Tag: corona virus

A look at Georgia’s 2020 wide receiver room

A look at the Georgia football 2020 wider receiver room headlined by star George Pickens.

The 2020 college football season is fast approaching and players will be allowed back on campus for summer workouts starting June 8.

That said, let’s take a look at the Georgia wide receivers, perhaps the most exciting position to watch for the Bulldogs in 2020.

This is not a depth chart projection, but a look at who we project to see the most snaps.

1. George Pickens (So.)

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pickens (6-3, 190), from Hoover, Alabama, is one of the best returning receiver in college football and will be heavily relied upon by new Wake Forest transfer QB Jamie Newman and for good reason. As a freshman in 2019, Pickens caught 49 passes for 727 yards and 8 touchdowns, which earned him Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team honors.

2. Demetris Robertson (Sr.)

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Robertson, (6-0, 190) from Savannah, Georgia, is a transfer from the University of California in 2018 and hasn’t been able to find much a rhythm as a Bulldog. However, we know he has talent and even received Freshman All-American honors in his time with Cal, so look for his speed on the inside to be a huge factor for the Bulldogs in 2020.

3. Dominick Blaylock (So.)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Assuming Blaylock (6-1, 195) returns from an ACL tear in 2019, he will be competing for the starting slot-receiver position with Robertson. Before his injury, Blaylock, from Marietta, Georgia, was having a solid freshman season, catching 18 passes for 310 yards and 5 touchdowns in 12 games. Most notably, Blaylock averaged over 17 yards per reception and contributed to special teams as punt/kick returner.

4. Matt Landers (Junior)

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Landers (6-5, 200), from St. Petersburg, Florida, should see time on the outside opposite George Pickens. Especially in goal line situations where his length creates match-up problems with virtually anyone who covers him. That being said, Landers will have to show route-running and catching improvement if he wants to contribute. His three catches versus Baylor in the Sugar Bowl shows he is headed in the right direction.

5. Kearis Jackson (RFr.)

 (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)

Jackson (6-0, 200,) from Fort Valley, Georgia, started the Bulldogs’ first game at Vanderbilt last season and caught two passes for 31 yards until exiting early with a hand injury that derailed the rest of his 2019 season. Georgia coaches were confident enough to tab Jackson as a starter early on, so, assuming his hand injury is no longer a factor, he should be competing for the slot position with Robertson and Blaylock this summer.

NEXT: Who else could we expect to catch some passes this year?

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Georgia football HC Kirby Smart on how COVID-19 has hindered recruiting

NBC’s Mike Tirico spoke with Georgia football HC Kirby Smart on the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on recruiting.

Mike Tirico of NBC Sports spoke with Kirby Smart on Thursday afternoon about how recruiting tactics have changed and what he and the Bulldogs staff are doing to stay on top of things during the COVID-19 shutdown.

“Our ability to gather information on a kid comes from, number one, going to his high school and talking to the people who have been around him,” Smart said. “We rely heavily on that information.”

“The next thing, at a place like Georgia, you rely on camp information. When a kid comes to camp – how does he work? Does he work? Does he want to workout? Is he competitive? What are his skill sets?” – Smart continued. “When you take away the opportunity to have camps this summer and be able to recruit face-to-face, you put a lot of doubt in a lot of peoples heads.”

The NCAA extended its dead-period last week from April 15 to May 31 in the midst of shelter-in-pace orders across the country.

The dead-period keeps coaches from face-to-face meetings with recruits which includes off-season recruiting camps that programs like Georgia have come to rely on.

Although coaches may not meet recruits in person, they are still allowed to keep in touch through calls, texts and video chats.

“Kind of like the NFL does, we have to go back to old school and call people, get on virtually and find out if a kid is committed to the time he said,” Smart added. “A lot of these GMs now, they’re calling kids and they’re saying, ‘alright, is he going to be on time for the Facetime, is he driving a car? What is he doing?’ Well, we’re doing the same thing with a high school kid. If he is committed to the process and jumping on Zoom at the right time, he’s probably gonna be the right kinda kid to be on your team”

 

Kirby Smart to live tweet Georgia football’s “Virtual G-Day” this Saturday

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart will be live tweeting “virtual G-Day” 2019 UGA vs Notre Dame on Saturday on SEC Network

The annual G-Day game, UGA’s spring football game, was meant to be played this Saturday, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the university came up with something different for fans during quarantine.

According to a statement from the University of Georgia, The SEC Network and Kirby Smart will be teaming up to replay the 2019 Georgia vs. Notre Dame game on Saturday, April 18 at 2 pm presented by Piedmont Healthcare.

In addition to Georgia coach Kirby Smart live-tweeting from his @KirbySmartUGA twitter account, the Bulldog radio team featuring Scott Howard, Eric Zeier and Chuck Dowdle, will be hosting a Facebook Live broadcast of the game with commentary.

The Masters headlines busy November weekend for Georgia sports

Monday, the Masters were moved to mid-November and will be in the middle of busy Georgia sports week

Today, Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Fred Ridley announced revised dates of Nov 9-15 for the 2020 Masters Tournament in Augusta.

