Georgia’s availability report brought a familiar kind of Wednesday for the Bulldogs, with six players listed as Georgia gets ready for Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Safety Tyriq Green, offensive lineman Marcus Harrison, and outside linebacker Amaris Williams were all listed as out. Running back Nate Frazier, wide receiver Isiah Canion, and Chase Linton were listed as questionable, with Linton moving off the out designation he had carried in earlier reports.
Vanderbilt’s report had four players out: cornerback Jaylin Lackey, linebacker Jamison Curtis, defensive lineman Aaron Bryant, and defensive lineman Nikhil Jefferson. Quarterback Jared Curtis showed up as questionable, while starting center Lyndon Cooper, edge rusher Miles Capers, and starting left tackle Clinton Azubuike were all listed as probable.
Bryant is already out for the season with a torn ACL. Cooper’s status is one to monitor after he suffered an AC joint sprain in his shoulder against Auburn and tried to keep going before Cade McConnell took over at center. Curtis played in Vanderbilt’s first two games of the season.
For Georgia, the biggest name on the report is Frazier. He briefly left the Arkansas game two weeks ago in the third quarter, came back, and then exited for good in the Bulldogs’ 45-17 win.
He finished with 14 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown. Through three games, the junior has 24 carries for 202 yards and five touchdowns.
Against Oklahoma, Dwight Phillips led Georgia with eight carries for 84 yards and a touchdown, while Chauncey Bowens added 26 yards and two scores on the ground.
“Really proud of those backs,” Kirby Smart said Monday. “Bo and Nick and Jae Lamar all picked up the slack in practice, got reps, got work.
Obviously, Chauncey and Dwight got the feature presentation of most of that, but those other guys worked tremendously hard as well. As for Nate, I'll just defer to the injury report like everybody else does.
It's why we have one.”
Canion’s situation has also been a question since he left that same Arkansas game on Georgia’s first drive with a right leg injury. He didn’t catch a pass in the win and has three receptions for 28 yards this season. Smart also declined to offer much when asked about Canion and Iginnagbon on Monday.
“Yeah, I'll refer to the injury report,” Smart said. “That's why we do those, right?
Every other coach says that's what we do them for. People in this room beg for injury reports.
You got one. It comes out every Wednesday.
What time? 8:10, so I'm sure y'all are sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to get it.
You're dying to get it so you can write another article about it. You guys are awesome about following those things up.
I wait for y'all to write about it, so I can find out about the other team. I don't even check it myself.
So it'll be out Wednesday at 8:10. Maybe a little later.”
Green’s injury came late in the fourth quarter against Western Kentucky, cutting short a huge day for the freshman. He had already recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and added a 91-yard kick return touchdown, the first kick return score for Georgia since Terry Godwin in 2016. Smart had said earlier in the week, “T-Green, we're finding more and more out on,” and added, “We'll see what the deal is with him as the week goes if he's able to play or not.”
Linton’s lower leg injury dates back to fall camp. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore played in four games for Georgia last season and recorded one tackle, which came in the SEC championship game. He arrived in Athens as a four-star prospect from North Atlanta High School.
Harrison had already been ruled out before the Arkansas game. He saw work at offensive guard in Georgia’s first two contests this season. The 6-foot-8, 330-pound lineman has appeared in four games in a season and change in Athens.
In Other News...
Georgias First SEC Injury Report Puts Offensive Depth In Focus
The first SEC injury and availability report for Georgias matchup with Vanderbilt has already put the Bulldogs offensive depth under the microscope. Running back Nate Frazier and wide receiver Isiah Canion are among the Georgia players listed as questionable or out, a reminder that availability can shape not just the rotation but the game plan itself heading into a conference opener that arrives early in the day on the SEC Network.
Vanderbilt has its own concern at quarterback, with Jared Curtis listed as questionable, and the league will keep updating the report before kickoff at 12:45 p.m. For Georgia, the bigger issue is less about one name on the list than the cumulative picture, with the Bulldogs now waiting on how many of those offensive pieces will actually be available when the ball is kicked. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Bobos Georgia Offense Is Finally Creating A New Problem
Georgias offense has spent the early part of this season looking like something the Bulldogs have not always been able to count on: a group capable of striking quickly and turning routine snaps into stress for a defense. Through four games, the unit has piled up six plays of more than 50 yards, a sharp jump from just two a year ago, and that burst has helped push Georgia to the nations No. 1 scoring offense. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo and players such as Gunner Stockton and Talyn Taylor have pointed to a more explosive approach, and it has shown up in the way the ball has been distributed.
What makes it interesting from here is that the big plays have not been coming from just one familiar outlet. Nate Frazier, Jaden Reddell and Craig Dandridge have all had a hand in the surge, giving Georgia a broader set of answers when the offense gets into gear. For a team already scoring at a top-end rate, the next challenge is no longer simply finding points, but figuring out how to keep all those threats involved as the season moves into more demanding territory. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Oklahoma Win Put One Bulldogs Strength In Clear Focus
Georgias 41-13 rout of Oklahoma did more than keep the Bulldogs moving through the season with another comfortable win. It also put a familiar Georgia trait back in the spotlight: the way the team can take over a game with depth, physicality and a defense that turns mistakes into points. The backfield got quality work from Dwight Phillips Jr. and Chauncey Bowens, Talyn Taylor chipped in with meaningful production in the passing game, and the defense forced four turnovers while Chris Cole turned one of them into a touchdown.
For a program that has made a habit of wearing down opponents, the numbers from this one fit the bigger picture. Georgia has now won 52 straight against unranked teams, and it improved to 2-0 all-time against Oklahoma, but the broader takeaway was the same one that has followed the Bulldogs for years: when the roster is rolling, there are a lot of different ways for them to separate. The only real question from here is how far that balance can carry them when the competition gets tighter. [Read more 🡒]