Boise State vs. Georgia Football: News, Notes and Updates Before Season Opener

We are only a few days away from the first Saturday of the 2011 college football season, which means we are only days away from Georgia squaring off against Boise State in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.

With this week being game week, there’s a lot going on with the Bulldogs and the Broncos as they make their final preparations for the big game at the Georgia Dome.

The coaches have to figure out who to redshirt as well as which players who were injured during camp will be ready to go on Saturday.

Also, former players will attend the game to be part of the festivities and a local band will be part of the action, but will have to wear different colors.

These are just a few of the things going on before the big contest between Boise State and Georgia.

Georgia News and Notes

The Bulldogs held their final full-pads practice on Monday and there were a few players that sat out.

Running back Richard Samuel sat out half of practice as he is still nursing a quadriceps injury. He is expected to play but might not start.

Cornerback Branden Smith did some light participation in the Monday practice due to a foot injury he suffered. Smith is expected to start with Brandon Boykin at the cornerback spot.

The Bulldogs will be without two players for the game on Saturday as safety Bacarri Rambo and Carlton Thomas will be suspended for the opener. Head coach Mark Richt has been quiet about the two, but the assumption is both players violated team rules.

Other players that were injured but returned to practice were nose tackle John Jenkins, wide receiver Marlon Brown and fullback Bruce Figgins.

Boise News and Notes

The Broncos suffered a big blow this week as running back Malcolm Johnson will miss the entire 2011 season with a torn ACL.

Johnson was the team’s No. 3 back and according to Boise State officials, he was having a great camp.

Boise has some players battling for positions. For the right guard spot, sophomore Jake Broyles, senior Chuck Hayes and junior Brenel Myers are in a three-man race. It’s been reported two of the three will play on Saturday.

Also, Broncos kicker has not been named yet. According to reports, it’s a “dead heat” between redshirt freshman Dan Goodale and junior Michael Frisina.

New Uniforms

Both Georgia and Boise State will sport new Nike Pro Combat uniforms on Saturday.

Many Georgia fans did not like the Bulldogs uniforms because it’s something totally different from what they normally wear.

As for the Broncos, they have been through this dance before as they sported the Pro Combat uniforms last year.

Georgia and Boise will be two of nine teams this year wearing the specially designed uniforms.

And because of the change, Georgia has asked all its fans to wear red while the Boise State has asked all its fans to wear blue.

Traveling Broncos

The Bulldogs only have to travel down I-85 for a hour-and-a-half to get to the Georgia Dome, so it’s basically a home game for the Bulldogs.

For Boise, not so much.

From Boise to Atlanta, it’s a 2,185-mile journey and the Broncos left Tuesday night after practice.

The trip will be 35 hours long and they will cover 13 states.

But this will be nothing new to them by the season because when the 2011 year ends, the Broncos will have logged over 8,200 miles and covered 21 states for their away games.

Now that’s dedication.

Other Tidbits

Former Georgia and Boise State players will be on hand to take part in the pregame festivities.

Former Broncos quarterback Jared Zabransky and former Bulldogs running backs Garrison Hearst and Lindsay Scott will be signing autographs at the Chick-fil-A Fan Zone before the game.

Also, former Boise State tight end Ryan Winterswyk and former Georgia running back and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker will hand out game balls at midfield before kickoff.

If you’re wondering who will be handling the coin toss, it will be none other than Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal.

One last thing: The Broncos marching band could not make the trip so Morris Brown College, which is a local college located in the heart of Atlanta, will take their place. The band will wear blue shirts when they perform.