ATHENS -- Unlike several SEC teams, Georgia hasn’t had any significant issues caused by COVID-19. But you won’t see any beating of chests among the Bulldogs. It’s more like the collective holding breath.
Georgia is just on the other side of their first off weekend of the season. That means its football players had the opportunity to fan out this past weekend. Some could be seen on social media visiting their old high schools for a little Friday night lights action, some stayed in Athens but without the rigors of curfews and bed checks. Others wandered off for a little mini-vacation with their families or girlfriends. Many of them stayed put as they always do and got in a little extra work over at the Butts-Mehre complex.
Even if coach Kirby Smart could lock up his charges in a true, insulated bubble somewhere, he wouldn’t. But considering the chaos the coronavirus has wrought on some other SEC campuses, he can’t help but worry.
“We talk about it every day,” Smart said of emphasizing mask-wear, social distancing and smart decision-making to the Bulldogs. “There is not a day that goes by that we don’t finish the practice, the walk-through, the session, whatever we are doing, that we do not address what they are going to be doing next. They certainly had more time this weekend in terms of Friday, Saturday, Sunday. It’s a major concern for us because we don’t control it. But, I’ll be honest with you, we don’t control what they do when they leave our building anyway.”
Nobody but Georgia knows how many, if any, football players have tested positive for COVID-19 since the season started. The latest data the athletic association has provided dates to June 22 and had the Bulldogs with eight players quarantined because of close-contact exposure. Two weeks earlier, seven football players had confirmed positive tests for the virus.
Since then, crickets. If any UGA players have missed a game because of infection or exposure, it was not reported as such.
Regardless, Georgia hasn’t experienced the kind of outbreaks that Florida and Vanderbilt have. Virus-caused, player shortages resulted in the postponement of their games against LSU and Missouri, respectively, two weeks ago and the recent reshuffle of the SEC schedule.
The change meant the Bulldogs were off last weekend rather than this coming one and playing Kentucky on Saturday rather than the previous Saturday.
On the heels of a humbling loss to Alabama, the timing seems good for Georgia. The Bulldogs have been able to focus on trimming the loose ends exposed by the 17-point loss to the No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide. But it also means six consecutive games – including a new date with the No. 10 Gators on Nov. 7 in Jacksonville.
That’s assuming Florida will be available to play. The Gators traced their outbreak to two players who accompanied the team on its Oct. 9 trip to play Texas A&M. Like all the Florida players, those two individuals were tested Tuesday and Thursday before traveling Friday. But they boarded the plane feeling what they mistook for allergy symptoms and did not inform the medical staff.
Those players tested positive the following Sunday. That was closely followed by several other players, support staff and even coach Dan Mullen. As of Tuesday, the Gators reported 37 confirmed cases for the month of October, including six new cases this week. Mullen said this week he won’t be sure which players or how many he’ll have available to face Missouri until Friday.
As for Georgia this week, all the players, coaches and support staff that encompass their “bubble” underwent PCR rapid tests Tuesday. They will get those results Wednesday, test again Thursday, and get those results Friday. The Bulldogs are scheduled to leave for Lexington on Friday afternoon.
“You’re only as good as your Thursday test,” Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity said. “And just because you’re good on Sunday doesn’t mean you’re good on Tuesday. You’re only good as your last test. That’s the peril of the testing world with this virus.”
Technology is playing a huge part in the control and mitigation of the virus. The SEC is utilizing a technology called “Kinexon” to monitor contact throughout each day. The system uses ultra-wideband sensors, which measure users' proximity to one another and issues an alarm when protocols aren’t being met.
Technology aside, Georgia tight end John FitzPatrick feels confident that the Bulldogs have stayed safe through self-policing.
“They’ve educated us tremendously well," FitzPatrick said. "At the same time, all these players, our team, we’re so focused and locked in that there’s not a lot of worry with us. You know, we stick together. We have one goal in mind and we’re going to take it game-by-game to accomplish that.”
FitzPatrick said he returned to his north Fulton County home this past weekend to celebrate his mother’s birthday. He said there were no special warnings issued before the Bulldogs broke camp.
“Our team is smart," FitzPatrick said. "We have one goal in mind, and we’re not going to have any people trying to get in our way. So, if you don’t want to be a part of this train, you can just leave. ... If you’re not bought in and you don’t want to stay safe and do what you’re supposed to do, then it’s just not here for you.”
The Bulldogs (3-1) will be playing their third road game in the first five games Saturday when they travel to Lexington to face Kentucky (2-3). As usual, Georgia’s traveling party, which all must undergo rapid tests twice before and once after the trip, will fly on Delta charter jets out of Athens' Ben Epps Airport and then bus to the team hotel.
There are a few extra precautions taken. For example, players are encouraged to take stairs rather than elevators. Otherwise, it’s a business trip as usual.
“Social distancing and wearing our masks has really been the key, forefront thing that we’re trying to accomplish and something I think we’ve done a really good job at,” junior punter Jake Camarda said. “I don’t know if I could say it’s a point of pride. It’s more of us just trying to do the right thing. … And, you know, COVID is something that is out there, and it could catch you by surprise. Like, you could be doing the right things all the time, and it could still somehow find its way to you.”
So far, so good. But everybody in Athens is knocking on some wood this week.
“It is very concerning,” Smart said. “We try to educate (players) on what’s going on in the NFL and across college football, how it impacts them and how it could impact our team. So, we try to educate them in that regard. Hopefully they take heed of those warnings and understand it.”
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