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ATHENS, Ga. -- Kirby Smart is inviting fans to a practice at Sanford Stadium in part because he wants to see how his players respond to the extra attention.The new Georgia coach wont be watching as closely to see how fans respond to the players, including those in the quarterback competition.Smart, the former Alabama defensive coordinator, launched his first preseason practice with Georgia on Monday. He is opening practice at Sanford Stadium to fans on Saturday, which also is the annual fan day with opportunities for photos and autographs.Freshman Jacob Eason, the biggest name in Smarts first recruiting class, may be the fan favorite to beat out returning starter Greyson Lambert and Brice Lambert at quarterback. Smart said he wont be swayed by which quarterback draws the biggest cheers.Do the fans impact my decision? Smart asked. Absolutely not. They can go out there and cheer and scream for him, but Ive got to make the best decision for this team. Ultimately, who the fan favorite is, thats going to be the guy that wins the games, I promise you. If Eason loses a game, they wont like him, either. They wont like me, either.None of the candidates took control of the quarterback job during spring practice, which included a record turnout of 93,000 fans for the G-Day spring game at Sanford Stadium. It was an impressive response -- more than doubling the previous record of 46,000 -- after Smart called for a packed house.Smart is not making a similar request for Saturdays practice. He said opening practice is a reward for fans and extra motivation for the players.Ive always felt like thats an opportunity to give back to your fan base, Smart said. Not only is it exciting for them, but its exciting for the players. I think thats a good way to give back, to give them an opportunity to come out and watch a practice. I dont think they know exactly what our players go through in practice.Smart said he expects fans and reporters to track the reps for the quarterbacks with the first- and second-team offenses.Thats fine, too, he said. Thats not what Im looking for. Im looking to see how guys respond with people out there in the stands.Eason completed 19 of 29 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown in the spring game. He is the most celebrated quarterback to sign with Georgia since Matthew Stafford, now the starter for the Detroit Lions.Tailback is another key position this spring. Junior Nick Chubb was on pace for a big season when he tore the posterior cruciate and other knee ligaments on the first play from scrimmage in Georgias loss to Tennessee on Oct. 10. Smart said Chubb will be closely monitored as he is cleared for everything the team is doing.Sony Michel, who replaced Chubb as the starter, will be limited at the start of practice as he continues to recover from a broken left forearm he suffered in an offseason accident.Were not really comfortable with him right now on if hed have to fall and brace himself, Smart said. He wont be as involved.Options at tailback include Tae Crowder, Brendan Douglas and freshmen Elijah Holyfield and Brian Herrien.Senior center Brandon Kublanow said the uncertainty at tailback is not a concern.Im not worried about it, Kublanow said. We have a lot of hard-working people on the team and weve had a great offseason. ... We always have guys to fill in.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org David Krejci Bruins Jersey Patrice Bergeron Bruins Jersey . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/johnny-bucyk-hockey-jersey/ . "I wrote 36 on my sheet at the beginning of the game," the Cincinnati coach said, referring the yard line the ball would need to be snapped from. David Pastrnak Bruins Jersey .ca NBA Power Rankings, ahead of the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. Cam Neely Bruins Jersey . -- Devin Hester is done returning kicks in Chicago. SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- If only Syracuse had the Pearl -- on the court instead of in their hearts.On a day the Orange paid tribute to the late Dwayne Pearl Washington, L.J. Peak and Rodney Pryor put a damper on the day, combining for 43 points as Georgetown held off Syracuse 78-71 on Saturday.Peak had 23 points and 11 rebounds and Pryor added 20 points to key the victory in the renewal of a once-fierce Big East rivalry, which Washington was a big part of.Whenever Georgetown wins in the Carrier Dome, its a big win for the program, Hoyas coach John Thompson III said. This rivalry, these two institutions, when you think about the Big East you think about Pearl, Patrick (Ewing) and Chris Mullin. When you come up here and its Pearl weekend, its like they need some extra incentive? Without a doubt, hes one of the pillars of the Big East.Syracuse (6-4), which has struggled to form any kind of consistency so far this season, didnt find much again. Tyler Lydon was the bright spot with a career-high 29 points, missing only 1 of 13 shots, but where Washington once worked his magic, the Orange guards continued to struggle.John Gillon had 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting in his first start of the season and Frank Howard had four points, four assists and a game-high six turnovers. Andrew White, who has started in the backcourt six times this season, had 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting in 40 minutes.Were just not playing well at the guard spot I dont think at all, Orange coach Jim Boeheim said. Were making too many mistakes. Were not getting the ball in the basket from the guard spot. We havent in any of our four losses and weve got to play better there.Georgetown (7-4) has won five straight, the first four coming against teams from the lower echelons of Division I.The Hoyas matched the largest lead of the game when Jonathan Mullmore drained a 3 to give Georgetown a 67-60 lead with 2:36 left. The Hoyas hung on at the end after Lydons follow slam and baseline hook moved the Orange within 69-66 with 64 seconds left.Georgetown has lived at the free-throw line this year and that helped the Hoyas survive this one. They were 22 of 25 from the line, nine coming in the final 38 seconds, while the Orange was 14 of 25.It was Pearl Washington Day inside the Carrier Dome and the former Syracuse star, who died in April of cancer at age 52, was celebrated on a snowy, wintry day. Syracuse University is establishing the Pearl Washington Endowed Fund for Continuing Education and set a $1 million endowment goal. The fund wiill support student-athletes who leave the university and later return to pursue their degrees.ddddddddddddA framed photo of Washington and a piece of the basketball court were presented to Washingtons family at center court during a halftime celebration. A No. 31, Washingtons number at Syracuse, also was unveiled and adhered to the wooden surface at center court.This is a very special weekend. Very special, especially since its the Georgetown game, said Rafael Addison, a teammate of Washington in the 1980s. Its hard to talk about him. Pearl would be very pleased with the outpouring of love. (When the 31 peeled off) it felt like he was in the building. He loved this building. He loved this community. He had so much life, so much charisma.White hit his first two 3-pointers as Syracuse rushed to an 11-4 lead in the first 5:08, giving the Orange the biggest lead of the first half, 11-4. The Hoyas clawed back behind Peaks 12 points in the opening period, and when Peak hit a follow shot to tie the game at 31-all in the final two minutes, it almost seemed like an Orange omen.It wasnt.We need to improve, take care of business, White said. That kind of puts a sour taste in the whole theme of the night. It happens sometimes.BIG PICTUREGeorgetown: Hoyas entered the game averaging 28.5 trips to the free-throw line and thats been a huge factor. They were shooting 77.5 percent on free throws before the game. ... Hoyas have won six of their last eight meetings with Syracuse.Syracuse: A video montage of Washington highlights was shown before the game. .. The Orange leads the series with Georgetown 49-43 but is 7-11 against John Thompson III. Hoyas are 13-30 on the road against Syracuse. ... Seven-foot-2 center Paschal Chukwu, a transfer from Providence, had retina surgery on Saturday and is out indefinitely. Hes played 108 minutes in seven games and had not played in two of the previous three games but still led the team with 14 blocks.ONE FOR PEARL: We just wanted to make sure that Pearl was honored. He was, Boeheim said. Were just happy we could do that. We had a lot of support from a lot of people.UP NEXTGeorgetown: Hosts UNC Greensboro at the Verizon Center next Thursday.Syracuse: Hosts Eastern Michigan on Monday.---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25---Follow Kekis on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Greek1947 ' ' '