Starter still undecided

ATHENS – Georgia coach Mark Richt still hasn’t decided whether he’ll start Matthew Stafford or Joe Cox at quarterback, he said Thursday.

Either way, he feels comfortable his No. 10 Bulldogs (4-0) will respond well Saturday against Ole Miss (1-3).

“I feel good about our situation,” he said. “The team believes in both guys. They’ve both practiced well. We’re getting better, and I’m gaining more confidence in both of them.”

Richt expects to make his decision today and inform the team Saturday morning. He also expects to give both quarterbacks more responsibility whenever they get in the game.

“I’m going to open things up a little for them,” he said. “They can do it. I’m probably being overly protective of them.”

If it means anything, Stafford has stretched with the starters all week during practice, which generally is a good indication of a player’s spot on the depth chart. Neither Cox nor Stafford minds sharing time, they said.

“As long the team responds well to both guys, I definitely think having two quarterbacks can work,” Cox said. “If that’s what happens around here, I don’t think any of us has a problem with it.”

Cox does have a preference, though, about the rotation.

“You can’t just predetermine, I’m gonna put him in at this time and then I’m gonna put him in at this time,” he said. “If some guy’s in a rhythm, you have to let him play, but if he’s not, you have to take him out and put somebody else in.”

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier has had experience rotating quarterbacks, and he said there’s no way to tell how long a competition might last.

“You just have to play them all and give them all a chance and eventually one guy makes more plays than the others and takes care of the ball better and you kind of settle on that,” Spurrier said. “You just have to keep playing them until one steps forward and proves he’s the best.”