ATHENS — Let A.J. Green have all the attention. Mohamed Massaquoi doesn't mind a bit.
Green, Georgia's super freshman, wasted no time establishing himself as one of the top receivers in the Southeastern Conference. Heading into Saturday's game at Auburn, the guy who's been compared to Randy Moss for his size, hands and speed ranks fourth in the league with 46 catches and leads in receiving yards (806).
With Green making one spectacular catch after another, it's easy to forget that Massaquoi is having the best year of his career. The senior is just behind his teammate in the conference rankings with 41 catches and holds down third in receiving yards with 669.
Coach Mark Richt gives Massaquoi much of the credit for Green's quick development through a team concept known as "Brother's Keeper."
"That's where we have a veteran take a young guy under his wing. A.J. was his player," Richt said. "It was kind of natural. He's helped A.J. tremendously."
Massaquoi never fretted about the possibility of a talented freshman taking away some of the headlines that might have come his way as a senior.
"You don't play this game for accolades or to get the spotlight," he said. "You play this game because you enjoy it. You play this game because you have pride in your school. I'm always going to be a Georgia Bulldog. I'll always want to see Georgia do great things. I'll always root for whoever plays for us."
Richt appreciates the senior's unselfishness, which he said was never more apparent than in a 49-10 loss to Florida. After an interception, Massaquoi hustled to make the tackle at the Georgia 1, even though his effort had no bearing on the outcome of the game.
"Everyone was running, but Mohamed was really running," Richt said. "He was determined to make that play. That is one example of a guy who cares."
Having Green on the opposite side actually seems to have benefited Massaquoi, whose production had been on the decline the last two seasons. He managed only 30 receptions as a sophomore and 32 last season, both shy of the solid numbers (38 receptions for 505 yards) he put up as a freshman.
With so many teams shading their coverage toward Green, Massaquoi has found it easier to get open. When you throw an experienced quarterback (Matthew Stafford) and a star running back (Knowshon Moreno) into the equation, Richt believes this is the best group of skill position players he's had in eight years as the Bulldogs' coach.
Massaquoi has played a major role in the offensive success, even if he does get overshadowed.
"I'm just enjoying the journey and everything that comes with it," he said. "The people I've had a chance to meet, the education I've had a chance to get, and all the opportunities I've had a chance to be a part of."
Spoken like a true leader.
Davis returns
Auburn's Tristan Davis has taken the brunt of the trash-talking with his best friend from high school the last two seasons, Georgia's Marcus Brown.
The Bulldogs have won both times, and Brown made sure Davis didn't forget it.
"The last two years he had a mouthful," said Davis, the Tigers' senior kick returner and a backup running back. "It hasn't changed. The other two years, I dogged him out pretty bad. This year it's going to be the one that we can talk about forever, because it's the last one."
Davis is one of 25 Auburn players from the state of Georgia, leading to plenty of jawing back and forth between the teams.
Davis said he never was a fan of the Bulldogs, even though he grew up in suburban Atlanta playing for a high school that shared the same colors and nickname.
"My high school was the Bulldogs and we were red, black and white," Davis said. "It has nothing to do with that. It's just the cocky attitude of everybody from Georgia, so I just don't like them."
He could be a candidate for a big play or two in the game. Davis ranks fourth nationally in kick returns, and had the season's second 95-plus-yard return for a touchdown last week against Tennessee Martin.
"I just never imagined I'd be scoring two touchdowns in one year on kick returns," said Davis, who also has run for a score. "Well, I imagined it. I didn't think it was going to happen in the fashion that it happened."
NFL plans
With two games left in the regular season, the speculation about Knowshon Moreno's future is beginning to heat up.
Moreno has played only two seasons with the Bulldogs. But he can declare himself eligible for the NFL draft because he's been in school for three years, having been redshirted in 2006.
Moreno is having another big year, rushing for 1,113 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he would surely be a first-round pick if he enters the draft.
"People are always asking me about that, but I just want to focus on this year," Moreno said. "If I can finish off this year strong, then we'll see what happens."
He said he's not leaning either way.
"I haven't thought about it," Moreno insisted. "The main thing is just to finish off this season."