KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Georgia’s injury situation heading into Saturday’s game was well documented.

Unfortunately, for the Bulldogs, there’s a few more to add to the list.

Topping the list is outside linebacker Nolan Smith, who left the game in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be an injury to his left wrist.

Smith was examined briefly on the sideline before heading to the locker room with trainers.

He was not the only one.

Defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, who played throughout the entire game, suffered what head coach Kirby Smart said he believes to be a sprained knee.

“I haven’t even talked to Ron (Courson). I don’t know even know. I know one time I went out there and Devonte sprained his knee, he thought,” Smart said. “One time another guy got hit in the ribs. But I’ll check with Ron and see. Hopefully, those guys are okay.”

Fingers will be crossed for sure.

No doubt Bulldog fans held their breath when nose tackle Jordan Davis went down to one knee late in the first quarter.

Trainers tended to Davis for a minute, but the big senior was able to walk off the field under his own power and come back in the game to finish with no apparent issues.

Linebacker Robert Beal followed an identical script.

Beal went down and was worked on by trainers until walking off. Like Davis, Beal was able to return to the game.

Defensive end Tramel Walthour left the game with 4:16 left in the third quarter and did not return.

Injuries were not the only story.

A recent run of the flu took its toll on the Bulldogs as well, with Jalen Carter, Warren Ericson, and tight end John FitzPatrick among those affected.

Carter and Ericson actually had to leave the game in the first half.

“He was sick,” Smart said of Carter. “We had about five guys sick. Jalen didn’t feel well. We tried to IV him. He had over a 100-degree fever, and we had to pull him at half because of his temperature. Warren Ericson was sick with the flu. Fitz was sick with the flu. We had several guys that were struggling, a little sick, and under the weather.”

What we are hearing on Nolan Smith...

After back-to-back busts at guard by Ericson and Justin Shaffer, the Bulldogs made a shift on the offensive line.

Xavier Truss took over at right guard and played most of the game there. Ericson was ill as Smart noted but he continued to play special teams.

…Senior Jamaree Salyer dressed out but did not play. Broderick Jones started his second straight game at left tackle.

Offensive line changes were not the only ones made by the Bulldogs. Georgia made a key defensive switch as well.

With Latavious Brini appearing to struggle in coverage, defensive coordinator Dan Lanning shifted free safety Christopher Smith to star for the first time this year, with Dan Jackson taking over for Smith.

“Chris is a very versatile player. Dan’s been playing well. We felt like, during the week, we worked that hard to try to get some depth,” Smart said. “(Javon) Bullard’s been a little banged up. We had to move (William) Poole to star and repped Chris there throughout the week thinking it could help us, because Chris has some good man to man ability. We had to play a different style defense this week, and I thought the changes we made really helped us.”

Still, the Vols had some success.

Tennessee quarterbacks combined to complete 30 of 48 passes for 332 yards and two touchdowns, with wide receiver Cedric Tillman grabbing 10 catches for a career-high 200 yards.

“Those two corners (Derion Kendrick and Kelee Ringo) went out and played. We left them on an island all game. They hit some plays, they got behind Kelee, they made some plays on DK. They've got some good wideouts. We thought that going into the game, we were going to have to play well on the perimeter,” Smart said. “They're tough to defend. Tennessee is going to be a good team because of the way they play. They make you play one-on-one outside. It becomes feast or famine. If they can't win one-on-one, they're going to have a long day. But when you can, they're extremely explosive.

“I thought those two corners did a great job. The other four guys that played, Brini, Lewis, Chris, and Dan all did a nice job rotating through there.”

Opening Statement: “I thought Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, we had really good practices. Tough place to play. I think the way the game started, they start that way against people, and we talked to our guys about taking their best shot. But we didn’t come up here to take shots, we came up here to throw them. And our offense came right back with a huge drive, which I thought was huge for us to start that way, and give our defense some confidence, and let us to get our feet underneath us. They did a tremendous job. And I’m proud of the way the guys played.”

… On talking to Peyton Manning before the game: "I got a chance to talk to Peyton before the game, but it was more about his son. He wants me to recruit his son. He had me worried, because he said he was going to play quarterback today. I was getting even more nervous.”

… Georgia trailed 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. It marked the first time the Bulldogs have trailed at the end of a quarter this year.

… Saturday’s attendance was 100,074.

… With Saturday’s victory, top-ranked Georgia posted a perfect 8-0 mark in the league for the first time in school history. The average margin of victory in these games was 31.9 points. Georgia now has completed league play undefeated eight times, and this is the first 8-0 mark since the SEC split into divisions in 1992. This is the third time that Georgia has gone 6-0 in the SEC East under Kirby Smart. Since 2017, Georgia is 27-2 against the East. Georgia is now 10-0 for the first time since 1982, when it went 11-0. The Bulldogs also started out 10-0 in 1980 and 1946. The 2011 team began the year 0-2 and then won 10 straight games to close out the regular season.

… Top-ranked Georgia, the national leader in scoring defense (6.6 ppg), held Tennessee to 10 points in the first half as the Vols ran 41 plays for 184 yards (159 yards came in the first quarter, and only 25 yards in the second quarter). Tennessee added a touchdown in the fourth quarter to finish with 17 points. The Vols were averaging 38.2 points per game. Georgia opponents have scored just 76 total points, and that tally through 10 games is the lowest in a season at this point since 1950, when it allowed 58.

… Nakobe Dean led the team with 11 tackles, 2 TFL and a sack. In the second quarter, senior Derion Kendrick notched his second interception of the season. The interception led to a touchdown on the ensuing drive. Georgia is plus-3 in turnover margin this season and has scored 80 points off 14 turnovers.

In the second half, on its first possession, Tennessee went for it on fourth-and-4 from the 17-yard line, and the defense forced an incompletion. The Vols turned it over on downs on their next possession at the Tennessee 40 on a sack by Channing Tindall, and the Bulldogs eventually added a touchdown for a 34-10 edge. Tindall added a sack/fumble to thwart a red zone opportunity when Tennessee had advanced the ball to the 7-yard line. Tindall had eight tackles and three sacks, both career highs. Tennessee got its final score with 3:38 left to make it 41-17. It ended a 34-0 run by the Bulldogs, which trailed 10-7 with 1:39 left in the first quarter.

… Nine different Bulldogs caught a pass. Freshman Adonai Mitchell led the team with a career-high five catches for 65 yards. Junior Kearis Jackson had two for 32 yards. "AD (Mitchell) is a good wideout. AD is a hard worker. AD is a young receiver that is growing up in the midst of conference play. He's been more productive probably in practice than he has in the game,” Smart said. “He hasn't always gotten his opportunities in the game, but I'm proud of how he works. He's getting maturity, and I'm certainly glad he got those opportunities in the two-minute drive there to make some plays. He's got to continue to work on his ball security, but he's a talented young man."

… Georgia tallied 274 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 42 attempts. Cook tied a career-high 104 yards on 10 carries, including two touchdowns. Cook capped the first drive with a 39-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7. He has 13 career rushing touchdowns. Cook also had a 23-yard receiving touchdown. He posted 147 all-purpose yards. This was his second career 100-yard rushing game. He had 104 versus South Carolina in 2020. This was his third career game with three total scores.

… Senior punter Jake Camarda had five punts for a 50.8 average. Junior Jack Podlesny had five point-afters, plus went 2-for-2 on field goals. He made a 40-yarder to tie the game at 10 with 9:42 left, and added a 26-yarder in the 2nd half. He is now 16-for-20 on field goals and 47-for-48 on PATs.