Burnette hurt, Houston ineligible

The other day I wrote that the offensive line may be the only true positional concern I have of this year's team. Well, now we've reached def com 3 panic.

Starting right guard Chris Burnette left practice Wednesday when he “tweaked a knee,” coach Mark Richt said. His status for the game is uncertain.

Kenarious Gates, who started the first game of the season, is trying to return this week from an ankle injury.

Kolton Houston, expected to factor in at guard this preseason, can’t help now.

Richt revealed on Wednesday that Houston “right now is not eligible to play. We hope he’ll be eligible soon. It’s an NCAA issue.”

The redshirt freshman from Buford has not played this season and has not even suited up for games. The issue arose this summer, Richt said.

“It’s an individual case that we’re not going to get into details about, but it’s NCAA-related,” Richt said. “We think it’s going to get cleared up, but we just don’t know when.”

I'll admit the Houston thing caught me a little unawares. I was suspicious the other night when the question on Kolston seemed to be ignored. But figured I might be reading too much into it. 


I'm all for young guys getting some experience. But when we're faced with shuffling guys around to cover holes, it has a certain feel of using a bone thin index finger to plug them.