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Perfect situation

Richt's decision will help Tereshinski, push Stafford

Posted: Sunday August 20, 2006 11:39PM; Updated: Monday August 21, 2006 2:08PM
Joe Tereshinski III held off Blake Barnes, Joe Cox and Matthew Stafford to win Georgia's starting quarterback job.
Joe Tereshinski III held off Blake Barnes, Joe Cox and Matthew Stafford to win Georgia's starting quarterback job.
Bob Rosato/SI
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The Georgia quarterback derby is officially over, and it should come as no surprise, really, that coach Mark Richt is going with fifth-year senior Joe Tereshinski III as his starter.

"Joe T was solid and consistent all the way through," Richt said during Sunday's announcement. "He did a nice job, competed well and held off the young bucks."

But what should come as a real surprise is that heralded recruit Matthew Stafford is not second on the depth chart, but is the co-third-team quarterback.

Stafford, who enrolled at Georgia in January after throwing for 3,991 yards and 38 touchdowns his senior season at Dallas (Texas) Highland Park, had many thinking he'd be able to unseat the unproven Joe T. as the No. 1. "Because of his notoriety, if we were just paying attention to that we would have said 'you're the starter' when we signed him," Richt said.

Stafford had Bulldog Nation buzzing after the spring game, in which he threw a 64-yard touchdown pass in his first live snap in a Georgia uniform. But he had been inconsistent in preseason camp leading up to Sunday's announcement, including a dismal performance in Friday's scrimmage in which he threw three interceptions. Tereshinski, meanwhile, threw two touchdowns and had no interceptions.

But did struggling in the first two weeks of preseason practice warrant Stafford being named co-third string along with Blake Barnes, while redshirt freshman Joe Cox is Tereshinski's backup? Are we really to believe that Stafford is below Cox and Barnes? Somebody cue Mel Gibson, there's evidence for a Conspiracy Theory here.

Richt says he plans on using at least two quarterbacks in the Sept. 2 opener against Western Kentucky. That means, if the current depth chart still stands, Tereshinski and Cox will be guaranteed to see the field, while Barnes and Stafford will have to wait their turns, if they get in at all. This is about Richt taking the pressure off of himself to put the freshman in, but more importantly he's also allowing Tereshinski to go into his first year as a starter without the Parade All-American nipping at his heels.

Remember, Joe T. has just one start in his Bulldogs career, a loss to Florida when starter D.J. Shockley went down with a knee injury last season. He's 25-for-49 for 371 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions as a three-year contributor. It's an unknown if this team can be successful with him at the helm full-time, and the last thing he needs going into Week 1 is to know that if he makes an errant pass he'll hear whispers for Stafford to get in the game.

While this will only help Tereshinski's psyche as a first-year starter, it could also help Stafford as well. He chose Georgia over Texas because of the opportunity for immediate playing time. Being third-string doesn't exactly fit into that equation. But this could be a wake-up call for the Texan. Richt is delivering is a very clear message: It's going to take a lot more than hype and a strong spring to become the first freshman to start at quarterback at Georgia since Quincy Carter in 1998. Just ask Tereshinski, who's more than waited his turn after playing special teams for two seasons and even serving as snapper in the '03 opener and the '05 Outback Bowl. He's been rewarded, while Stafford will be made to dig deeper if he wants to move up. Richt has created the perfect climate for both quarterbacks.

Ultimately, its Tereshinski's job to lose and it's up to Stafford to try and take it, which is exactly what we should be expecting from a fifth-year senior and a true freshman. Ever since Stafford's touchdown pass on G-Day, the quarterback debate has been brewing. But what we learned Sunday is what we should have known all along: there was never really a controversy. It was Joe T. all along.

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