments and is not nearly
as serious as bacterial
meningitis.
Ball does not need to be
quarantined and presents
no danger to teammates or
other students. He is
expected to be released
from the hospital on
Monday and be treated day-
to-day according to his
symptoms.
The school does not
know when Ball will be able
to practice.
“We obviously will take
every precaution before
allowing Reggie to return to
practice,” coach Chan
Gailey said.
Ball, who threw for a
career-best 320 yards the
previous week in a victory
over North Carolina, had
started 27 straight games in
his college career. He
became ill Friday morning
and was treated at the
school’s student health cen
ter.
While at the team hotel
Friday night, his condition
did not improve. His room
mate, Bennett, said Ball
was up much of the night,
complaining of headaches
and constantly asking for
water. He was taken to the
hospital Saturday morning.