Georgia Thursday Practice Report

Georgia Makes Final Preparations For Clash With LSU

ATHENS, Ga. – The ninth-ranked Georgia football team made final preparations on Thursday for its upcoming Southeastern Conference clash with the 11th-ranked LSU Tigers by working out for 90 minutes in helmets and shorts at the Woodruff Practice Fields.

Georgia (6-1, 3-1 SEC) will travel to Baton Rouge, La., to face LSU (5-1, 3-1 SEC) on Saturday in Tiger Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:35 p.m. ET, and CBS will televise the game nationally with Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson and Tracy Wolfson providing the commentary. All Georgia games also are broadcast live on the Bulldog Radio Network on AM 750 WSB in Atlanta and on both 106.1 FM and 960 The Ref in Athens. The radio audio also can be heard worldwide on both georgiadogs.com, the official website of UGA Athletics, and on XM satellite radio. In addition, the LSU game will be broadcast nationally by Westwood One Radio Sports.

A week after going against the norm and practicing at Sanford Stadium on Thursday prior to a home contest, the Bulldogs again went against normal routine by practicing at the Woodruff Practice Fields for an away contest. Georgia head coach Mark Richt stated that he normally plays crowd noise at Sanford Stadium to prepare the team for an away game but does not start the noise until after 5 p.m. as to not interfere with classes in surrounding buildings. With this Thursday’s practice being moved up a bit earlier than normal due to a number of football players with an evening accounting exam, Richt said there was no need to go to the stadium without the crowd noise.

Richt also announced to the media that next week’s practice schedule would be altered due to the Board of Regents exams. The Bulldogs will conduct their normal Monday practice a day early on Sunday, while Monday will become an off day as several student-athletes will partake in the exams.

“We just couldn’t find a time (for practice) that made since on Monday, so we decided to do what a lot of people do and that’s to do lifting, running and practicing on Sunday and give them Monday off,” Richt said.

A third scheduling area that Richt discussed on Thursday pertained to the Bulldogs travel plans this weekend. Georgia will fly to Baton Rouge on one larger plane out of Atlanta but will return directly to Athens on three smaller planes. Due to the size of the runway, a single plane that would be large enough for the entire traveling party cannot land at Athens-Ben Epps Airport.

“Trying to get home sooner is the main reason,” Richt explained. “It makes for a very long trip, especially after a game, to have to go to Atlanta and jump on a bus. We’ll just be able to get out of there much more quickly. I think there’s about a 10-minute differential between the three planes going out, and I would think it will save at least an hour and a half to two hours on the way home.”

The Bulldogs have won the last two meetings with the Tigers. The most recent game between the schools was the 2005 SEC Championship game that saw Georgia win the title by defeating LSU 34-14 in Atlanta. In 2004, the Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 45-16 in Athens. LSU’s last two wins in the series came in 2003, when the Tigers defeated the Bulldogs 17-10 in Baton Rouge during the regular season before winning a rematch in Atlanta 34-13 for the SEC Championship. Georgia is 4-5-1 when playing in Baton Rouge and the 2003 meeting there was one of just two trips by Georgia to play in Tiger Stadium in the last 10 seasons. Georgia won the other trip, 28-27, in 1998. The loss in 2003 was Georgia’s first loss on an opponent’s field under Richt after the Bulldogs started 9-0 under Richt in that category. Currently, the Bulldogs are 27-4 on an opponent’s home field under Richt, including 9-2 against ranked foes. Saturday’s game will mark seventh meeting in which both teams are ranked in the AP Top 25.

Saturday’s contest will be a meeting of the SEC’s two best teams over the last seven seasons. Georgia has the SEC’s best record during the last seven seasons at 70-16 (.814), while LSU is second in that time frame with a record of 69-16 (.812). The Bulldogs also have the best record in the conference over the past 12 seasons at 113-33 (.774).

On a separate note, Richt announced that redshirt freshman left guard Chris Little has decided to transfer.

“I don’t know where to yet, but we have given him a release to go anywhere he chooses,” Richt said. “He’s not in trouble and nothing has happened. It’s just a situation of wanting to get a fresh start I think. I talked to him and his father about it, and we’ll help him find a place if he needs help. But I think he’s already got that ball rolling right now.”