Matthew Stafford's father and Knowshon Moreno's high school coach told me Tuesday that the Georgia stars have made their decisions and will announce them on Wednesday. They did not want to reveal what those decisions are until the players make them public.

Here's our story.

Besides talking about keeping Rodney Garner, Mark Richt answered questions during his teleconference today about quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno, who both could jump to the NFL.

Q: Have you heard anything from Knowshon or Matthew on their decision?
A: I have not. I would think it would be within a week’s time or even less that they may know what they’re going to do.

Q: Have you continued to talk to Matthew and Knowshon or is it a waiting game at this point for you, too?

A handful of Georgia football underlcassmen submitted paperwork to the NFL’s college advisory committee.

During the past month, quarterback Matthew Stafford, tailback Knowshon Moreno, cornerback Asher Allen and safety Reshad Jones acknowledged they were seeking an evaluation of their draft stock should they choose to leave after this season. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins told me after practice Wednesday that he did as well.

Just like Dannell Ellerbe, Jeff Owens and Brannan Southerland last year. All three returned to Georgia.

Stafford is a likely top 10 draft pick if he leaves and Moreno a likely first-round pick. Atkins has been rated high among the underclassmen on the interior line but has insisted he plans to return.

“Right now, in my mind, I’m coming back for next year,” Atkins said.

Georgia isn’t going to play for the national title or SEC title.

It looks highly doubtful that Knowshon Moreno will be going to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

There’s still a chase that Georgia fans can still follow: The Doak Walker Award.

Moreno was named as one of three finalists today for the award for the nation’s top running back. The winner will be announced on ESPN’s award show near Orlando on Dec. 11.

The other two contenders are already in the clubhouse: Iowa’s Shonn Greene and Michigan State’s Javon Ringer.

Moreno could win this thing if you judge by the latest Rocky Mountain News Heisman poll released today. It has six quarterbacks atop its Heisman favorites list led by Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford and Texas’ Colt McCoy.

Moreno got three votes to Greene’s two. Ringer didn’t get any.

Statistically, Greene would seem to be the favorite.

Down to one regular season game, how much have we really learned about the guys behind Knowshon Moreno?

Moreno is pretty much a constant for Georgia.

He’ll get his yards and get his carries—at least when the Bulldogs are playing anybody except Florida or Alabama.

If Moreno chooses to bolt for the NFL after this season, what does Georgia have waiting in the wings at running back?

Caleb King has rushed for 246 yards on 60 carries this season, but hasn’t played the last two games after struggling in pass protection against Florida. Was he too hyped up out of high school or does he need more work to truly judge him?

Richard Samuel has 133 yards on 26 rushes. He got four yards on three carries against Auburn Saturday. Some still see him as a future linebacker.

With two regular season games to go for Georgia, the Bulldogs seem to have at least four players on track for first-team All-SEC honors.

Running back Knowshon Moreno, linebacker Rennie Curran, wide receiver A.J. Green and offensive tackle/guard Clint Boling look to me as likely first-team picks.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford would need a big close to his season to jump ahead of Florida’s Tim Tebow, who is still in the running for a second Heisman Trophy.

Receiver Mohamed Massaquoi is having a terrific year, but if there’s only two first-team spots, that’s plenty of competition. Besides Green, there’s Florida’s Percy Harvin, LSU’s Brandon LaFell and Alabama’s Julio Jones. Would Massaquoi get some votes over Green because he’s a senior who has paid his dues?

Knowshon Moreno and Darryl Gamble gave Georgia both the SEC offensive and defensive player of the week awards for their performances in the Bulldogs' 52-38 win over LSU Saturday.

From the SEC:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KNOWSHON MORENO
Tailback
GEORGIA
5-11 • 207 • Sophomore
Belford, N.J. (Middletown South HS)

• Moreno registered his third-highest rushing total of the season after tallying 163 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries to lead Georgia to a 52-38 win at #11 LSU.

• He had the second-longest run of his career after scampering 68 yards for a score late in the third quarter and also had a 47-yard run in the game.

• Moreno has moved up to eighth on the Georgia career rushing yardage list with 2,259 yards.

• He also added two catches for nine yards against LSU.

• The SEC POW honor is the third of the season and the second consecutive for Moreno.

The police incident reports on the arrests of Brandon Wood and Vince Vance this weekend provide some more details.
Wood was arrested for DUI. He had a blood alcohol level of .11. The legal limit is .08.
Here's an update that we've put on our Web site after reading the reports this morning.
In other news, Knowshon Moreno is the SEC offensive player of the week.

From the SEC release:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KNOWSHON MORENO
Tailback
GEORGIA
5-11 • 207 • Sophomore
Belford, N.J. (Middletown South HS)

• Moreno recorded a season-high 172 yards rushing and one touchdown on 23 carries in Georgia’s 24-14 win over Vanderbilt.

• The effort was Moreno’s 10th 100-yard game of his career. He is currently 10th in the Georgia career record books in rushing yards with 2,096.

In case you haven't yet read our college football preview section, I got a chance to go up to New Jersey in July for a story I wrote about Knowshon Moreno.

I really enjoyed spending time one morning with Steve Antonucci, Moreno’s high school coach at Middletown South.

I met him while the current team held a summer weightlifting workout at 8 a.m.

The school has terrific facilities that surprised Georgia recruiting coordinator Rodney Garner when he first visited the place. It has an indoor bubble for inclement weather that includes two basketball courts and a weight room with $75,000 worth of recently purchased equipment. Antonucci actually prefers to practice his team outside even in the pouring rain.

We’ve got our college football preview section coming out in our Sunday paper and online.

One of the stories looks at Georgia’s Heisman Trophy candidates this year.
Tailback Knowshon Moreno is considered among the favorites and Matthew Stafford is also showing up on many top 10 lists.

USA Today oddsmaker Danny Sheridan lists Moreno as an 8:1 favorite. Stafford is listed as 18:1. 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow from Florida is listed as 4:1.

Georgia coach Mark Richt coached Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks Charlie Ward and Chris Weinke at Florida State.

He had some insight on those guys winning the Heisman that I wasn’t able to get into my Heisman story for our preview issue.