<p>It's taken four years and then some.</p><p>Through injuries, timid play, occasional doubts and flashes of brilliance, everyone at Georgia has waited for Fred Gibson and Reggie Brown to fulfill their enormous potential.</p><p>They're seniors now, down to their final chance. With that in mind, both are committed to showing they are one of the best receiving duos in the country.</p><p>"As long as we go out on Saturdays and do what we're supposed to do," Gibson said, "it's going to be a long day for the defense."</p><p>They gave a tantalizing glimpse of their skills in the season-opening victory over Division I-AA Georgia Southern. Gibson caught five passes for 96 yards, including a brilliant 49-yarder. Brown had five receptions for 87 yards, the most notable being a 43-yard touchdown in which he caught a short pass, broke a tackle and went all the way to the end zone.</p><p>This is what coach Mark Richt had in mind when he met with the both receivers during the offseason, urging them to find ways to make more big plays.</p><p>"I expect more of that from this group," Richt said. "It's not good enough to just run the route and catch the ball. You've got to stick it in the end zone. They're doing a better job of that."</p><p>Brown and Gibson both arrived at Georgia with plenty of hype.</p><p>Brown was one of the country's top prospects in high school, but he endured plenty of setbacks on his way to Georgia.</p><p>Right away, his college career was postponed a year by academic problems. Finally getting on the field, he caught only 13 passes as a freshman, then tore up a knee early in his second year. Brown didn't seem at full strength when he returned in 2002, managing just 23 receptions.</p><p>Last season, Brown had the best season of his career, catching 49 passes for 662 yards and three touchdowns. He's looking to do much better as a senior.</p><p>"I've had a lot of setbacks," he said. "I look at those as being something I needed to go through to get to the point I'm at now. It was a learning process I had to go through."</p><p>Gibson made a big impression as a freshman, making 33 catches for 772 yards _ a staggering 23.4-yard average that included six touchdowns. He had all the tools to be a star: speed, size (6-foot-4) and tremendous leaping ability.</p><p>But something was missing. Gibson was a basketball player at heart, which seemed to tug a bit at his dedication to football. He didn't like to get hit. Given the choice, it was clear he preferred throwing down dunks to hauling in touchdown passes. He even played one year on Georgia's basketball team, logging valuable time as a backup guard but cutting into his offseason work for football.</p><p>Gibson failed to make much improvement as a sophomore, and actually took a step back as a junior. Injuries _ first to a hamstring, then to a knee _ kept him out of three games. He made a touchdown catch in the season opener, but didn't reach the end zone again until the Capital One Bowl.</p><p>Those around Gibson have noticed a change in attitude.</p><p>"He loves basketball more than football, but he knows football is the way to go," said quarterback D.J. Shockley, who is Gibson's roommate. "He's working a little harder than he ever has. He feels like he has something to prove."</p><p>Gibson and Brown both had something to prove to Richt, whose offense struggled inside the 20 last season. The coach was tired of watching his receivers go down as soon as they caught the ball. He wanted them to produce more yards once they had the ball, which meant a change in attitude.</p><p>"Over the summer, we worked on exploding after the catch," Brown said. "We tried to get enough repetitions so it would become second nature. We know that's an important aspect to the offense. If we can take a 5-yard hitch and take it to the house, that's going to help the team overall."</p><p>Both receivers realize this is their last chance to shine. After four years _ and then some, in Brown's case _ it's about time.</p><p>"We've talked about it a lot," Brown said. "We know this is a great opportunity for both of us. We're trying to make the best of it."</p>
