Tuesday post-practice notebook

Defensive tackle Tyler Clark never dreamed that the fix was in when Kirby Smart asked the team Monday if it would rather challenge the coaches in a 4X100 race as opposed to one final team run.

Ah, but it was.

Instead of racing junior safety Richard LeCounte in the final leg, Smart pulled a fast one, inserting track freshman Matthew Boling instead of running the race himself.

“I didn’t know he was that fast,” Clark said. “I had to look at him twice--was that Coach Smart? No, that’s not Coach Smart running like that. He shocked me with his speed though.”

For those unaware, Boling set a national record in the 100-meter during last May’s Texas State championships with a 10.13, breaking a mark that stood for 29 years.

“I wasn’t really paying attention to the first three legs. I wanted to pay attention to the fourth leg, because I wanted to see Coach Smart run,” offensive lineman Cade Mays said. “I was like, there was no way he was actually going to get out there and run, and he didn’t.”

LeCounte never had a chance, as Boling overcame what was a significant lead accrued by the players to win the race for the coaches going away.

“I peeked out and all I saw was this guy with curly blond hair just … whoosh … that dude it fast and it finally registered with me that he’s the guy who broke the record,” Mays said. “He (Smart) said, I’m taking Richard in the last leg--that was not Coach Smart.”

You may not find their names listed on many preseason All-Conference teams, but as a unit, senior Michael Barnett believes Georgia’s defensive line will be just fine.

“Everybody is trying to be that difference-maker, but we need to play as a unit,” Barnett said. “As we always say, we’re like a chain, and you’re always only as strong as your weakest link. As a unit, I think we’re going to flourish.”

Fellow senior Tyler Clark is feeling pretty confident, too.

While they may not be household names, the fact that he and the Bulldogs’ other defensive linemen get to go against Georgia’s ballyhooed offensive front is an advantage that can only help the team once the season kicks off next week at Vanderbilt.

“It gives us a lot of confidence,” Clark said. “We feel, if we can do that to this O-line, we can have success against any O-line we face.”

Despite losing Jonathan Ledbetter to graduation, Barnett feels the depth is at least as good as any year since he’s been in Athens. There’s also one difference that’s currently standing out.

“I feel we know the system now, and it’s just about executing the plays and knowing the playbook,” Barnett said. “The young guys, they have to learn the playbook, but us older guys, we have to do a good job of teaching it.”

Georgia placed three players on the Associated Press Preseason All-American team announced Tuesday.

Left tackle Andrew Thomas highlighted the Georgia contingent, earning first-team honors, along with Walker Little of Stanford, Shane Lemieux of Oregon, Ben Bredeson of Michigan, and Tyler Biadasz of Wisconsin.

Running back D’Andre Swift and kicker Rodrigo Blankenship were both named to the second team.

The rest of the week will see the Bulldogs practice every day through Saturday, culminating with the final scrimmage before next week’s season-opener at Vanderbilt.

Smart is scheduled to speak with the media after Wednesday’s practice.