Georgia finally received some good injury news Monday with word from Kirby Smart that both outside linebacker Nolan Smith and defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt both avoided serious injuries Saturday at Tennessee.
Both occurred late in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 41-17 win, with Smith forced from the game after injuring his elbow. Wyatt, who went down on the field three times, left for good late in the fourth after suffering a minor injury to his knee.
Fortunately, both players are apparently OK.
“Nolan should be fine. He’s got an elbow that’s dinged up. It shouldn’t be an issue,” Smart said. “Devonte Wyatt is fine; he had a little scare in the game but should be fine.”
Wyatt and Smith weren’t the only defensive starters in the game, with Georgia comfortably ahead 41-10.
Nose tackle Jordan Davis, linebackers Nakobe Dean, and safety Lewis Cine also played to the end.
Typically, Smart will empty his bench with games comfortably in hand. However, with the 70-man travel roster, and having players impacted by the flu, the decision was made to keep the starters in.
But that was not all. In response to a question asked by UGASports, Smart said Tennessee’s penchant for points was the biggest reason.
“I don’t think any lead is safe when you’re talking about them. The last I checked, I think they had 13 plays and put 21 points on Kentucky. You’ve got to be careful, because they can score really fast. But we also only traveled 70, of which about 35-30 (were defense); I don’t know what the split was. We play everyone on defense anyway,” Smart said. “Most times reporters come in and say you played 28 guys. We had a couple of guys during the game that were down with either injuries or the flu. We only had so many left, and we were playing those guys. To me, you’re playing that group, and they can score fast. I’m not going to take any chances. We’re going to play our best guys and try to win the game.”
Smart had more good news.
Left tackle Jamaree Salyer (foot) missed his second straight game, but is expected back for Saturday’s Senior Day game against Charleston Southern (Noon, SEC Network+).
“Jamaree just wasn’t able to play last week; we thought he was close. He went out in warmups and went. It bothered him a little,” Smart said. “We thought he would be close last week, an emergency guy, but we think he’s going to clear this week.
Smart also confirmed last week’s news that wide receiver Arian Smith broke a bone in his leg and will be lost for an undetermined amount of time.
“It’s unfortunate, because he’s worked really hard. He’s been a tremendous worker, and no kid has been through what he’s been through,” Smart said. “It was a weird deal. He was just running a route and banged legs with another guy. It wasn’t really a contact issue.”
Smart hopes wide receiver Dom Blaylock will be able to play.
Blaylock (hamstring) dressed out and traveled to the game at Tennessee, but never got into the game.
“Dom is a little under the weather. Dom has been practicing and been doing a good job,” Smart said. “We’re going to get Dom back. It’s just a matter of him being able to go out, execute, and play at a high level.”
Other players, including defensive tackle Jalen Carter and right guard Warren Ericson who were suffering the effects of the flu are also expected back.
“We're dealing with some of the repercussions now,” Smart said. “We've got some guys that are just getting over the flu, and just getting the flu. We've probably got seven or eight guys right now that are not going to be able to practice today, but I think they'll be back by tomorrow."
Smart also warned the media and fans about expectations for players still on the mend, including Blaylock and wide receiver George Pickens.
“I think everyone has this high expectation, and it’s a weight bearing down on Dom, but Dom’s been practicing,” Smart said. “He just hasn’t been able to jump into the rotation, because we haven’t been able to give him enough time with the ones and twos. Hopefully, he’ll get a chance to do that this week.”
