ATHENS — Kirby Smart has been saying all season long that his Georgia team has been banged up on the injury front.
That statement still seems to be true heading into the SEC Championship game on Saturday against Texas.
Perhaps the most impactful injury comes on the defensive line, as the Bulldogs will likely be without defensive tackle Christen Miller. He suffered a shoulder injury against UMass and missed the game against Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets ran for 260 yards, the most Georgia has allowed since LSU rolled up 275 yards in 2018.
“If you told me before the game we were going to have them in the second seven plus 16 times, I would have thought that we did something really, really well,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “What we didn’t do was play real well on a couple of second and longs and a couple of the third downs, which really cost us. But the defensive line, we played more players there. We had to go into the well and play some younger guys, and they struck blocks and did some good things.”
The running back position will also be worth watching for Georgia this weekend. Trevor Etienne continues to deal with a rib injury, with Smart noting on Sunday that the junior running back is doing everything he can to try and make it back for Saturday’s game against Texas. Etienne had 3 rushing touchdowns the first time these two teams met in October.
Georgia did see Roderick Robinson make his season debut against the Yellow Jackets, rushing for 3 yards on 4 attempts. Robinson added 34 receiving yards as well.
“He got his first live-action back, and he’s still gaining confidence,” Smart said of Robinson. “He’s still getting his play speed back. You can’t replicate what he did in the game in practice. We try to. He got good reps during the week. I thought he did a great job in pass pro, an area that he’s taken pride in, two-minute catching the ball. He’s just got to get back comfortable carrying the ball, running the ball, doing those things. He’s certainly very talented, and we hope that the longer he’s coming back, the more he gets back to 100%. I mean, he can’t just jump back out there and be 100%.”
Robinson had missed the first 11 games of the season with a toe injury. As for the other Robinson running back, Smart also provided an update on Branson Robinson. He has missed the last six games with a knee injury he suffered against Mississippi State.
“Yeah, we’re hopeful to get Branson back and bring him back at the speed that he’s comfortable with and that he feels comfortable with,” Smart said.
Georgia did get a boost at the wide receiver position, with Dillon Bell and Anthony Evans returning against Georgia Tech. Both missed the UMass game, as Bell had an ankle injury and Evans had been dealing with a hamstring injury.
“He adds toughness, experience, quickness. He’s got body quickness, ability to win one-on-ones,” Smart said of Bell. “I think he came out of the game pretty healthy. I think it bothered him once, but it was good to get him out of it healthy because we need him to be healthy for this game.”
A win for Georgia on Saturday against Texas would give the Bulldogs the chance to earn some much-needed rest. The winner of the SEC Championship game would not have to play again until Jan. 1, while the loser of the game will have to play either Dec. 20 or Dec. 21. With a team as injured as Georgia has been, that extra time off could be huge in a championship push.
Saturday’s game is set for a 4 p.m. ET start on ABC.
