SPORTS NOTEBOOK

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Posted: 9/20/07

Lumpkin to wear cast against the Tide

Senior tailback Kregg Lumpkin will contribute on special teams Saturday at No. 16 Alabama (3-0, 1-0 SEC), but it is unclear whether he will see any time on offense, head coach Mark Richt said.

Lumpkin missed the No. 22-ranked Bulldogs' (2-1, 0-1) last two contests with a broken thumb and will wear a cast on his right hand against the Crimson Tide.

"We're letting Kregg take snaps as a running back, and just trying to watch," Richt said.

"Everything's just a little bit different for him and we're observing just to see what he can do."

Richt said Lumpkin's best chance to play on offense would come in "an emergency situation," with fellow senior Thomas Brown and redshirt freshman Knowshon Moreno slated to share the workload at tailback.

"I'm leaning more toward, if the other two guys are fresh and healthy and ready to go, I'd feel more comfortable with them because they've got the ability to wrap it up with two hands and make sure if there is a pass they can use both hands to catch it."

But Richt did say Lumpkin has adjusted to carrying the ball with only one hand faster than his head coach had anticipated.

"He's probably handled it a little bit better than I thought he would. Gotta be careful if you throw a pass to him, though."

Tennis to host Southern Intercollegiates Friday

The men's tennis team is home this weekend, hosting the 40th annual Southern Intercollegiate Tournament.

The Bulldogs return from last weekend's Napa Valley Tennis Classic in California, where head coach Manuel Diaz felt that they had a strong showing.

"We had a good tournament (at Napa Valley), so we hope to come home and keep going up," Diaz said. "It's good to be back in Athens. We think we have a top team again."

The Southern Intercollegiates will be a four day tournament starting Friday, with the championship on Monday barring any conflicts with class schedules. Thirty-four teams will participate.

In 1968, the tournament was begun by the complex's namesake, Dan Magill, because he felt fall was the most beautiful time of the year, and that tennis should not just be played during the spring.

Of the 188 players in the tournament, Georgia will be well represented. The top seed of the tournament is expected to be senior Travis Helgeson. Georgia also will be led by junior Jamie Hunt and sophomore Nate Schnugg, who was named MVP of the Napa Valley tournament.

"I'm happy about playing our first matches since the NCAAs," Schnugg said. "I'm really excited especially playing here at home."

The tournament committee is planning to put up displays around the site of past winners, such as John Isner who won the tournament last year in singles, and also in doubles with partner Luis Flores. Other winners planning to be displayed include Diaz, who won the tournament for Georgia in 1973 and 1974.

- Lawrence Conneff and Ryne Dennis
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