It's Best To Know Your Enemy... Here's A Georgia Update

Here's a Georgia update from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution...

By Chip Towers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATHENS — Mohamed Massaquoi's confusion is understandable, being a first-year player from Charlotte and all. He's still trying to figure out this SEC rivalry business.

Early in the year, Georgia's freshman wide receiver felt like Tennessee or South Carolina must be the Bulldogs' biggest rival. But that was before his first trip to Jacksonville and the whole "Cocktail Party" thing with Florida. Now he's hearing about Auburn and how this is the oldest rivalry in the South and how every SEC title Georgia has ever won has gone through the Tigers.

"We have so many rivals here at Georgia, it seems like every game is a rivalry game." Massaquoi said Tuesday. "But as a player, that's what you want. That's what you come here to play for."

And Georgia Tech doesn't come up for another two weeks. At least Massaquoi is getting first-hand knowledge. He is the Bulldogs' third-leading receiver, has led them in receiving in the past two games and is credited with their longest play from scrimmage this season (56 yards).

How close can you get?

Georgia and Auburn have played 108 times in the previous 112 years. The combined score over that span: 1,619 to 1,618, Tigers. Bulldogs coach Mark Richt is floored by that statistic.

"It's been a really tight series all the way around," Richt said. "This ought to be one heck of a game coming up. Both teams are fighting for their lives. I'm glad it's at home."

That's another oddity in this series. Both teams have losing records at home. Georgia is 9-17 vs. Auburn at Sanford Stadium. "I'm still glad it's at home," Richt said.

Shockley goes to smaller brace

Quarterback D.J. Shockley is trying out a new, smaller brace for his sprained left knee this week, and Richt said he's been very impressed with Shockley's ability to move less than three weeks after getting hurt.

But the real test for Shockley will come Saturday when Auburn's imposing front seven comes after him knowing exactly where he hurts. "It's human nature; it's going to be in the back of the mind," Shockley said of re-injuring the knee. "But when you have 300-pound guys coming at you, you just have to react."

Injury report

Safety Greg Blue (hamstring) said he was "about 80 percent" healthy as of Tuesday but could not say whether he'd be 100 percent by Saturday. "Doesn't matter. I'll play. No matter what, I'll be out there," he said. With the return this week of defensive tackle Kedric Golston (elbow ligaments) and linebacker Brandon Miller (ankle) and the continued improvement of nose tackle Gerald Anderson (concussion) and linebacker Tony Taylor (elbow), Richt said, "This is as healthy as we've been in a while."