“We have identified Nov 9-15 as the intended dates to host the 2020 Masters. We hope the anticipation of staging the Tournament brings a moment of joy to the Augusta community and those who love the game.”

There are still a number of uncertainties with how exactly sports leagues around the country will resume regular activities, but from what we know at this moment, the week of Nov 9-15 will be a dream for Georgia sports fans. 

Picture this, The Masters in Augusta, Georgia football vs. Tennessee in Athens, Notre Dame vs. Ga Tech in Mercedes-Benz and the Braves in a delayed-post season game at Truist Park. 

The question is, what outcome would be the best for you?

How about a Tiger back-to-back Green Jacket with shutouts by Notre Dame and Georgia, capped off by a clinched series by the Braves?

Regardless of where your loyalties lie, if you’re a sports fan living in Georgia mark your calendars for Nov 9-15. 

Georgia football QB Jamie Newman hits trick pass on Tik Tok

New Georgia football transfer QB Jamie Newman from Wake Forest throws trick shot on Tik Tok during quarantine.

Saturday, Georgia quarterback Jamie Newman posted a video on Tik Tok showing what he is up to during quarantine.

The Wake Forrest transfer showcased some incredible touch with a trick pass into a pool-side basketball goal from distance and followed it up with a quote inspiring Dawg Nation to keep the faith.

As a junior at Wake Forest, Newman graded as the third best quarterback, according to PFF, behind Georgia transfer Justin Fields and Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence

He finished last year with 2,868 yards passing, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions to go along with 574 yards rushing and six touchdowns.

The statistics point to Newman being a star in Athens, but Bulldog fans are anxious to see if Newman can lead Georgia to a potential 2020 CFP birth.

Let’s hope the 2020 season will be as smooth as Neman’s Tik Tok game…

Watch – Lou Holtz Address Coronavirus (Like Only Lou Can)

As a people we’re as down and out about this as I’ve ever seen us about anything.  Fortunately, the right person to boost morale is on the case and has been for sometime, I just hadn’t seen it until today.

I have to apologize. I usually feel like I do a good job seeing everything the Twitter world has to offer because both of my jobs require me to spend far too much time on it.  With that said, I missed something that I should have seen literally weeks ago.

Corona virus has undoubtedly sunken spirits nationwide.  If you don’t know someone who has gotten sick you’re fortunate and if you don’t know someone who has lost their means of income as a result of the epidemic then consider yourself even luckier.  As a people we’re as down and out about this as I’ve ever seen us about anything.  Fortunately, the right person to boost morale is on the case and has been for sometime, I just hadn’t seen it until today.

Since we always analyze what coaches say, let’s treat this no differently:

“Land of the free and the brave but it doesn’t have to be the land of the stupid!”  – and we wondered why players would have ran through a wall for this guy.  Just that alone makes me want to question every single action I’ve taken since Covid-19 came into our lives.

“Work together” is his plan to fix the issue. Great coach-speak going on.  Even if in this case it actually has value in fighting the problem.

“I’m an old man…” will be used as a drop on sports radio stations nationwide if they get their paws on this.  Even if it did add value to the point he immediately went on to make.  And yes, Lou, you are correct in your statement.

I think I counted four times where I entirely could not tell what Lou was saying.  That’s somehow fewer than I would have guessed going in.

And Finally –

Wearing a Masters pullover while an open can of A&W sits out and a “Play Like A Champion Today” poster is on his desk is the only way I want to ever picture Lou Holtz in my head if there isn’t a football game being coached.

Finebaum: NCAA president Emmert’s handling of cancellations “inexcusable”

Cancellation was always going to be the safe decision, but the NCAA’s lack of communication left conference leaders in the dark.

Last week, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey appeared on The Paul Finebaum Show to disclose that he learned secondhand of NCAA President Mark Emmert’s decision to cancel spring and winter sports amid COVID-19 concerns.

As per Sankey, he learned of the cancellation from a journalist. He received no prior notification from NCAA officials.

Though it was always going to be the safe decision to make, the communication (or lack thereof) related to the NCAA’s cancellation plans left conference leaders in the dark.

Following Sankey’s revelation, Finebaum, in an appearance on Birmingham’s WJOX, let loose on his perceptions of the issue.

“I know this is the wrong time to make absolute statements but I’m going to make one anyway. That moment was the end of the NCAA as we know it. It may have power in existence for some times but that was an existential moment in the history of the NCAA where knowing the commissioners like we do, they are going to band together at some point, when the storm clears, and are going to say, ‘You know what, we’re not going to take that anymore.’”

Finebaum continued regarding the communication breakdown:

“For Mark Emmert, not to have more consultation with the people that feed the system was inexcusable. And what was interesting is we all praised him on Wednesday afternoon, ‘What a great decision to go ahead and announce that there would be no fans (for the 2020 NCAA Tournament)’ and in the moment it did look good, but once again no consultation with anyone.”

The necessary precautions for the general public’s safety never came into question for Finebaum.

“Quit praising him for making the right call…it wasn’t a difficult call.”

