Washington makes good at Georgia
By John Ard Guest Columnist

Marcus Washington started as middle linebacker in UGA's win over Alabama Saturday.

Keysville native Marcus Washington made his debut as a starting middle linebacker with the Georgia Bulldogs on ESPN national television last Saturday night at Bryant-Denney Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

In the Georgia-Alabama game, Washington was credited with a career-high 8 tackles: 5 solo tackles, 3 assisted tackles and 1 sack of the quarterback for a three-yard loss in Georgia's dramatic 26-23 overtime win over the Crimson Tide.

Washington, now a 20-year-old junior at Georgia, has come a long way in his football development since 2001-2004 when he was a four-year starter for Coach Steve Summers at Burke County High School in Waynesboro.

Sporting jersey number 44, Washington played well throughout the entire game, clogging up the middle of the Alabama offensive line with his 6-foot, 250- pound wide body.

With 1:50 remaining on the clock and Alabama driving for a 20-20 tie, Washington went down with a leg injury. But he left the game under his own steam and was able to return for the overtime period.

Alabama drew first blood in the overtime with a 42-yard field goal to give the Crimson Tide a 23-20 edge. But then Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford hit splitend Mikey Henderson with a 25- yard touchdown pass to give the Bulldogs a hard-fought victory.

Washington has been in a sixman rotation, competing for the starting linebacker position all this year.

Prior to the Alabama game, his best effort had come in a 45-16 victory over Western Carolina at Sanford Stadium in Athens. In that game, Washington had 5 tackles and 1 sack of the quarterback. His previous high had been 4 tackles against the University of Kentucky Wildcats in 2005.

"Marcus is doing quite well," said Coach Mark Richt.

Last year, Washington appeared in 11 games for the Bulldogs, seeing action at linebacker and on special teams. He made significant contributions to the team's overall 9-4 success rate, which was punctuated by a 31-24 victory over Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Bowl at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Washington missed the Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech games last year and all of spring drills earlier this year, due to a knee injury. But he's bounced back from that injury and is ready to compete.

"Marcus has been through a lot," said his position coach, John Jancek. "He's worked hard, and he's earned everything he's gotten."

In 2005, Washington played in 12 games as a true freshman at Georgia and provided depth at linebacker and on special teams. He was named the team's most improved linebacker during the spring drills in 2006.

As a senior at Burke County High in 2004, Washington tallied a school record 79 solo tackles and 46 assists, with 8 tackles for losses, 1 fumble he caused and 1 sack of the quarterback. He finished four years of high school football with 422 tackles, breaking or tying five school records.

At Burke County High, Washington played on offense too. At both tailback and fullback, he rushed for 782 yards on 94 carries and tallied 16 touchdowns as a senior. He also recorded 3 receptions for 82 yards and earned the team's Most Valuable Player Award.

A number of honors came Washington's way during his career at Burke County High. They included the Atlanta Journal- Constitution's Super 100 best players in the South, Georgia Sports Writers Association's Class AAA All-State, Super Prep All- Dixie and All-American and All- Region honors from the Augusta Chronicle.

Washington is a business education major at the university.