NEW ORLEANS – Injuries continue to be a concern as No. 5 Georgia prepares to take on No. 15 Texas in Tuesday night’s Sugar Bowl (8:45, ESPN).

During Monday’s final press conference, head coach Kirby Smart said that outside linebacker D’Andre Walker and nose guard Jordan Davis continue to be slowed by their respective injuries. Both could be limited for the game.

“D'Andre Walker struggled a little bit. His groin has been bothering him. He hasn't been able to go full speed. He'll be a game‑time decision, maybe situational, the route we're using,” Smart said. “And then Jordan Davis has kind of been the same. He may be a situational player—just play in certain situations. But to be honest, both these guys have struggled to get back to 100 percent.”

If Walker is indeed limited, Smart said Brenton Cox, Robert Beal, and Azeez Ojulari will be among the players who stand to benefit from extra playing time. Defensive end Malik Herring could also be part of the committee.

The freshman Ojulari was the first player Smart mentioned when asked what youngsters stood out during bowl practice back in Athens.

“We were going to work on us for five, six practices—we call them camp practices—where we would work on Texas a little bit. But Azeez is a kid that came out with an attitude of, ‘I'm going to go play. I want to get better,’” Smart said. “He did a great job of that.”

There were others.

“Channing (Tindall) and Quay (Walker). And I think the young O‑linemen really grew up. Y'all saw them most of the year in Cade Mays and Trey Hill. But those guys grew up a lot,” Smart said. “I thought Tommy (Bush) and Matt (Landers) made strides as football players. It's across the board. Also John FitzPatrick—I mentioned him earlier during bowl practices.”

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● Texas native Tommy Bush was among the scout team players who have helped with preparing for the size the size of Longhorn receivers Collin Johnson (6-foot-6, 215) and Lil’Jordan Humphrey (6-4, 220).

“We've faced some big wideouts a couple times at LSU. We've faced some wideouts of good size in our offense, but none quite like these two,” Smart said. “So this dynamic will be unique, and we tried to simulate that, but not necessarily with just Riley and J.J. We've had Matt Landers and Tommy Bush who were good size‑wise. Maybe not the bulk of those two, but we've been able to get some good matchups and some good contests out there with those guys.”

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● Smart on adding Stetson Bennett:

“I'm very excited. I think any time you get a chance to bring someone in your program who is a proven commodity that you know what they stand for, you know how they practice each day, you know how they come to work, and you know his love for the University of Georgia ‑‑ here's a young man who grew up in state, had an opportunity to go to several universities, chose to come to Georgia as a walk‑on,” Smart said. “He really played well. Earned a scholarship. Decided to go to a junior college, played well there. Led his team to a championship game.

“Now he's got an opportunity to come back into a very similar system that he left, and I'm proud of the fact that we were able to get him to come back because he had other opportunities. And we're looking forward to working with him.”

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● Smart on who will be making the defensive calls:

“We'll be doing it by committee, as we talked about. We've got a group and a staff who work really hard together. It will be between Dan (Lanning), (Glenn) Schumann, Tray Scott, and myself. The GAs work really hard. Both Wendel (Davis) and Bakari (Guice) have done a great job of stepping up and helping from that standpoint.

“We do it by committee most of the time anyway. Mel called the defenses for us. But between series, during the week game planning, it was done by committee, because that's how you put a game plan together. But that's very similar to how it will be done in this game.”

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● Smart on the college football playoff semifinals, and whether the results validated his opinion that Georgia should have been one of the four playoff teams:

“I'll be honest with you, we were practicing and working during the Clemson‑Notre Dame. So, we finished somewhere around the third quarter. I didn't get to see hardly any of that. We came in as a coaching staff and watched the tape,” Smart said. “I got to see some of the Alabama and Oklahoma game and certainly thought that both these teams were really powerful offensive football teams and played a good football game.

“But our concern, as you well know, is with Texas. And everything we'll be judged on is how we finish, and we want to finish the right way. And we want to play our best football game at the end of the year, which is tomorrow night.”

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● Smart started his press conference by mentioning former head coach Mark Richt along with former Bulldog and New Orleans Saints tight end Ben Watson:

“He's (Richt) meant a lot to me in my career. He hired me, and has been very thorough and helpful in my career. He's been a big beneficiary to the University of Georgia, has given so much back and been such a good man and leader of this institution. We wish him well in his retirement.”

Smart was asked later what Richt meant to him on a personal level.

“Mark has been great for my personal career, because I got to meet the one who is now my wife during my time coming back to the University of Georgia,” Smart said. “He gave me an opportunity to coach on the offensive side of the ball, which I've always said was a different perspective for me.

“Neil Calloway was the offensive coordinator, and Mike Bobo was the quarterbacks coach. They fought to hire me after I didn't get hired for a defensive position on the staff. Mark had enough confidence in me as a coach and recruiter to hire me as running backs coach. And it was one of the most valuable years of my career, because it was the most different, and I wouldn't have had that opportunity were it not for him and his wife Katharyn. What they've done for the city of Athens and the University of Georgia is incredible, and they're great people.”

Smart said the following about Watson:

“Ben Watson, whose 15‑year career in the NFL is coming to an end. He's such a great representative. He spoke to our team last year in one of the most compelling talks we've ever had,” Smart said. “We hope to get him back a lot more now that he's got some free time coming up after this season. So I'm excited about those guys.”