STARKVILLE — With three minutes left in the Mississippi State football team’s victory Saturday at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Bulldog fans got their first look at tailback Nick Griffin.
The journey to earning his first playing time lasted more than a year than he expected.
Griffin, a tailback from Perry Central who redshirted in 2010, marked his debut with four carries for 25 yards in a 21-3 victory. The cameo also showcased his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee that occurred in the spring.
“I was just excited, and the emotions were unexplainable really,” Griffin said.
Griffin’s rehabilitation extended into the first two weeks of the season before he was medically cleared for contact. It took a couple of more weeks before he was activated to play.
“The fact he got tackled will give him confidence playing on that knee,” MSU coach Dan Mullen said. “We got to see how his confidence is. … He’s cleared to play and go play and be effective, but I wouldn’t say he’s at 100 percent, and that comes from confidence.”
Griffin was a four-star prep prospect and a first-team All-State selection by the state of Mississippi high school coaches. Griffin signed with MSU even thought he knew he would have to compete for playing time with senior Vick Ballard and sophomore LaDarius Perkins this season.
“It was a big factor of my decision, but I wanted to just come in here and earn my spot on this team like everybody else,” Griffin said. “(The rehab) was difficult, but my teammates kept telling me I’d be back stronger than ever.”
Griffin hopes to remain No. 3 on the depth chart and to break through for more playing time.
Sherrod could start at right tackle for Green Bay
Former MSU All-Southeastern Conference selection Derek Sherrod could make his first NFL start Sunday.
Sherrod, a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft, earned his most significant playing time Sunday night when offensive tackle Chad Clifton went down with an injury.
Clifton suffered what coach Mike McCarthy called a significant right hamstring pull in a 25-14 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.
“Sometimes you have to get in there and do it,” Green Bay offensive line coach Joe Philbin told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. “Preparation is one thing, practice snaps are one thing, but there’s no substitute for the learning experience of doing it in a real game.”
After the injury, Green Bay switched right tackle Marshall Newhouse to the left side and put Sherrod at right tackle. Newhouse was in the starting lineup because starting right tackle Bryan Bulaga injured a knee two weeks ago in Chicago.
Earlier in the preseason, Sherrod was moved to right guard but was beat out for the starting job by second-year lineman T.J. Lang.
“I thought Derek played well in the second half,” McCarthy said. “(He) had some plays early. (He) had the one run where we went the wrong way on the four-minute drive.”
South Carolina dismisses QB Garcia dismissed from team
University of South Carolina senior quarterback Stephen Garcia has been dismissed from the football team, it was announced Tuesday.
“Being a student-athlete at the University of South Carolina is a privilege, not a right,” South Carolina Athletics Director Eric Hyman said, “and we remind all of our student-athletes there are consequences for their actions. For Stephen to return to and remain with the football squad this fall, we agreed on several established guidelines. Unfortunately, he has not been able to abide by those guidelines and has therefore forfeited his position on the roster. We wish him the best of luck as he moves forward in life.”
Hyman said the fifth-year senior failed to meet agreed-upon guidelines imposed after Garcia’s fifth suspension this past spring. Multiple outlets reported Tuesday the university acted after Garcia tested positive for marijuana and alcohol.
“We are all saddened this has occurred,” South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. “We all feel like we’ve given Stephen numerous opportunities to be a student-athlete at South Carolina. He has chosen not to follow the guidelines of his reinstatement contract. We wish him the best.”
Garcia had started 34 games, including the four this season before he was benched in favor of sophomore Connor Shaw. Shaw threw four touchdowns and for 311 yards in a 54-3 victory against the University of Kentucky on Saturday. Garcia was informed of the university’s decision Tuesday morning.
Garcia finished his career with 7,597 passing yards. He was 589 of 1021 passes (57.7 percent), with 47 touchdowns and 41 interceptions. He became the third quarterback in school history to throw for more than 7,500 yards in a career, and also ranks third on the all-time charts in pass attempts, pass completions, and passing touchdowns. He was 20-14 as a starting quarterback. This season, he was 61 of 118 (51.7 percent) for 844 yards with four touchdowns and nine interceptions in five games.
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