Reggie Carter admits he doesn’t remember a while lot about the hit against Tennessee that knocked him out of games against Vanderbilt and Missouri with a concussion.

“When I got hit, I was like, I can make it to the sideline, I can get up and walk it off, but I felt myself veering to the right,” Carter said. “I could see Coach (Kirby) Smart having his hand out, telling me to get down. That’s all I could see.”

The concussion – which Carter confirmed – was the second in as many years for the senior linebacker, who has seen his share of injuries over the years.

“It hurts every time you get injured … and it hurts watching your team play,” Carter said. “You just trust the process and trust you heal right, but after it’s over you just go out there and play.”

As is typical with recoveries from concussions, Carter’s went at its own pace and it wasn’t until he passed all the prescribed protocols that he was allowed back on the field.

“You just rest,” Carter said. “I put a big sheet over my window and kept my room completely dark.”

Motivation to return has never been a problem.

“My teammates, my coaches. I trust them. They’re like family to me, they motivate me to come back and play every single time,” he said. “Those guys those coaches and teammate, they’re my love … I don’t want to quit on my family.”

Smart agrees Carter has been through a lot.

“He is an incredible kid when you think about it. He has been through some knees, some shoulders. He has been banged up. He has always been a really good player,” Smart said. “I can still remember the first time I saw his highlights when he was a ninth and 10th grader. He has come a long way. He is really a good leader for us. He understands the defense. He knows how to execute it. He is not real emotional. Reggie is a kid who gives you his best each day. It shows how resilient he is to come back from the injuries he has overcome.”

Last week’s 42-7 win against Florida was one of his better games, a contest which also featured one of his more memorable hits when he basically speared a Gator receiver into the ground following a short completion to midfield.

“When I got up, I told myself, yeah,” he said. “It feels good to be back.”

Friends yes … just not in-season

Smart was asked the invariable question about his relationship with South Carolina coach Will Muschamp and Colorado State’s Mike Bobo, three former teammates at Georgia now coaching at the FBS level in the college ranks.

“I take pride in the fact that we all kind of grew up educators’ kids, coaches’ kids,” Smart said. “We grew up around the game. It is what we have been around all of our lives, so I respect both of those guys and think they do a great job.”

However, any friendships are put aside until after the season.

“You know, no, we do not have time to catch up in season,” said Smart, who asked if a win over his friend Muschamp would make Saturday’s game any more memorable.

“I don’t think so. You want these players to have success,” Smart said. “I want my players to have success just like he wants his players to have success. It’s not about Will and I. It’s not about us, it’s about the players. I think he’d be the first to tell you that.”

Four Dawgs up for post-season national awards

Four Bulldogs were named semifinalists for four of the most prestigious post-season awards.

Running back Nick Chubb was tabbed for the Maxwell Award, Lorenzo Carter for the Butkus Award, with linebacker Roquan Smith tabbed for both the Butkus and the Bednarik Award.

The Butkus Award goes to the nation’s top linebacker, while the Bednarik goes to the nation’s outstanding defensive player of the year. The Maxwell Award goes to the collegiate player of the year.

“They both work hard. We have talked a long time about team success equals individual success. I think a lot of these kids on this team are deserving of some of those individual accolades, but you do not usually get them unless you have team success first,” Smart said. “I think some of the team offense, defense and special teams success can lead to some recognition, but to win it you have to play well. You have to certainly be a very productive player, and both of those young men have been that.”

...Sophomore defensive back J.R. Reed on Monday was named the Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Florida.

Georgia-Auburn on six-day delay

Georgia and Auburn will either play at 3:30 on CBS or on ESPN at 7 p.m., the league announced on Monday.

Look for an announcement Saturday night.