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8A I Thursday, August 31, 2006 | The Red & Black
SPORTS
Writer doesn’t make predictions, but requests
W ell, sports fans, the
moment we have
all been waiting for
has arrived - the beginning of
another football season.
My goal in this piece is not
to make predictions, but for
the record: Joe T. for every
game, second in the East
and a trip to the Outback
Bowl.
Now here’s my ... well,
hopes for this season:
5. Go Down, Moses! It is
time for Quentin Moses to be
unleashed and to write his
name alongside men like
David Pollack, Boss Bailey
and Charles Grant. Though
Jason Smith
most teams will double team
him, this will leave open play
ers like Charles Johnson to
have their coming out par
ties. It’s time for Moses to
rise up, not to free his people,
but to bury our enemies. So
say a prayer for the boys
behind center at WKU,
they’re going to have a long
day.
4. Shake and Bake. It’s
time for our amazing running
backs to do less shaking and
more baking. For all the tal
ent we have in our backfield,
we still haven’t established a
truly dynamic running
attack. The only back with a
100-plus yard performance
last year was Thomas Brown
(South Car. and ULM), and
all three backs only totaled
just more than 1500 yards on
the season. I’m confident this
trio can get it done, but with
all of their potential, any
thing less than 2,000 yards is
unacceptable.
Maybe freshly hired coach
Tony Ball can teach them to
run “with the fear” ... anyone
know where we can find a live
cougar?
3. Let Joe Throw. Yeah, I
know we have Stafford, but I
still want Joe T. to start every
game this season. The fact of
the matter is that if Georgia
had beaten Florida last year,
the pass Joe T. caught would
be one of the most amazing
plays in Georgia history. Now
we can all argue who won or
lost that game for us, but
what I don’t think we can
argue is that Joe has talent
and he has waited.
History shows that good
things come to those who
wait, especially QBs. So
when Joe T. runs on the field
this Saturday, throw up three
fingers for the kid who rode
the bench and blocked for
the punt team just to throw
a pass wearing red and black.
2. Fake Punts. If you
remember the Florida and
West Virginia games, then
you know what I mean. No
more ... ever ... no, EVER.
1. BEAT FLORIDA.
Frankly, I don’t care if we
compete for the National
Championship. I don’t care if
we get in the BCS. I don’t
care if we win the SEC, if we
win 10 games or if we win 5.
We just better win one. I
refuse to walk out of Alltel
Stadium one more year hear
ing those mullet-flowing
Florida fans singing how
great it is to be green, scaly
and smell like cottage
cheese.
I just can’t take it any
more. The streak must end,
maybe not this year, maybe
not next year but when that
day comes ... run it up Mark,
run ... it... up.
Practice, practice, practice
helps receivers catch passes
All the passes Georgia
receivers dropped last year
led to the team purchasing a
tennis ball-shooting machine
mid-season to improve pass-
catching skills.
This fall, some glue and
more experience have the
Bulldogs receivers and sec
ondary catching the ball bet
ter, several people said.
The glue was only a joke
from safety Tra Battle (“We
looked at (the movie) ‘Little
Giants’ and saw when that
guy put the glue on his
hands, so we put that on,” he
said), but head coach Mark
Richt was serious about
more experience helping his
receivers.
“This is the best camp I
can remember of just catch
ing the ball and catching the
ball in traffic, too,” Richt
said.
Richt said he made sure
receivers coach John Eason
focused on catching passes
more than blocking, which
Richt had the receivers work
on previously.
“I will say I was all over
those guys about their block
ing, and I got to the point
where we’re doing all these
blocking drills, and I do want
them to block,” Richt said.
“But dang it, they do have
to catch the ball. I told
Eason, any extra drill you
SPORTS NOTEBOOK
got, you make sure they’re
catching balls ‘cause really,
that’s the most important
thing.”
The tennis ball machine
hasn’t made a comeback
although it is still available
for private workouts, starting
flanker Kenneth Harris said.
Instead, the team pass
catching drills focus on con
centration and holding onto
the ball when being hit,
Harris said. “We took it as a
challenge to the receivers to
come out and catch the ball
better,” Harris said. “We got a
lot of people doubting us
right now.”
The philosophy is similar
in the defensive backfield.
“It’s really just more con
centration,” Battle said.
“We’ve really made it a point
to catch picks this season.
We kind of made it into a
competition. Whenever we
drop picks, we punish our
selves as a unit.”
Bulldogs shift prac
tice to avoid heat
The Bulldogs enjoyed a
day out of the heat and
humidity Wednesday, instead
practicing inside the Ramsey
Center. They completed a
light walk-through in an air-
conditioned gym.
“I felt like we were drag
ging a little too much,” Richt
said. “I wanted to use today
to allow them to rest but still
get some mental work with
assignments.”
Thursday is set to be a
“dress rehearsal” outside.
Richt addresses
players’ health
Richt went through the
list of players who have
missed time this fall, and
many should be ready to play
Saturday against Western
Kentucky.
Those who should be able
to play include cornerback
Bryan Evans, fullback Des
Williams, defensive tackle
Ray Gant and receivers
Demiko Goodman and Mikey
Henderson.
Defensive end Brandon
Wood, fullback Jason
Johnson, offensive guard Zeb
McKinzey and defensive
tackle Marquis Elmore all
remain out.
The suspended Ian Smith
and Dannell Ellerbe are both
healthy and back to practice.
-Matthew Borenstein
PUNT: Player says he chose right
>- From Page 1A
coming here,” Ely-Kelso
said. “But with the World
Cup this summer, and a
few of the guys I played with
are now in the MLS, it’s
tough to look at them. I love
soccer and still do. Looking
back, no doubt I would have
liked to try soccer, but I
don’t regret making this
decision at all.”
Ely-Kelso still plays soc
cer on a University intramu
ral team named the
Redcoats.
His team is also glad that
the soccer star opted to
stick with the gridiron.
“He makes sure you’re
doing things right and stay
ing on task,” teammate and
fellow punter Brian Mimbs
said.
“He likes to make sure
that you get better. If you’re
doing something that’s not
necessarily right, he’ll lead
you in that way and show
you the way.”
“He’s a fun guy. He likes
to have fun, but he controls
his fun too. He’s the same
guy all the way around.”
Once the season ends,
the one-time soccer star will
most likely face the possibil
ity of playing professional
football.
Should the chance to try
out for the NFL emerge, Ely-
Kelso admits it would be
easy to take it.
“I’d be stupid not to, I
think,” he said.
SPECIAL | The Red & Black
A Senior punter Gordon Ely-Kelso (95) was an accom
plished soccer player in high school, leading Clarke
Central to the state championship game as a senior.
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