ATLANTA – It turns out D’Andre Swift’s left shoulder issues were more serious than head coach Kirby Smart was letting on.

Although Swift played in Saturday’s 37-10 loss to LSU in the SEC Championship, his numbers weren’t up to the level most fans have seen through his career. The junior carried the ball just 12 times for 13 yards.

In fact, most of Swift’s snaps came at receiver.

“Yeah, they just tried to get me in space to protect my shoulder,” said Swift. “I tried to push through, but the way the game was going, there was no need for me to try and do anything else.”

Prior to the game, Swift knelt in the middle of the field to say a small prayer.

“I was just praying for protection,” Swift said, “When my number was called to go out and make plays.”

The question now: Did Swift just play his last game for the Bulldogs?

Though he's a junior, most believe the Philadelphia native will leave early for the NFL. It’s also unclear whether or not Swift would elect to play in Georgia’s upcoming bowl game.

“I’m going to talk to my team, talk to my coaches, and try to get my shoulder better,” said Swift, who admitted he still isn’t sure what the problem might be.

“I’m not 100 percent,” he said.

Head coach Kirby Smart was asked about Swift’s 'real status' after the game.

“D'Andre Swift's real status was he practiced all week. He did everything we asked him to do. He said he was going to be able to play, and thought he would be able to compete. He felt good in warm-ups, and he played,” Smart said. “Toward the end of the game, we ended up holding him out once the outcome was decided, but he seemed fine to me.”

The running back seemed to tell a different story.

“I’ve been dealing with a lot of pain,” Swift said. “There were times I didn’t have any motion in my arm, but I tried to push through.”

…Like Swift, left tackle Andrew Thomas said he plans to wait until after Sunday’s team meeting, followed by a discussion with coaches and his family, before deciding to play in Georgia’s bowl.

“Right now, I don’t know,” Thomas said.

Already down Lawrence Cager and George Pickens for the first half, Georgia’s wide receiving corps took another major hit when Dominick Blaylock was knocked out of the game in the first quarter with a left knee injury.

Blaylock had just caught a first-down pass from Jake Fromm, but he appeared to turn the wrong way and crumpled to the turf.

…The Bulldogs also lost linebacker Quay Walker to a shoulder injury in the first quarter, while defensive tackle Michael Barnett left with an undisclosed injury, as did cornerback Tyrique Stephenson, who had to be carted off the field. Stephenson later told reporters he had cramps.

Wide receiver Kearis Jackson (ankle) was also lost for the game.

Even Fromm got knocked out late in the second quarter, but returned.

With the playoffs out of the picture, Georgia will learn its bowl fate Sunday.

As of Saturday night, it’s believed the Bulldogs will be invited on a second straight trip to the Sugar Bowl, to face Baylor, or perhaps it could still be a trip to the Orange Bowl with Virginia as the opponent.

The Bulldogs and Cavaliers open up next season against one another in the Chick-fil-A Classic here at Mercedes-Benz.