Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley

ATHENS, Ga. - Todd Gurley was not expected to have a heavy load at Georgia's G-Day spring football game Saturday afternoon, and he didn't.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound sophomore had four carries for 25 yards for the Red team in its 23-17 loss to the Black. In three spring scrimmages, Gurley ran just nine times for 54 yards.

"I thought he had a good spring mentally and a good spring in the pass game and protection game," Bulldogs offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. "He's got to do a good job of working hard this summer and getting in shape. Not that he's not in shape, but I think he's a little heavy and needs to trim down a little bit and get ready to go this fall."

Gurley was listed at 218 pounds in the spring media guide and on the G-Day roster but said last month that he had bulked up to 230.

The Red team tailbacks of Gurley, fellow sophomore Keith Marshall and early enrollee J.J. Green combined for only 58 yards on 18 carries. Leading the Black team was junior walk-on Kyle Karempelis, who had 13 carries for 89 yards.

Early enrollees busy

None of Georgia's 13 early enrollees were made available to the media after G-Day, but several made nice splashes before the 45,113 at Sanford Stadium.

Receiver Jonathan Rumph, a junior college transfer, had four catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Green had eight carries for 27 yards, while quarterback Brice Ramsey went 1-of-3 passing for 22 yards.

Defensively, linebacker Reggie Carter had seven tackles and an interception.

"As the spring went on, Reggie kept showing up," head coach Mark Richt said. "Reggie is a very good fundamental player who plays downhill. He does a very good job of sticking his face on a runner and running his feet on contact.

"He's had an interception every time we've had a scrimmage, so he's got good ball skills as well."

Safety Tray Matthews had four tackles, while cornerback Reggie Wilkerson had three stops, one a 10-yard sack.

Calhoun connection

Georgia had two receivers from Calhoun High School on its 2010 roster, when Kris Durham was a senior and Rhett McGowan a redshirt freshman.

The Bulldogs could have two former Yellow Jackets contributing as wideouts again this season with McGowan, now a senior, and redshirt freshman Clay Johnson. McGowan had three catches for 55 yards and a touchdown at G-Day, while Johnson had two receptions for 47 yards.

"I got a few chances to watch Clay in high school, and he was a great player," McGowan said. "He's got a chance to get in the rotation. It's tough walking on at a school like this, but he's proven he can make some plays. I hope he gets some chances."

Bowman and Dantzler

Former Ridgeland cornerback Devin Bowman and former Dalton offensive lineman Watts Dantzler played for the Black, which consisted of second-team players. Dantzler played right tackle after playing left guard earlier this spring.

Bowman was relegated to the Black despite Sheldon Dawson sitting out with a hamstring. Starting at corner opposite Damian Swann for the Red was Wilkerson.

Odds and ends

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Christian LeMay went 0-for-6 with an interception and was 6-of-28 in the three scrimmages. ... Bobo: "Right now, the best tackle we've got playing is Xzavier Ward. [Kenarious] Gates would probably be the best, but he's having to play guard." ... Senior tight end Arthur Lynch dropped two passes. ... Sterling Bailey got the Red team nod over Ray Drew for the defensive end spot opposite Garrison Smith. ... Richt said that Malcolm Mitchell, who underwent surgery Friday for a meniscus tear, should be sidelined for only three weeks. ... Georgia has received a commitment for the 2015 class, getting a nonbinding pledge from receiver Christian Owens (6-5, 205) of Griffin, Ga.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.