Punt returns add excitement for Georgia

photo Georgia wide receiver Reggie Davis (81) had one of two long punt returns Saturday as the Bulldogs shut out Troy 66-0 in Athens, Ga.

The Georgia Bulldogs were dismal on punt returns last season, netting just 73 yards on 25 opportunities.

That was not the case Saturday, as freshman Isaiah McKenzie had a 52-yard touchdown and sophomore Reggie Davis a 51-yard return in the 66-0 rout of Troy. McKenzie's score came early in the second quarter and gave the Bulldogs a 31-0 lead.

"I was happy with the performance of our kicking game overall," Georgia coach Mark Richt said in a news conference. "We had both of those guys back there, and they would roll to the right and kick a flat, hot ball. They started kicking across the field after the first one, and whoever got it had the other guy block for them."

McKenzie's punt-return touchdown was the first for the Bulldogs since Brandon Boykin raced 92 yards during a triple-overtime loss to Michigan State in the Outback Bowl that culminated the 2011 season. Georgia's longest punt return last season was a 17-yarder by Davis in the loss to Missouri.

Marshall hurt again

Richt was hoping junior tailback Keith Marshall could get going this season against the Trojans, but Marshall wound up getting helped off the field early in the fourth quarter. Marshall tore his right ACL in last year's overtime win at Tennessee last October and injured the same knee Saturday.

Marshall is scheduled to undergo an MRI.

"The early word is that it's not real serious," Richt said. "We're not sitting here holding our breath, because it's pretty solid structurally."

Marshall rushed seven times for 10 yards in Georgia's first two games and had five carries for 14 yards against Troy. He also had a reception go for minus-5 yards and dropped a screen pass from Hutson Mason.

Let the research begin

Georgia's easy win occurred a day after the university's athletic board approved $400,000 for the initial research into the possible construction of an indoor practice facility.

"We need to hire an architect and ask them to do the research and prepare models for the two possible locations, adjacent to the Butts-Mehre complex and around the soccer/softball complex," athletic director Greg McGarity said. "Hopefully, we would have something to look at soon. That could be as early as our next meeting in February.

"This is not a football-only project. This could be really, really beneficial to our track and field program and other programs like softball, baseball, soccer and others."

Safety concerns

The Bulldogs had a difficult defensive start to Saturday's game, with sophomore safety J.J. Green getting ejected for targeting on the third play from scrimmage. Freshman safety Dominick Sanders had an interception wiped away by an offside penalty on outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, and then sophomore safety Quincy Mauger had to leave the game with a shoulder injury that Richt did not think was serious.

Green, who as a tailback rushed for 129 yards in last year's win over Tennessee, must sit out the first half of this week's game against the Volunteers.

First-time throwers

Redshirt freshman quarterback Brice Ramsey and redshirt sophomore quarterback Faton Bauta completed their first career passes for the Bulldogs.

Ramsey, who was first off the bench in relief of Mason, completed 4 of 8 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Bauta, who played in three games last season, went 2-of-3 for 17 yards and notched two second-half rushing scores.

When asked if Ramsey is officially the second-string quarterback, Richt said, "He was this week."

Odds and ends

Georgia's highest-rated uncommitted recruiting target, defensive end Josh Sweat from Chesapeake, Va., dislocated his left kneecap Friday night. ... Senior cornerback Damian Swann did not play because of a head injury suffered in practice last week and had his streak of 29 consecutive starts come to an end, leaving senior center David Andrews alone with a team high of 30. ... Freshman Jeb Blazevich got his first career start. ... Freshman receiver Shakenneth Williams, who did not play in Georgia's first two games, caught a 35-yard pass from Mason in the second quarter. ... Ramsey and Williams were two of 11 Bulldogs who played for the first time, joining Shaq Jones, Malkom Parrish, A.J. McDonald, Shaun McGee, Tramel Terry, Reggie Wilkerson, Tristan Askew, Jordan Davis and Davin Bellamy. Terry got his first career interception, while Bellamy made his debut after a two-game suspension.

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