Advertisement
football Edit

Last stand for two stars

Everyone knows it's going to be the final home game for seniors like wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi and fullback Brannan Southerland when Georgia hosts Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon.
But what about underclassmen like Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno?
Advertisement
"I guess it is possible but that's more of a reflective question than what's important right now," head coach Mark Richt said during Tuesday's press conference at Stegeman Coliseum.
Still, as much as Richt and the Bulldog Nation might not want to think about the possibility, the chance certainly exists that both players will also be making their final appearance at Sanford Stadium should they consider to leave school early and apply for the NFL Draft.
Tuesday, Stafford admitted the thought has crossed him mind.
"It has. I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet but if it the last time then hopefully it will be one where I leave it on top. Of course, there could be more to come. I'm just not sure yet," Stafford said. "I don't know. I've got to concentrate on winning a ball game, that's the biggest thing for me right now. I'll take the rest of the decisions as they come."
Moreno, meanwhile, maintained the same stance he's taken regarding whether or not he's opting for the pros.
"It hasn't crossed my mind. I'm not going to let it cross my mind," Moreno said. "I'm just focused on what I have to do to help us win this last game. When the time is right, I'll think about it and make that decision. But this isn't the time."
Wide receiver Kris Durham is one of Stafford's best friends, but admits that even he has no idea which way either player is leaning.
"I've heard that they're going, I've heard that they aren't going. They haven't really said," Durham said. "To be honest, that's the first time I thought about it (being their last game at Sanford) when you asked me that. If they leave, it will be my last game with them. If not, there will be a lot more. I'm kind of hoping for the latter."
Anderson coming along; may play against Tech
Right tackle Justin Anderson is recovering quicker than expected from the plantar fasciitis in his right foot and may actually play against Georgia Tech.
"He'll work with the scout team today (Tuesday) and we'll just see how he holds up," Richt said. "But he moved around pretty good (Monday), and we're going to at least let him get a look against the scout team."
Redshirt sophomore Josh Davis is still expected to start in place of Anderson, who suffered the injury three weeks ago against Kentucky.
Richt: "We wanted Dwyer"
Richt said he is very familiar with Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer, who he tried to recruit to Georgia two years ago.
"We tried to get him, yes we did. He's a good one, a great kid, a wonderful kid," Richt said. "He had the opportunity to come here. I'm not sure what his reason was."
The sophomore Dwyer was part of Georgia Tech's class in 2007, the same year the Bulldogs inked Caleb King.
Georgia Tech is obviously glad that he did.
Last week, Dwyer ran for 128 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 carries in Georgia Tech's 41-23 win over No. 23 ranked Miami on Thursday to earn the ACC co-offensive Player of the Week award. Dwyer, who sat out most of the second half, helped the Yellow Jackets produce 472 yards of rushing offense - Tech's highest total in an ACC game. For Dwyer, it was his eighth 100-yard rushing performance of the season and he remains the ACC's leading rusher (by 13 yards per game).
"I've seen enough of him to have visions of him in my sleep," Richt said. "In high school, if you had asked me whether I though he could have been that good, yeah, I'd would have said he could have been good."
This and that
The school will honor longtime radio announcer Larry Munson during a first-quarter ceremony Saturday. Munson will be in attendance. … Richt said that now Georgia Tech has gone to a triple-option attack, he doubts the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets will have much cross-over when recruiting offensive players. No so on the defensive side. "I suspect we'll be going after the same guys."
Advertisement