Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason has decided to keep Georgia coaches guessing when it comes to his starting quarterback, declining to make an announcement until just before kickoff for Saturday night’s season-opener (7:30 ET, SEC Network).

His decision is down to two.

It will either be program veteran Deuce Wallace, or Ball State transfer Riley Neal, who started 32 games, throwing for 7,393 career yards and 46 touchdowns, while rushing for an addition 1,363 yards and 15 scores.

“We’ve got cut-ups of him, some of our coaches here recruited him out of high school and are aware of him,” Smart said during Monday’s weekly press conference to preview the game against the Commodores. “But we don’t have but a little bit of footage from each one, really. I’ve been there before with quarterback situations, so I know how it goes, being able to manage it.”

Safety J.R. Reed didn’t sound like it was a huge concern either way.

“We’ve just got to go based on what they did last year, figure it out, and once we figure out who the quarterback is, we’ll move forward,” said Reed.

“We expect to see both those guys, and if one of them plays the whole game, that probably means he’s playing well.

They may be telling both of them they can play, but we’ve got to prepare for both, be ready to face both.”

Smart said linebacker Nakobe Dean (ankle) and offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer (lower leg injury) continue to improve, but wasn’t necessarily clear if they’ll be making the trip to Vanderbilt.

“As far as injuries, Nakobe has practiced, he’s been back, he’s not 100 percent, but he has practiced, which is promising. They had a day off yesterday, so I’ll know a lot more today with him coming out there, whether he’s 80, 90, or a hundred, I don’t know where he is but he’s going to need a lot of rehab,” Smart said. “Jameree (Salyer) is still fighting his way back. He’s probably behind where Nakobe is, but still expecting to get him back.”

…Smart was also asked about freshman Bill Norton, arrested early Sunday morning on a trio of alcohol-related charges.

“He knows we don’t accept that behavior here at the University of Georgia,” Smart said. “He’ll be punished accordingly.”

Smart said no decision has been made regarding who will get the start at right guard, where Cade Mays and Ben Cleveland have been competing throughout fall camp.

“No decision is final--just exactly what you expect to hear, and that guys are competing for the jobs,” Smart said. “Cade and Ben are still rolling at right guard. Both of them are doing a great job. Cade has been playing multiple positions besides there. Ben’s been playing primarily there and a little left guard.”

Meanwhile, Smart said no decision has been made on the team’s long-snapper

As for who will be handling the bulk of the return duties, several players continue to be in the running.

“Returners will be a lot of the same guys. It’s (James) Cook and Demetris Robertson back there at kickoff return. Punt return will be Tyler (Simmons), Kearis (Jackson), Dominick (Blaylock), and D’Andre (Swift),” Smart said. “We’ve got four good practices still left where we’re evaluating guys and making final decisions on who’s going to be where.”

Smart said he’s got no expectations for Zamir White Saturday, but is excited to see what he can do.

“Zamir’s worked really hard. Conditioning-wise, he’s one of the hardest workers on our team,” Smart said. “He’s played in a lot of our special teams roles. He’s done a good job in the scrimmages.”

Smart said White can’t wait to go.

“I think he’s very confident with his knee and his health, so he’s rip-roaring to go. I don’t have expectations for him per se, to say, ‘You’re going to do this in the second quarter at this time and this play,’” Smart said. “He’s just going to go with the flow of the game. Sometimes that changes, and I can’t tell you how that will be for him or what that will be from him, but I can tell you he’s an unselfish kid who's worked his tail off to get back. Some of the expectations for him are probably unwarranted, but for him, it’s a matter of, he’s got his health, and he wants to support his teammates.”

The following question was posed to Smart: Does he feel good about his defensive’s potential for havoc heading into the opening game?

“I won’t say you ever feel good about it,” Smart said. “I don’t sit before a first game and feel certain about anything. You watch openers, and there are so many things you can prepare for, but are not prepared for.”

He’s got his fingers crossed.

Last year, being able to disrupt opposing offenses wasn’t exactly a Bulldog strength. Georgia only accounted for 24 turnovers in its 14 games (eight interceptions and eight fumble recoveries), numbers Smart acknowledges needs to improve.

However, it’s not just more turnovers that new defensive coordinator Dan Lanning has been charged with creating.

“I think people expect to see more people coming; that’s not necessarily the case. We’re trying to get more tackles for loss, pass breakups, and interceptions, but that doesn’t necessarily mean more pressure,” Smart said. “Havoc equals the ability to get a hand on a ball, bat a ball, cause a turnover--do those things. Our guys have really emphasized it, but we haven’t done it. Until you go out there and do it, I don’t feel comfortable saying we’re going to have a high havoc rate until we do it.”

Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic (sidelines) will call Saturday’s game on the SEC Network . … Georgia is 95-27-3 in season-openers, including wins in 19 of its past 22 games. … The game against Vanderbilt marks the first time Georgia has opened the season with an SEC game since 1995 (a 42-23 win over South Carolina).