Doolittle, Hartley up for challenge

Todd Hartley and Mitch Doolittle weren't exactly looking for seasonal jobs during the holiday season, but the Georgia graduate assistants were presented with a big opportunity by coach Mark Richt.

The two agreed to step up and help prepare the Georgia defense for the Independence Bowl a week from today after three assistant coaches were dismissed.

Hartley and Doolittle were given a little more than three weeks to prepare players for a Texas A&M team that ranks fifth in the country in total offense and scored 39 points against BCS title game participant Texas in its last game.

"It's a little trial by fire," said Doolittle, 25. "We're measured by that one three-hour period, so all this work it's good and we're excited about it, but it doesn't matter unless you go perform. The judgment will still be out until 8 o'clock Eastern Time that Monday night, so we'll see."

Richt offered defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, linebackers coach John Jancek and defensive ends coach Jon Fabris a chance to remain with the team through the bowl, but they declined.

So Richt turned to Doolittle - who worked directly with Jancek - to coach the linebackers and to Hartley - who helped Martinez - to coach the defensive backs for the bowl.

"It's a great opportunity, especially for a young coach," said Hartley, 24. "You would hope it would look good on a résumé, for obvious reasons."

Both aspire to get full-time gigs as college coaches, hooking on next perhaps as a position coach.

"You've got your eyes on the prize, light at the end of the tunnel," Doolittle said. "It's not a business for the faint of heart. That's for sure. You've got to be dedicated, know what you want."

The hours of a graduate assistant can be long (nearly 18-hour days), the pay not so great (Doolittle makes about $15,000, Hartley about $24,000), but they are working at an SEC school.

Grad assistants do the "grunt work," as Hartley put it: breaking down film, providing scouting reports to players and organizing the scout teams. On Monday morning, they brief coaches on tendencies of upcoming opponents.

"They're sharp," Richt said. "When the players know that the guys have knowledge, they respect that and they respond to that."

Hartley had to complete a 10-page final paper on adult education in Third World nations before bowl practices began. Doolittle, who holds the title program coordinator, is not required to take classes.

Richt could have looked outside the program to fill the temporary position. Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh turned to his father, Jack Harbaugh, to serve as interim running backs coach for the Sun Bowl after Willie Taggert was hired as Western Kentucky's coach.

Clemson promoted offensive graduate assistants Jeff Scott and Mike Dooley to full-time positions after a coaching change last October. Scott is now receivers coach and recruiting coordinator and Dooley is high school relations director.

Georgia's makeshift defensive staff now consists of veteran defensive line coach Rodney Garner, Hartley, Doolittle and student assistants Jonathan DeLay and Stephen Crowson, who are running the scout team. Richt is helping with gameplanning.

"You've got to find a way," Doolittle said. "Adapt, adjust, overcome."

Hartley and Doolittle are just a couple of years older than some players.

"He's a younger guy, has a lot of energy," linebacker Darryl Gamble said of Doolittle. "It hasn't been negative at all. Just going with the flow. Coach Garner is pretty much over the whole 'D.' We've still got familiar faces around. It's not like getti

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