OXFORD, Ms. — Georgia’s offense had just 10 points in the loss to Ole Miss.

And its lack of key players paints at least part of the picture as to why the offensive performance was what it was.

Running back Trevor Etienne had just 6 carries for 24 yards in the game. He is still dealing with a rib injury he picked up against Florida. Nate Frazier once again led the team in carries with 12, but the freshman also had 2 fumbles. One of those halted a promising Georgia second-half drive.

“It’s hurting him some,” Smart said of Etienne. “You know, he was not able to do a lot during the week. He got to run a lot, but he didn’t get to rep, take shots, and take the physical contact that you probably need on Tuesday, Wednesday. A lot of people don’t realize it, but you need to practice to be able to play good. 

“People think you can just not practice and go out there and play good. That’s hard on him, but I thought he was really tough tonight and tried to go out there and tough it out and made some good runs for us, but he didn’t feel like he had the same juice. He felt like he was a step slow.”

Georgia was once again without running backs Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson.

The offensive line was equally impacted by injuries. Micah Morris did not play at all in the loss after he picked up a lower-body injury against Florida.

Tate Ratledge got the start for Georgia at right guard, but he was unable to finish the game.

“We thought he’d be able to go like he did against Florida,” Smart said of Ratledge. “He was not able to take many reps, but we thought he’d be able to go in the game just based off of experience. He struggled, that foot was still not completely healed, and he’s out there giving us all he can. So that made it a little harder. Micah (Morris) is still dealing with injury, too, from the Florida game. So those two guys struggled.”

With Georgia’s top guard options out, the Bulldogs turned to Drew Bobo and Xavier Truss at guard. The Bulldogs were able to plug Monroe Freeling in at both tackle spots.

The injuries clearly impacted the Georgia offensive line, with the Bulldogs giving up 5.0 sacks on the night. Ole Miss, which came into the game ranking first in the SEC in sacks and tackles for loss, added 9.0 tackles for loss as well.

On the defensive side of the ball, Georgia did get some positive news. Smael Mondon returned to action after missing the last four games with a lower-body injury. CJ Allen and Jalon Walker got the start at inside linebacker, but Mondon’s return could be significant for Georgia.

Defensive lineman Jordan Hall also was able to make his season debut. He missed the first eight games of the season following leg surgery in August.

Still, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart threw for 199 yards and ran for another 50 to power the Ole Miss offense.

“I think we played decent on defense when we held everybody to field goals, but we couldn’t get a turnover, we couldn’t get a sack,” Smart said. “We couldn’t get a momentum play, and we kept just staying in the game until they’re late.”

Georgia next returns to the field against Tennessee. That game is set for a 7:30 p.m. ET start on ABC.

“As you go through the season you get injuries,” Smart said. “I mean, they’ve got injuries too. Everybody’s got injuries. It just makes it tough. It’s tough, but you know what, our future’s in front of us. We’ve got a big game next week. We’ve got to go out, and we’ve got to find a way to execute at a higher level.”

Georgia football injury report following Ole Miss