Bulldogs banged up with Vols set to visit
Georgia’s 43-29 win at Missouri on Saturday afternoon included 12 penalties, four turnovers and multiple instances of huddled referees that added up to a three-hour, 38-minute game.
The aftermath hasn’t been much better for the No. 2 Bulldogs, who left Columbia with more injured players compared to Friday’s arrival.
“We’ve got a team that’s banged up,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in a news conference afterward. “We lost some guys in this game, but other guys stepped up and played.”
Georgia has developed a deep and talented offensive front under Smart and line coach Sam Pittman, and that depth could be used at multiple positions when the Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) host Tennessee (2-2, 0-1) this Saturday.
Starting right guard Ben Cleveland left the game at Missouri with what Smart called a “lower extremity injury,” and 247Sports.com was the first to report Sunday that the 6-foot-6, 335-pound redshirt sophomore fractured his left fibula and will be out at least four weeks. Sophomore Justin Shaffer (6-4, 335) replaced Cleveland and helped the Bulldogs amass 297 of their 445 yards in the second half.
The Bulldogs already have relied on freshman left tackle Cade Mays, which was the case again against the Tigers (3-1, 0-1). Sophomore left tackle Andrew Thomas injured an ankle early in the third quarter of the 41-17 win at South Carolina on Sept. 8, which caused him to sit out the 49-7 rout of Middle Tennessee State the next week.
Thomas returned to the starting lineup at Missouri only to apparently re-injure the ankle and open the door to more playing time for Mays.
Freshman cornerback Tyson Campbell (stomach illness), middle linebacker Monty Rice (knee) and receiver Tyler Simmons (shoulder) are ailing, too, and Smart is expected to update the status of several players today during his weekly news conference.
“I want to get the results of everything and see,” Smart said Saturday.
Georgia ended Missouri’s nine-game winning streak in regular-season games that dated to last October, but Smart repeatedly said his team did not play with the discipline and composure needed. The Bulldogs and Tigers both averaged 4.6 yards per carry, with Georgia rushing for 185 yards and Missouri 172.
In Georgia’s 53-28 home win against Missouri last season, the Bulldogs had an overwhelming 370-59 advantage in rushing yards.
“If you asked me my most disappointing thing, I would say they were able the run the ball, especially in the low-red area,” Smart said. “That’s concerning for us, because that’s not who we are. We’ve just got to get to work, because they outmanned us in there.”
Contrasting that, however, is the fact Missouri senior quarterback Drew Lock threw for 221 yards and no touchdowns after throwing for three touchdowns in last year’s game. Georgia sophomore Jake Fromm passed for 260 yards and three touchdowns this past Saturday.
“It’s awesome to come out and have the ability to compete with him,” Fromm told reporters. “I wasn’t necessarily thinking about going toe to toe with him, because I’m playing his defense, and he’s playing my defense. He’s a great football player, but you just want to compete.
“We faced some adversity today, which is good for our team.”
Georgia and Tennessee will be meeting for the 48th time, with the Volunteers holding a 23-22-2 series edge. The Bulldogs won last year’s meeting 41-0 in Neyland Stadium, which is the Vols’ worst loss in any game there.
Tennessee sustained a 10th consecutive SEC setback Saturday night with its 47-21 home loss to Florida (3-1, 1-1).