The Georgia football team opened fall practice this past Monday and the Bulldogs welcomed back 17 starters and over 40 lettermen from last year’s 11-2 team. However, the Bulldogs were without senior long snapper Jeff Henson, junior safety Donovan Baldwin and junior linebacker Darius Dewberry. The three have all been suspended.
Henson was arrested for public intoxication over the weekend, while Baldwin was allegedly involved in a bar fight. Because it is the second discipline problem for both, their status with the team is unclear. Dewberry earned a two-game suspension after being seen overturning trash cans and causing other damage at an Athens-area hospital. The remaining Bulldogs have an allotted 29 practice sessions up until the start of the regular season. They will practice once on Wednesday, once on Thursday and once on Friday, but on Saturday they will use two of their practice sessions—one in the morning and one later in the day—as they look forward to the season with excitement.
Much of that excitement stems from the Bulldogs’ No. 1 ranking in the preseason USA Today coaches’ poll. Georgia was ranked No. 1, followed by USC, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Florida. Georgia led the way with 22 first-place votes, but each of the top six teams (LSU is ranked No. 6) received at least one first-place vote. USC and Ohio State received 14 first-place votes apiece. The No. 1 ranking marks the first time that the Bulldogs have ever begun the season on top of the coaches’ poll.
A total of five SEC teams are ranked in the poll’s top 25. That ties the conference with the Big Ten and the Big 12 for having the most teams ranked. Alabama and South Carolina placed just outside of the top 25 at 26th and 27th, respectively, while Mississippi State and Kentucky also received votes. In all, five of Georgia’s 2008 opponents are ranked in the preseason coaches’ poll: Florida, LSU, Auburn (No. 11), Arizona State (No. 16) and Tennessee (No. 18).
GO TIME
The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony is Friday and there are quite a few current and ex-Bulldog athletes that will be participating. Reese Hoffa, Debbie Ferguson Levern Spencer, Jenny Dahlgren, Hyleas Fountain, Andras Haklits and Sultana Frizell will take part in track and field over in Beijing. Also, diver Chris Colwill and swimmers Allison Schmitt, Gil Stovall, Kara Lynn Joyce, Neil Versfeld, Sebastien Rouault, Wendy Trott, Sheila Taormina, Sarah Poewe and Troyden Prinsloo are all former, current or future Bulldogs that are scheduled to compete at the Beijing Olympics. Swimming head coach Jack Bauerle will coach the U. S. women’s swim team and assistant Dan Laak will be an assistant diving coach.
The swimming competition will take place from Aug. 9-17, with Taormina’s modern pentathlon taking place on Aug. 22. The men’s 3-meter diving events will take place on Aug. 13, 18 and 19. Track and field events start on Aug. 15 and last until Aug. 23.
Butler can be reached at jbutler@scoreatl.com.
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