Mark Richt happier with second UGA scrimmage

photo UGA University of Georgia

Sophomore tailback Todd Gurley had two rushing touchdowns and 72 receiving yards Wednesday night as Georgia conducted its second preseason scrimmage inside Sanford Stadium.

"It was good to see them play under the lights," coach Mark Richt said. "Our first game is at night, so I'm glad we did it. There was a lot more energy than the last scrimmage, and there should have been. The guys were really fresh, and it showed on both sides of the ball."

Senior quarterback Aaron Murray threw three interceptions in last week's scrimmage but was 14-of-18 Wednesday for 173 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Backup Hutson Mason was 9-of-19 for 107 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The race for third-team quarterback remains up for grabs after both redshirt sophomore Christian LeMay and true freshman Brice Ramsey struggled. LeMay was 1-for-5 for 5 yards, while Ramsey was 3-for-11 for 65 yards and was intercepted twice.

"It was a tough day for the No. 3 QBs," Richt said. "It's tough to go against the No. 1 defense, but you learn a lot about a QB when he's under duress."

Statistics were provided by the coaches, and the scrimmage was closed to the media.

Freshman tailback Brendan Douglas led all rushers with 50 yards on seven carries, while sophomore Keith Marshall had 39 on six carries and freshman J.J. Green had 34 on nine. Gurley had five carries for 33 yards.

The receivers were led by junior Malcolm Mitchell, who had 58 yards on four catches. Senior tight end Arthur Lynch had 35 yards on four receptions, while redshirt freshman receiver Blake Tibbs had two catches for 21 yards and a score.

Sophomore safety Josh Harvey-Clemons, who is suspended for the Aug. 31 opener at Clemson, led the defense with seven tackles and three pass deflections. The two potential starting safeties for the opener, Tray Matthews and Corey Moore, sat out the scrimmage.

Junior inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera had five tackles and two pass deflections, while senior defensive end Garrison Smith had four tackles and a tackle for loss.

Several newcomers had an impact, with freshman outside linebacker Leonard Floyd tallying four tackles and a tackle for loss, freshman cornerback Brendan Langley returning an interception 48 yards for a touchdown and junior-college cornerback Kennar Johnson returning an interception 24 yards. Another freshman corner, Shaq Wiggins, also had an interception.

"Both Langley and Shaq played well," Richt said. "Those guys have very good ball skills. They can snatch the ball like a receiver. They're pretty confident kids."

The Bulldogs will hold a practice game next Wednesday night.

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

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