LSU Week: Monday News and Notes

ATHENS - News and notes from Georgia's practices.

FLASHY HERO: Georgia punt returner Thomas Flowers already has started to get himself fired up for Saturday’s matchup against LSU and standout punt returner Skyler Green. Flowers left the Bulldogs’ Monday evening practice wearing an Atlanta Falcons Deion Sanders jersey.

“Deion was the man back then,” Flowers said. “I had a sticker in my room that said Neon Deion and when you turned off the lights, it would glow in the dark. Ever since I was little and I watched him return punts, I said, ‘That’s what I want to do.’ That’s where I get my game from, well try to get my game from.”

Flowers was named the SEC’s special teams player of the week Monday for the second time this season. He returned four punts for 79 yards against Georgia Tech and set up the Bulldogs’ game-winning drive with a 33-yard return in the fourth quarter.

INSIDER TRADING: Georgia running backs coach Kirby Smart has not been shy about using his intimate knowledge of LSU’s program in his new role. Smart coached defensive backs for the Tigers last year under from LSU coach Nick Saban.

“I’ve already been in our receivers ears, telling them about their cornerbacks’ strengths and weaknesses,” he said.

Smart said he often watched Saban coach the defensive backs while he was in Baton Rouge. Saban, who has a background in defensive coaching, is a traditionally hands-on head coach.

“It was like he was the (secondary) coach really and I was the G.A., but I knew the situation going in,” Smart said. “I was glad to have the job, to learn from the best.”

HAPPY MEMORIES: Quarterback D.J. Shockley finally got to watch his game-winning touchdown pass to Bryan McClendon on film during a quarterbacks meeting Monday afternoon.

Quarterbacks coach Mike “Bobo was like, ‘That’s your first touch pass of the year. I tried to point out some other ones, but… He definitely said it was one of my best passes of the year, what we call just dropping it in the bucket.”