Georgia coach Mark Richt was asked last week about replacing quarterback David Greene and defensive end David Pollack, two of the most popular players in recent Bulldog history.

The question took Richt back to his second season at Georgia back in 2001. After going 8-4 in his debut as a head coach, Richt lost three defensive ends, leaving him with none.

He decided to move Pollack from the interior line out on the end.

"At least we know he will play hard, and we'll see what happens,'' Richt said.

This past April, Pollack was a first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, the 17th player chosen overall.

A similar incident happened when injuries depleted the Bulldogs at safety, prompting Richt to move Thomas Davis from his linebacker position. Davis was taken three spots higher than Pollack this April by the Carolina Panthers.

In other words, Richt is banking on several players stepping in and keeping the Bulldogs among the elite teams in the Southeastern Conference.

"Hopefully, some guys are waiting in the wings that will pick up the slack,'' Richt said.

One player who has been waiting patiently is senior quarterback D.J. Shockley. He has spent the past three seasons in Greene's shadow.

As a backup, Shockley played in 26 games, completing 67 of 133 passes for 967 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 329 yards on 76 carries.

His ability to run and throw is a dimension he will add to what was already an explosive Georgia offense.

"We're not going to have a running quarterback system,'' Richt said. "We will have some things that accentuate his abilities to do that, but I would say 90 percent of what we have always done, we'll do."

Shockley was a Parade All-American coming out of North Clayton High School in College Park, Ga. When he was unable to supplant Greene as the starter, there were those who thought Shockley would transfer. But he chose remain a Bulldog, something that hasn't gone unnoticed by his teammates.

"He's just what you would call a loyal player,'' senior guard Max Jean-Gilles said. "That's who you want on your team. All the stuff he's been through the last couple of years, he's a better person than I am. He just held his head up high and just prayed."

There were those who also thought Jean-Gilles would be gone as well. The 6-4, 340-pound All-America candidate toiled with the idea of jumping to the NFL last winter, but opted to stay when told he would likely be a third- or fourth-round pick.

"The whole team thought I was gone," Jean-Gilles said. "The first person I called was Shock(ley) and I told him, 'I'm going to be blocking for you next year.' "

Offensively, the Bulldogs could be as strong as ever, with their entire offensive line back to block for sophomore running backs Thomas Brown, Danny Ware and Kregg Lumpkin. After Lumpkin tore his anterior cruciate ligament last year, all Brown and Ware did was combine for more than 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns as they finished No. 3 and 6, respectively, on Georgia's all-time list for freshman running backs.

As for Pollack's spot, junior Athens native Quentin Mose looks to step right in after posting 6 sacks last season as a backup.

Nose tackle Gerald Anderson will anchor the defensive line, coming off a year in which he had 31 tackles, seven for loss.

Because of the players lost, Georgia has been picked to finish third in the SEC's Eastern Division. Nationally, after being a top 10 team the last three years, the Bulldogs are viewed more as a top 20 team.

"We don't mind being a little bit lower and a little underestimated," Anderson said. "It presents a different challenge. It motivates us to step up. Our backs are against the wall right now. We want people to think we aren't as good as last year, that way we can come out and show them who we really are. That is the role we'll shoot for."