ATHENS - Tyriq Green gave Georgia exactly the kind of flash the Bulldogs have been waiting to see, then left the game with a question mark hanging over his status.
Green was a major factor in Georgia’s win over Western Kentucky, but he exited late after getting rolled up on during a kickoff return by teammate Bo Walker. On Monday, Kirby Smart said the Bulldogs are still waiting for the full picture.
“T-Green, we’re finding more and more out on,” Smart said. “We’ll see what the deal is with him as the week goes if he’s able to play or not.”
Before the injury, Green had already stamped the game in two different ways. His first touchdown came after he recovered a fumble by defensive back Blake Stewart following Stewart’s interception in the third quarter. Ellis Robinson said that kind of impact is nothing new.
“He’s been doing that ever since he got here to Georgia,” cornerback Ellis Robinson said. “Just seeing him make plays out there on the field, it’s not a shocker at all. That’s what he does.”
Then came the big one: a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was Georgia’s first kickoff return since a 2016 game against South Carolina.
Green arrived at Georgia with plenty of hype after being named the AJC’s All-Class Player of the Year last season, and he was also one of the standouts in spring practice. He even picked off a pass at cornerback in the Bulldogs’ spring game.
Georgia’s secondary, though, is still loaded ahead of him. The Bulldogs started KJ Bolden, Kyron Jones and Khalil Barnes at safety and star, respectively, with Rasean Dinkins first off the bench on Saturday.
The injury list also included second-year wide receiver Thomas Blackshear, who is dealing with a wrist injury. Georgia was again without outside linebackers Chase Linton and Amaris Williams, leaving more on the shoulders of freshmen Khamari Brooks and PJ Dean.
“I get to see them against two really good tackles every day in ours,” Smart said on Saturday of the two first-year outside linebackers. “They got a ways to go.
So let’s, we don’t want to anoint anybody right now because they recover fumbles or catch touchdowns when you score 70, you’re gonna have a lot of fluffy stats. I don’t care about stats.”
The SEC will begin releasing its official availability report Wednesday night.
Georgia plays Arkansas at noon Saturday, with the game set for ABC.
In Other News...
Kirby Smart Turned Georgias Big Night Into A Warning
Georgias all-white look turned Saturday night into a milestone long before the game got out of hand, as the Bulldogs wore the uniforms for the first time in school history and buried Western Kentucky in a 70-20 win. Gunner Stockton helped make the evening feel even more like a showcase, tying a school record with five passing touchdowns in the first half and giving the home crowd plenty to talk about well before halftime.
Kirby Smart, though, spent the postgame sounding more concerned than celebratory. Even with the score in Georgias favor by a wide margin, he made clear the second half did not meet his standard, turning what should have been a feel-good blowout into a reminder that the Bulldogs still have details to clean up. For a team with bigger goals ahead, that kind of message matters almost as much as the lopsided result. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Blowout May Have Just Settled A Key Quarterback Debate
Georgias 70-20 rout of Western Kentucky did more than pad the record to 2-0. It also gave the Bulldogs a much clearer picture of where the quarterback room stands behind Gunner Stockton, with a handful of young players using a lopsided game to make their case in a meaningful way.
Ryan Puglisi was among the biggest beneficiaries, with his performance strongly suggesting he has moved to the front in the race for the backup job. Tyriq Green also flashed enough to look like a return option worth watching, while Georgia got mixed results from Ryan Montgomery and Lawson Luckie. For a team still sorting out depth in spots, that kind of clarity is part of what made Saturday matter beyond the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Added Intrigue To One Of Its Biggest Recruiting Battles
Georgias latest recruiting push had a little family-business feel to it, with Andrew Smart, Kirby Smarts son, spotted helping during warmups and spending time around five-star receiver David Jacobs during his visit. Jacobs, who committed to Ohio State in December, was back at Georgia for the first time since that pledge, giving the Bulldogs a chance to reintroduce themselves to one of the classs biggest names.
The visit also brought Jacobs younger brother Dawson into the picture, and the four-star 2028 prospect was on campus as well. Even with Georgia making the most of the weekend and adding a personal touch, sources still view a flip from Ohio State as a difficult ask, which is exactly what makes this battle one worth watching as the Bulldogs keep pressing. [Read more 🡒]