richt calling for a BLACKOUT

[radbag]

from ugasports.com




Georgia coach Mark Richt re-stated his seniors' desire for a Black Out Tuesday, urging Bulldog fans to wear black for Saturday's game against Auburn.

Will that include black jerseys for the Bulldogs?

Richt didn't sound like it would.

"Well, it's hard to order up jerseys in a week's time. It's kind of like impossible," Richt said. "I mean, if I could snap my fingers, have some sewed up and all that. …"

According to Richt, the Black Out is for fans only, but it's something he hopes all the Bulldog faithful will try and do.

"I have to do what the seniors asked me to do, and that's to encourage the Bulldog Nation to wear black. They wanted everybody to wear black," Richt said. "I asked them why. They said we think it would be cool and be a very good sign of unity. So, if the Bulldog Nation can wear black I think it would be very exciting for the players. We'll just see how it goes."

In keeping with the theme, Richt wore black to Tuesday's weekly press conference at Stegeman Coliseum, as did several of his players.

Running back Knowshon Moreno wore a dark gray sweat suit for his session with the media, but insisted he had no idea about the Black Out until it was mentioned to him by a reporter.

"That's the first I've heard about it," Moreno said. "But it's cool. I like the idea."

Quarterback Matthew Stafford agreed.

"I think it's awesome. We'd love to see it," Stafford said. "I know when I was in high school we had a Blue Out, and it was a lot of fun. It's a good way to help get fans involved and us something else to look forward to."

Linebacker Marcus Washington laughed when told about the plan.

"I guess we should probably get some black jerseys, too, huh?" he chuckled.

Tight end Tripp Chandler said the biggest thing the Black Out will do for the team is show how much fans are truly behind their effort.

But Black Out or no, what the Bulldogs do on the field will determine whether or not Georgia beats the Tigers.

"It would show that the fans are truly behind us. It would be a way to say that we're all in this together," he said. "But as far as the game goes, in the end it's still going to come down to just coming out and hitting somebody and black's not going to change anything about that."

No problems with Stafford's knee

Richt said he does not expect Stafford's banged-up knee to cause any problems Saturday.

"He was a little gimpy (Monday), but not too bad," Richt said. "He might wear a sleeve (in practice), but might not have to wear it by the time we play. He's moving around find, although I did see signs to where he might not be quite 100 percent. But I predict there will be effects by Saturday."

Stafford took a shot to his knee Saturday against Troy but continued to play through the injury.

Safety depth a concern

Richt said he's somewhat concerned about his team's depth at safety, particularly if Kelin Johnson (knee) is not able to play Saturday against Auburn.

Backup Quintin Banks said Monday that he will miss the game with a sprained MCL, and Richt said Tuesday that backup Donavon Baldwin has a hip-flexor that has been bothering him of late.

"We really hope that Kelin is going to be able to play," Richt said. "If he's not, we'll start with Reshad (Jones) and C.J. (Byrd). We feel real confident about those two, but after that it could be a little interesting."

If Johnson is unable to play, senior Andrew Williams would have an increased role off the bench.

More on Brown

Richt repeated his hope that Thomas Brown (broken clavicle) will play against Auburn, but still wants to see him practice a couple of days before making a final decision.

"We'll talk to him, and kind of gauge his mental outlook," Richt said.

"That's a big part of football. There's a lot of psychology that goes into it. You've got to have the right mindset. I know that Thomas is very excited about the prospect of playing, but we would want to talk with him and make sure he feels good about it."

Brown hasn't played since the first half of Georgia's loss to Tennessee. He injured his clavicle the week before against Ole Miss.

[TheTodd]

GO YOU FUCKING AUBURN TIGERS/EAGLES/PLAINSMEN