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Greyson Lambert named Georgia's starting QB

Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert (11) throws under pressure from linebacker John Huff (57) during a college football practice Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in Athens, Ga. Georgia's quarterback competition is getting crowded for the start of practice, with Virginia transfer Greyson Lambert joining Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Greyson Lambert will start Saturday’s season opener against Louisiana-Monroe, coach Mark Richt announced Monday.

Richt said Brice Ramsey and Faton Bauta will share second-team reps this week.

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“There may be other or others who get in the game, but right now the thing that I know that he’ll start the game,” Richt said. “Very, very close competition. Still being contested in my mind. But at this point we felt it'd be wise to name a starter and get him ready to play in this ballgame.”

Lambert was a transfer from Virginia where he started eight games last season before being replaced. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

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Last week, Richt said he was reluctant to name a starting quarterback and that he might need to see some actual game reps to choose a starter. However, all that changed after Saturday’s scrimmage. Richt said he and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer felt good about Lambert then, but wanted to give it a couple days. The quarterbacks learned of the depth chart prior to Monday’s practice.

Ramsey was the favorite to win the starting role because he was the backup to Hutson Mason last year and he put up decent numbers in limited time. However, Richt’s reluctance to name Ramsey the starter seemed to open the door for Lambert to win the starting role.

Lambert’s only been on campus for 49 days, but in that time he’s picked up the playbook and taken command of the offense.

Richt said while Lambert is the Week 1 starter, the competition is by no means closed.

“I think they all can get us in the right plays. I think they can all get us in the right protections. I think they can all function extremely well and help us win,” Richt said. “That’s what made it really tough. I can’t tell you how many times we went back and forth on the thing, quite frankly. So it was very close.”

For more Georgia news, visit UGASports.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

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