He concluded:

“Let’s not give him too much credit or give anyone too much credit. This was this a domino effect, which we all know was caused by the NBA (being the first major American sporting league to suspend play due to coronavirus concerns).”

For other inquiries into how the global health pandemic affects the world of college sports:

Coronavirus forces NCAA to make big decisions regarding eligibility, recruiting

SEC cancels its men’s basketball tournament due to coronavirus

NCAA grants spring season athletes an extra year of eligibility

Will Georgia football cancel G-Day due to coronavirus?

Georgia football Pro Day postponed amid coronavirus outbreak

How to Watch Tigres vs FC Juárez, Liga MX Live Stream, Lineups, TV Channel, Start Time

We have an exciting match on our hands when huge favorites the Tigres take on FC Juarez in Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

It has been a very interesting week in the sports world, almost all sports leagues have been suspended or canceled due to the coronavirus. Liga MX is one of the only leagues that is continuing their season and will continue with two games tonight and tomorrow.

Tigres vs FC Juárez

  • Date: March 14th, 2020
  • Time: 9:00 pm ET
  • Location: Universitario, in Nuevo León, México.
  • TV Channel: TUDNxtra, ESPN Deportes
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

We have an exciting match on our hands when huge favorites the Tigres take on FC Juarez in Nuevo Leon, Mexico. This should be an open and exciting match especially for folks looking for sports to watch while other leagues are suspended. We should expect an up-tempo game with a lot of scoring in this match, Tigres is known for scoring as well as Juarez who will be pushing up the field to create mismatches and possible goals.

FC Juarez Lineup: Vázquez, Jiménez, Velázquez, Romo, Olivera, Intriago, Esquivel, Fernández Mendieta, Sagal, Lezcano.

Tigres Lineup: Guzmán, Dueñas, Meza, Ayala, Rodríguez, Aquino, Pizarro, Carioca, Fulgencio, Gignac, Valencia.

Prediction: I think this will be a high scoring affair tonight and expect Tigres to come away with the victory but definitely over 5 goals. Pick: Tigres 3 Juarez 2

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How to Watch Club Leon vs Pumas, Liga MX Live Stream, Lineups, TV Channel, Start Time

Pumas travel to take on Club Leon at their home stadium in Leon, Mexico as both teams are looking to get back on the right side of winning.

Liga MX is still in full effect tonight as Pumas travels to take on Club Leon at their home stadium in Leon, Mexico as both teams are looking to get back to the right side of the winning column.

Club Leon vs Pumas

  • Date: March 14th, 2020
  • Time: 9:00 pm ET
  • Where: Estadio Leon, Leon, Mexico
  • TV Channel: Univision, TUDN USA
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Leon has been very inconsistent over the last few weeks but is coming off a win at Juarez and have been the best team in the league this year. Andres Mosquera has been injured and continues to rehab to get back on the field, looks to be a few months away from a complete recovery, so they will be without him again tonight.

Leon Expected starting XI: Rodolfo Cota; Fernando Navarro, Juan Ignacio Gonzalez, Jaine Barreiro, William Tesillo; Yairo Moreno, Pedro Aquino, Luis Montes; Angel Mena; Jean Meneses, Armando Leon

Pumas is on a three-game losing streak and have been very inconsistent after starting their year on fire. They’ll have Luis Quintana back in the lineup and should give their team a boost against Leon at home.

Pumas Expected starting XI: Alfredo Saldivar; Alan Mozo Rodriguez, Johan Vasquez, Nicolas Freire, Manuel Mayorga; Juan Pablo Vigon, Andres Iniestra, Victor Malcorra; Pablo Barrera; Juan Ignacio Dinenno, Carlos Gonzalez

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Former Georgia basketball player, now playing in Spain, tests positive for coronavirus

Trey Thompkins, a former Georgia basketball player now playing on Spain’s Real Madrid, has Coronavirus.

Sports leagues are right to take the drastic measures that we have seen put into place over the last 24 hours.

First, the NCAA announced all championship games will be held without fans, including swimming at UGA. Then, shortly after the NCAA’s announcement, the NBA suspended play indefinitely after one of its players tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

Outside of the United States, soccer league’s across Europe are suspending play or not allowing fans into the stadiums to attend the game.

In most recent news from Spain, basketball player Trey Thompkins, who plays for Real Madrid, has tested positive for the virus.

Thompkins is a former Georgia Bulldog. He is from Long Island, attended high school in Atlanta and, while at Georgia, was voted First Team All-SEC in 2010.

In 2011, Thompkins was taken by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Real Madrid’s basketball club is the same one that Luka Doncic, now a superstar on the Dallas Mavericks, played for.

As a result of Thompkin’s illness, both the Real Madrid basketball and soccer squads have been put into quarantine.

From EuroHoops.net:

The whole Valdebebas area which holds the shared practice facilities for both the basketball and football divisions is now under quarantine. As for the members of the squads themselves, they must remain home for 15 days.

Thompkin’s team was set to host a match on Thursday afternoon. Euroleague Basketball, however, has suspended Turkish Airlines EuroLeague action effective immediately.