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Wednesday, October 27, aoio | The Red a Black
Running game to play big role against Florida
By RACHEL G. BOWERS
The Red & Buck
Georgia has had just three games
In which a running back had a 100-
yard day. Two of those performances
have come in the Bulldogs’ last two
wins both out of Whshaun Ealey.
“When you can always go out and
run the ball, that’s always a plus,"
center Ben Jones said. “Time man
agement get the defense off the
field for more time. I know the
defense always loves it when we run
the ball and give them a break. It’s
just a good feeling. It feels like you
can control the game more.”
Georgia’s lack of a dominant run
ning game through its four-game los
ing streak had, in large part, to do
with the shuffling around of the
offensive line and the unit not click
ing on all cylinders.
But after finding a solid rotation
of big men, the running game seems
to be a staple for the remainder of
the season, especially with Ealey and
running back Caleb King back in the
lineup for Saturday’s match-up
against Florida.
“[Offensive line coach Stacy]
Georgia shows a ‘different
mentality’ than last season
By MITCH BLOMERT
The Red & Black
The buzz that has followed the
men’s basketball team during the off
season has made its way into the lock
er room.
Head coach Mark Fox said Tuesday
that the team’s practices, now in their
third week, have been positive and
more efficient than they were at this
point last year.
“When you walk into that locker
room there’s certainly a different men
tality than they had a year ago,” Fox
said. “A year ago I’m not sure they
believed in themselves and now they
believe in themselves and each other.”
High expectations have been placed
on the Bulldogs this year, as they
return four starters, including two who
turned down the NBA Draft in the off
season to return to the University.
Georgia also only has three new
players on the team, meaning less
time is spent teaching Fox’s system.
“With only three guys learning the
system we seem to practice more effi
ciently,” Fox said. “They just (Unction
the way I’d like them to function, and
like I think most coaches would want
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FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK
Searels has really made a point of us
finishing our blocks and going to the
whistle,” Jones said. “[Earlier in the
season], one person wouldn’t do it
on this play, and he’s made a point
that all five guys do it. That’s really
what’s making us get that extra
yards and stuff like that."
Fallback Fred Munzenmaier said
the backs and the offensive line were
fed up with the mediocre ground
game, and dug deep to produce the
last three games.
“I really just think it was just kind
of a sense of ownership that our seg
ment of backs took just because we
hadn’t being seeing the results we
wanted and we really believed that
we were better than what we were
putting out on the field every
Saturday," Munzenmaier said. “So I
think we really Just kicked it into
another gear.”
Georgia in good position to beat
Gators
Georgia has lost to Florida 17 out
BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK
them to function. I’ve been really
pleased with the maturation we’ve
made in the locker room.”
Team looking for third scorer in early
practices
There’s little doubt
that Trey Thompkins
and Travis Leslie will
spend a majority of the
season No. 1 and No. 2
in the scoring column.
The question is: Who
will be third?
The Bulldogs are
still looking for the
team’s “third scorer,”
but have plenty of can
didates that could put
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FOX
up the points to claim that title.
Fox said that it could vary from
night to night, likely among Dustin
Ware, Jeremy Price and Gerald
Robinson.
“There’s more offensive pieces on
this team than we had a year ago,”
Fox said. “Hopefully we’ll get lots of
those guys to make plays for us.”
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SPORTS
of the last 20 meetings between the
two teams, but the Gators, who are
4-3 and in the midst of a three-game
skid, are in the most vulnerable posi
tion for the Bulldogs to attack in
recent history.
And on top of that, both the
Bulldogs and the Gators are
unranked heading into the matchup
for the first time in 31 years. But
that doesn’t take away from the
magnitude of the infamous rivalry.
“It’s clean, old-fashioned hate
between two teams,” linebacker
Akeem Dent said.
But wide receiver Kris Durham,
who will play his final game against
the Gators Saturday, said the team
Is taking this week as business as
usual, despite the fact both teams
are still in the hunt for the SEC
East.
“It doesn’t necessarily carry more
weight because it’s one of those
things, ‘Yean it is bragging rights,”’
wide receiver Kris Durham said. “It
is a rivalry. But you look at it as,
‘OK, this could put us in a good situ
ation if we do win the game.’ We
have to go in being confident and
ready to execute our game plan.”
INJURY: Senior to work as analyst
► From Pag* 1
this sport, as people don’t really understand
sometimes, is a physical game. As much as
it may not look that way, it is. But things
happen to people, and you Just have to take
what it gives you and learn from it.”
In fact, the injury has opened a door for
Rhoden she said she’d never thought about
before radio.
“I had no aspirations to do TV or radio or
anything like that, but coach Landers just
told me one of our [athletic directors] want
ed to talk to me about it,” she said. “I was
open for the opportunity, and now I’m going
to be commentating for women’s basket
ball.”
Rhoden said she is “very excited” about
getting to do broadcasting work, and that
Landers has already given her some tips.
“He said that I should start listening
[closer] to what commentators are saying
during football broadcasts, and how they
are wording things.” Rhoden said. “I took it
there, and when I’m out there watching
practice, I’m just trying to put bits and
pieces together to practice for the games.”
Even though she no longer takes part in
practices with the team, there is no doubt
that Rhoden is still a big part of the Lady
Bulldogs squad.
“She’s a good person, a hard worker.
That’s one thing I can say she does she
works hard,” teammate Meredith Mitchell
said. “I remember coming in as a freshman,
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A Linebacker Akeem Dent said the famous
rivalry between Georgia and Florida is ‘dean,
old-fashioned hate between the two teams/
she was one of the people I looked up to,
especially since she played my position. I
could come to her and ask her anything
about basketball. She’s just there, and
that’s true now, even though she’s not play
ing. She’s around. She’s at practice and at
events, team meetings.”
And Landers could not be more appre
ciative of Rhoden being at practice, espe
cially when she lends what he calls her
“neutral” voice to the proceedings.
“She’s at practice everyday and she
observes,” Landers said. “She pitches in
when she can to be involved. Where I think
she’s invaluable is that she’s a very mature
person, and she understands what's got to
happen for us to be successful, and she’s
really that ‘neutral’ voice. She’s not out
there as a player, so she doesn’t have ‘player
emotions.’ She’s not out there as a coach,
so she doesn’t have ‘coach emotions,’ but
she can see it and sort it out and help her
teammates understand both the good times
and the tough times.”
And Rhoden agrees that just being
around the basketball program is the thing
she will look back on most fondly once she
has departed the University.
“I've been fortunate to be here for four
years, four different teams, now going on
five, and Just great girls I’ve been able to be
around and great relationships I’ve been
able to make with the girls, as weil as with
the coaches and other members of the
Athletic Association,” she said.