JACKSON, Miss. - Quarterbacks have been scrambling through the thoughts of Georgia coach Mark Richt and Mississippi coach Ed Orgeron all week.
Orgeron made his decision quick for the reeling Rebels' matchup with the No. 10 Bulldogs on Saturday, sticking with Brent Schaeffer despite his struggles during the team's three-game losing streak.
Richt, on the other hand, has waited to make a decision between freshmen Joe Cox and Matthew Stafford. And he won't tip his hand until the team steps on the turf in Oxford.
``I think you can count on both guys playing,'' Richt said. ``I'm not sure who will start, but both of them will get equal work throughout the week and at the end of the week, we'll choose who will start and we'll also try to determine how much the other guy will play. That's really all there is to it.''
For Richt and the Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference), there's a lot to chance letting a teenager navigate a top 10 team through the SEC.
The confidence of either youngster could be hurt if he is pulled from a game. Original starter Joe Tereshinski also is still in the mix. He is back at practice after injuring his ankle against South Carolina and won't be playing until next week at the earliest.
``It's not been easy,'' Richt said. ``I don't know that I've lost sleep over it. But it can drive you a little nutty. I've about resigned myself to not trying to push something or make something happen.''
Cox said the players have been able to focus despite the attention on the quarterback derby.
``It's been that way ever since the spring,'' he said. ``It's something we're used to. It seems like every time something happens it's like, 'Oh, there's a controversy.' We all know one guy is going to play and we all want to be that guy. We're prepared for anything we're prepared for being it and we're prepared for not being it.''
Added Richt: ``We are fortunate. Things could be a lot worse. People say we have a quarterback controversy. We don't have a controversy. We have a competition. It's a luxury to have more than one guy who can do it.''
The shuffling on offense hasn't affected the defense. Georgia is giving up 6.2 points per game this season with two shutouts, including an 18-0 victory on the road against South Carolina.
The Bulldogs' defense held Colorado in reach until the offense could rally in a 14-13 victory last Saturday that was decided with 46 seconds to go.
Cox relieved Stafford in the second half and rallied the team with two late touchdowns.
The Bulldogs have gone 20-2 on the road under Richt since he took over in 2001. Georgia has given up 15.6 points per game overall since then, the nation's second-best effort. On the road, the average has been a point less.
The Rebels (1-3, 0-1) are coming off a lackluster effort in a 27-3 loss to Wake Forest in Oxford. They managed just 26 yards rushing and Schaeffer was pulled in the fourth quarter after completing 13 of 28 passes for 127 yards and an interception.
Wednesday
May 14th, 2025
1:44AM
