Georgia will enter Saturday’s game at Kentucky with several players nursing some bumps and bruises.

That list includes wide receiver George Pickens, who has been limited in practice due to what sources state is an upper-body injury.

During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, head coach Kirby Smart did not sound like it was that big of a deal.

“George is fine,” Smart said. “He’s been in an out based on being dinged up a couple of times, but we’ve got a lot of guys that way. He practiced (Tuesday).”

The status of running back Kenny McIntosh, who was hit on the knee in the first half against Alabama, remains unclear. Ditto for linebacker Monty Rice, who despite playing against Alabama with a foot sprain, has apparently still been bothered by the injury.

Smart spoke about the pair on Tuesday.

“We are hopeful on Kenny that he will be able to play—kind of the same way with Monty,” Smart said. “He was able to practice at a limited amount with his foot sprain. He was able to go in the Alabama game. We were certainly thankful for that. We gave him some time off in the off week to recover. His biggest thing is maintaining his cardio right now.”

Cornerback DJ Daniel, who did not play against Alabama with an ankle injury, is apparently ready to play against Kentucky.

“DJ has been practicing and he seems fine,” Smart said. “DJ has had an ankle from way back, he had it in camp and been fighting back from that. It bothered him some last week and he’s been trying to overcome it in terms of that.”

Although he has appeared in each of Georgia’s last two games, tight end Tre’ McKitty said Wednesday he’s just now feeling 100 percent following surgery over a month ago to repair an injured meniscus.

“Definitely the first two weeks I came back, I wasn’t quite feeling myself. I was good enough to go, I wanted to be out there as soon as I could,” McKitty said. “This bye week has definitely helped, and I am getting closer to 100 percent every single day. I think I am moving along great. Ron (Courson) has helped me out so much getting to 100 percent. I am looking to be that by Saturday.”

Having McKitty at full strength should only help a Bulldog offense which could use another weapon.

In his two games, McKitty has three catches for 57 yards, although he is capable of much more.

Under position coach Todd Hartley and offensive coordinator Todd Monken, McKitty feels more productive days are indeed ahead

“Those two coaches were a big reason why I came here. It has been cool working with them so far. I think Coach Hartley has taught me a lot with new techniques that I didn’t work with in the past and having an NFL guy like Coach Monken has been great so far,” he said. “I’m soaking up all of the knowledge that I can. That is what I am trying to do and play the best that I can.”

After being exploited in their previous game against Alabama, Smart said it has been back to the basics for his defense as they have prepared for Saturday’s game at Kentucky (Noon, SEC Network).

“We just try to improve on fundamentals. We took the off week and worked on block protection, tackling, a lot of circuit work, not really scheme, but being able to execute at a high level and tackle people,” Smart said. “You don’t get a chance to do that very often, so we tried to work really hard on that. This week has been all about all the different things they do. They create a lot of issues in their run game and they have got really athletic quarterbacks who can hurt you when they break out of the pocket.”

On paper, the Bulldogs figure to have a much easier time against the Wildcats.

Where Alabama continues to lead the SEC in scoring, Kentucky is dead last and facing questions at quarterback after starter Terry Wilson has missed the past two practices and considered doubtful for the game.

If Wilson cannot go, look for former Auburn quarterback Joey Gatewood to get the call.

“It’s hard to do tell from the body of work, but based on high school and his time at Auburn, he’s bigger, has more of a physical presence and more of an inside runner than Terry, who can run inside but has a little more speed on the perimeter,” Smart said. “Last year with respect to sitting back and being injured allowed (Gatewood) to get a little bit better. With Gatewood, you do not really know. You don’t have a big body of work, but you see the athleticism from the time he was at Auburn and the packages they ran with him and the limited reps he’s taken this year, he’s done a really nice job.”

Forty-two days will have passed between home games when Georgia finally plays again on Nov. 21 against visiting Mississippi State.

While some might think the constant time on the road would be a detriment to the Bulldogs’ cause, Smart does not see it that way.

“It’s mostly overrated. I think sometimes our kids get better rest on the road in terms of getting away from our place, they rest while they’re traveling,” Smart said. “I don’t think it’s a real bid deal.”

With limited crowds and less noise than a traditional road game, Smart said it is just not the same.

“It’s a bigger deal when you’re playing in the SEC environments on the road during a traditional season, the impact of the crowd noise and all the different things are a lot more impactful when it comes to a normal season than a Covid attendance-altered one,” he said. “You get back late from the night games, but at least the next two are in the afternoon. Getting back will be important to get recovery.”