Tereshinski injury makes way for Stafford

COLUMBIA - The press box perched high atop the tumult of Williams-Brice Stadium is a good half-mile as the crow flies from the visitor's sideline and encased behind thick glass.

Even so, you could swear that Caddyshack character Al Czervik's voice rose above the roars as Georgia quarterback Joe Tereshinski limped off the field after the game's opening series.

"Ooo! Ooo! My leg ... I think it's broke!"

Matthew Stafford entered the game at the 4:41 mark of the first quarter. Soon after it was announced that Tereshinski had injured his right ankle: "His return is questionable."

Did that mean for the night or forever?

Like Rodney Dangerfield's cheesy Czervik character, Tereshinski's injury seemed like the convenient way out of a brewing controversy. The third generation Bulldog was getting no respect from everyone eager to see the reins handed over to the true freshman wonderkid with the cannon arm and a senior's poise.

Cynical journalists were already echoing fanatical boosters by setting an over/under on which series against South Carolina on Saturday night that Stafford would come off the bench and never go back. The line was set at the third series - considering the bygone practice of sending in D.J. Shockley for a quick lap with the offense while David Greene stayed fresh.

Stafford beat the under - then helped beat South Carolina 18-0.

Maybe now we know the real reason Georgia didn't offer Thomson twin Casper Brinkley a scholarship - it needed him in a Gamecock uniform. Brinkley did the Bulldogs a huge favor by tackling Tereshinski hard on a busted play in the game's first series. He in essence did the dirty work the Georgia coaching staff didn't have the heart to do.

Tereshinski is a good kid and a capable quarterback. It doesn't take someone with a degree in gridiron scouting to see that Stafford has the potential to be spectacular. That's a little better than capable.

But Georgia coach Mark Richt was in no hurry to do what he really wanted to do - anoint Stafford as the starter and see just how far the kid can take them. Richt honored Tereshinski's five years of loyalty (not to mention his family's three generations of contributions) with the starting job. They just needed an excuse to make the inevitable change without hurting anyone's feelings.

Richt said he didn't want to use Stafford until he was ready. Apparently the learning curve with this prodigy is meteoric. Two weeks before the season opener he was declared co-No. 3 quarterback and the term "redshirt" was being bandied about. One day after the season opener he was declared co-No. 2 and the redshirt option was off the table. One series into the second game and Stafford likely inherited the No. 1 job all by himself.

And please let's not trot out the tired cliche that a starter can't lose his job because of injury. Ask Wally Pipp how that worked out for him.

Frankly, the timing couldn't be more perfect for the Bulldogs. This was the presumed danger game that threatened to derail Georgia's championship aspirations early. However, the way Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks played Saturday night, any of Georgia's four quarterbacks could have delivered a victory.

But it's Stafford who has the greatest potential - and everyone knows it. With Tereshinski conveniently out of the way, the true freshman can hone his emerging game against a string of relative patsies - Alabama-Birmingham, Colorado and Ole Miss - before finally getting his biggest test in Sanford Stadium against Tennessee. If he passes that test as swimmingly as redshirt freshman David Greene did six years ago, then the rookie can be declared a true phenom ready to take on the task of leading the Bulldogs' attempt for another Southeastern Conference title.

It's too soon to tell whether he can do it. Stafford was hardly perfect in his first major duty. Not even close. He threw three interceptions in his first five series.

But that doesn't mean he wasn't impressive all the same. The mistakes never seemed to rattle the 18-year-old from Dallas, Texas. His first series ended with an interception, and he came back to lead a 72-yard scoring drive - checking off to a running play on third-and-goal from the 9.

The next series he carved the Gamecocks secondary with a nice screen and a precision seam pass to the edge of the end zone only to have the drive spoiled by another interception on a tip play at the goal-line that should have been ruled defensive pass interference. Minutes later, after a safety, he guided the Bulldogs 37 yards into field-goal range in three plays under the tight new clock rules.

Like he had in his sneak preview debut against Western Kentucky, Stafford displayed some mobility that wasn't considered part of his repertoire. He had a knack for using his legs to get out of trouble - twice converting third-and-longs with an 11-yard scramble and a 23-yard draw from the shotgun. The latter sparked a 75-yard drive from the 1 to notch a field goal and an 18-0 lead.

The hard part is over. Stafford now has the job everyone wanted him to have. As Czervik once said of Ty Webb, Stafford is "an ace; everybody knows it."

Now all he has to do is prove it.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.