ATHENS, Ga. (AP) - Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason will never forget his last phone call with Philip Lutzenkirchen.
Mason plans to remember his good friend throughout the season.
While meeting with the media Friday before the start of preseason practice, Mason sported a "43" pin - Lutzenkirchen's number at Auburn. The former Tigers tight end was killed in a June 29 car accident.
Mason and Lutzenkirchen were teammates at Lassiter High School in suburban Atlanta and remained close, even after signing with rival schools.
The two spoke on the phone the night before the accident. Lutzenkirchen praised Mason for sticking it out at Georgia, where he spent four years as a backup before finally getting a chance to start this season.
"Just looking back on that, it gives me chills," said Mason, who was a pall-bearer at Lutzenkirchen's funeral. "To have that last conversation, it was kind of like his goodbye. It gives me a lot of peace because I know he'll be watching over me."
The senior quarterback plans to remember Lutzenkirchen in other ways during the season.
"I'm trying to come up with something out on field," Mason said. "It's not going to be anything to take away from the team. I've talked about it with the equipment managers. Maybe something on my hat while I'm on the sideline or meeting with the media afterward."