Bulldogs continue Belk Bowl preparations

ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 13 Georgia football team returned to the Woodruff Practice Fields for its second Belk Bowl practice on Thursday.

The Bulldogs (9-3, 6-2 SEC) logged 90 minutes in full pads in preparation for the Dec. 30 bowl in Charlotte, N.C., where they will face Louisville (9-3, 5-3 ACC).

Thursday’s practice was the second of four consecutive workouts that the Bulldogs will hold before a three-day break for Christmas. The team will practice through Saturday, then will reconvene in Charlotte on Dec. 24.

“I was proud of the way the guys practiced today,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “It was a quick turnaround coming off last night’s practice, but they worked hard, they kept their focus and they finished strong. We’ve got four important days here to prepare because we don’t want to have any regrets in the bowl. We’ll get these four days in and then we’ve got our workouts in Charlotte. Every practice, every meeting, every conditioning period is so crucial.”

The Bulldogs are making their 50th bowl game appearance, including their 17th consecutive. Georgia is 27-19-3 all time in bowls and will be playing in the Belk Bowl for the first time.

This also will be Georgia’s first-ever meeting with Louisville on the gridiron. Georgia enters the matchup boasting the SEC’s highest-scoring offense, averaging 41.7 points per game. Louisville ranks tied for third in the ACC in scoring defense, allowing 20.5 points per game, and second in the ACC in total defense, allowing 293.2 total yards per game.

The 2014 Belk Bowl will kick off at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.