ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia could get one of its best receivers back for its regular-season finale. But the chances seem less likely that the Bulldogs get their leading rusher back until the postseason.
Receiver Dillon Bell, who left Saturday’s win over Tennessee, does not have a high ankle sprain and will not require tightrope surgery, coach Kirby Smart said on Monday. That means Bell, the team’s third-leading receiver, could miss this week’s game against UMass but has a chance to play the following week against Georgia Tech.
As for tailback Trevor Etienne, who has been dealing with a rib injury, Smart said he couldn’t confirm that it’s fractured ribs, as ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe said during the Tennessee broadcast.
“Ribs are a painful injury. I don’t actually know if that’s the exact term, but he does have a rib injury,” Smart said. “And we’re hopeful he’s back.”
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Etienne hurt his ribs three weeks ago against Florida, was limited to six carries at Ole Miss, then was ruled out two days before the Tennessee game.
Etienne, a junior who transferred before this season from Florida, leads the team with 477 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns despite missing two games and being limited in two others. He’s averaging 5.02 yards per carry and has 23 catches (fourth on the team) for 140 yards.
Georgia is without its only other veteran scholarship tailbacks: Branson Robinson has missed four games with a knee injury, and Roderick Robinson has not played due to a foot injury.
In their absence, freshman Nate Frazier became the featured back, gaining 68 rushing yards, including a touchdown, on 19 carries against the Vols. Fellow freshman Chauncey Bowens, who hadn’t had a rush since the second week of the season, had five carries for 7 yards, and walk-on junior Cash Jones had a 4-yard reception.
This week’s game against UMass will serve as a chance to get the freshmen more touches. That could include Dwight Phillips Jr., who has only two touches all season, but one of them was a 4-yard touchdown run against Florida.
Freshman receiver Nitro Tuggle will have a chance to have a bigger role after catching a couple of passes for 25 yards against Tennessee. That was his first significant game action, but Tuggle gives the team an outside receiver type it lacks when Bell is out.
Smart said the injuries at the skill positions have had an impact in games and at practice, where some players are being limited but cleared for games. Receivers London Humphreys and Anthony Evans fell in that category, Smart said.
“It’s been a challenge to be creative in terms of how you practice and how you get guys to the game healthy but also in shape,” Smart said.
(Top photo of Dillon Bell: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
