Kirby Smart issues Georgia football injury report for Vanderbilt week

ATHENS — The Georgia-Tennessee game was a physical battle, to be sure, but Kirby Smart delivered news that the Bulldogs came through the game healthy.

“As far as the injury front goes, the only guy of note I would think would be Tyler Simmons,” Smart said at his Monday press conference. “We’re hopeful to get him back. He ran all last week. He’s going to practice today.”

Simmons began this season as one of the starting wide receivers for the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs before suffering a shoulder injury in the first quarter of the 43-29 win at Missouri on Sept. 23.

While Simmons returned to practice, his status for the 7:30 p.m. game Saturday against Vanderbilt (TV: SEC Network; Radio: WSB 95.5 FM, 750 AM) would remain questionable.

“Probably going to have to have a harness for his shoulder, which may limit him some,” Smart said. “but we hope to get him back for this week.”

The receiver room is one of the deeper position groups on the team, particularly with the leading returning receiver from the 2017 team back, Terry Godwin.

Godwin missed the start of fall drills on account of a knee injury, and then he was sidelined further by a strained calf.

But Godwin said after the 38-12 win over Tennessee on Saturday that he no longer has those issues.

“There’s not an issue anymore, I’m back,” Godwin said.“With any injury it’s going to take you a little time to get back to where you were, and probably not even quite get back to where you were, but you just have to keep pushing.”

Godwin has four catches for 46 yards this season, and the Tennessee game marked his first start of this season.

“I don’t worry about playing time, but with that receiving corps in there in the room, I’m happy for any guy to go out there and play,” Godwin said. “I know we’re going to put the best guy in to make the best situation, any guy in that room can do that.”

The Tennessee game also marked the first action of the season for senior tight end Jackson Harris, who had been out with a leg injury.

Georgia junior right guard Ben Cleveland missed the Tennessee game with the leg injury he suffered at Missouri, as expected, and freshman Cade Mays got the start in place of him.

Mays continued to work at right guard in Monday’s practice.