ATHENS — It’s being billed as an “Elimination Game,” but lately Georgia-Tennessee seems to be devolving into the War of Attrition.
Major injury news threatens to override the survive-and-advance theme that has overtaken the SEC in this first season of a 12-team College Football Playoff. Georgia downgraded star running back Trevor Etienne to “out” from “questionable” on Thursday night’s the SEC Availability Report. Etienne, Georgia’s leading rusher, has been battling a rib injury.
Meanwhile, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava remains questionable, according to the Volunteers’ report. Iamaleava has been in the concussion protocol since halftime of Saturday’s 33-14 win over Mississippi State. However, he has been practicing this week, according to reports out of Knoxville.
The injuries got folks talking about something other than which SEC teams might not make the CFP’s cut. Tennessee (8-1, 5-1 SEC) and Texas (8-1, 4-1) are the only one-loss SEC teams, while Texas A&M (7-2, 5-1) has a single conference loss. That sets up the possibility of an eight-way tie between two-loss teams for first place in the SEC.
More important, in the second CFP rankings reveal Tuesday night, the selection committee dropped Georgia nine places to No. 12 after the Bulldogs fell to Ole Miss 28-10 on Saturday in Oxford. Because of automatic qualifiers going to five conference champions, and one of them currently is ranked below Georgia, that means the Bulldogs would not make the 12-team field if it were played this week.
Fortunately for the Bulldogs, it is not. Accordingly, they will be pulling out all the stops when they host Tennessee in the first game in Sanford Stadium in 35 days. Georgia carries a school-record, 28-game home win streak into Saturday’s game.
What to know about the Georgia-Tennessee matchup
- When: Saturday kickoff is at 7:49 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Sanford Stadium (capacity 93,033)
- Rankings & record: No. 12 Georgia (7-2, 5-2 SEC); No. 7 Tennessee (8-1, 5-1)
- TV/radio: ABC-TV/Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network
- Weather: It should be a great day for tailgating, with sunny skies and temperatures getting close to 70 degrees during the day. Temperatures will dip into the 50s by kickoff and be in the low 50s by the end of the game.
- Series: Georgia needed to win the last seven games in a row to secure what is now a 28-23-2 lead in the series. Kirby Smart has lost to Tennessee only once and that was in his first season when the Vols completed a Hail Mary pass to win 34-31 in Athens. Georgia has won the last seven by the average margin of 26.4 points a game.
- Last meeting: Carson Beck threw three touchdown passes, and Dillon Bell caught one and passed for one as the Bulldogs’ rolled in Knoxville 38-10. The Vols scored on a 75-yard run by Jaylen Wright on their first offensive play from scrimmage, then scored only a second-quarter field goal the rest of the way.
- Tickets: The game is a solid sellout.
Storylines for the Georgia-Tennessee matchup
Ice-cold offense
Georgia will be looking to jump-start its ice-cold offense.
The Bulldogs are averaging 10 fewer points and 86 yards fewer per game than a year ago. A cascade of suspensions and injuries on that side of the ball have not helped.
But the primary problem is quarterback Carson Beck’s inability to take care of the football. The senior has committed 14 turnovers in Georgia’s past six games. The 12 interceptions during that span is the most since Aaron Murray had 14 in 14 games in 2011.
“It’s blocking,” coach Kirby Smart said. “You’ve got to go physically block them and get them blocked. It’s not a communication thing. It’s one-on-one. The same way our guys beat people at times, one-on-one pass rush. Sometimes you get beat, and it’s usually not a communication error for us.”
Nate Frazier’s time
With Thursday’s news that Etienne will be unable to go Saturday, all eyes turn to No. 3 in Georgia’s backfield. That would be freshman Nate Frazier.
Frazier appears to be up to the task. A 5-foot-10, 210-pound athlete, Frazier signed with UGA out of Compton, California, where he started for nationally renown powerhouse Mater Dei High. A consensus 4-star prospect, Frazier has led the Bulldogs in rushing three times this season, including the season opener against Clemson (11 carries, 83 yards, 1 touchdown) and the win over Florida two weeks ago (18-82-1). He’s second on the team behind Etienne (95-477-7) in rushing (72-333-3).
“Nate is just so shifty; I call him a little gnat,” center Jared Wilson said, flitting his hand back and forth. “He’s a really good player, hits the holes hard, runs hard. He’s emotional and he cares about the team.”
As for backups, Cash Jones (ankle) reportedly practiced Thursday, but his status remains questionable. With Roderick Robinson (toe) and Branson Robinson (knee) already sidelined, Georgia will have to turn to freshmen Chauncey Bowens (6-20) and Dwight Phillips Jr. (1-4-1) or perhaps wide receiver Dillon Bell (7-104-1), a flanker who occasionally lines up in the backfield.
M.A.S.H. unit
As bad as Georgia’s injury report is, it actually has improved in areas other than running back. The fact that right guard Tate Ratledge (ankle) was not listed seven weeks after TightRope surgery is encouraging. And starting linebacker Smael Mondon (foot) returned to play 15 snaps against Ole Miss after missing the previous four games with a foot injury.
Smart said a different injury befell the senior in practice this week, but he expects Mondon to be available against the Vols.
“He was able to get in and steal some snaps (versus Ole Miss). That was really big to maybe get some confidence and give other guys some rest. Hopefully it will free up Jalon (Walker) to do some other things.”
Though they’re not listed on the availability report, every starting offensive lineman is dealing with some degree of injury, including left tackle Earnest Greene (shoulder) and Wilson (Achilles).
Also, wideout/kick returner Anthony Evans is listed as questionable after missing the past two games with a hamstring injury.
“It’s frustrating because they spend all year getting ready for these 12, 13, 14 games,” Smart said. “Other sports have a lot of games. They don’t have that. They have 12 to 15 opportunities, and that’s all they have.”
Nico or not?
Speculation about whether Iamaleava will play was running wild Friday as it has been all week. The redshirt freshman has been in concussion protocol all week. However, he has been spotted participating in the Vols’ practices this week.
Smart thinks he knows what’s going to happen.
“I think we’ll see Nico,” Smart told the live audience at his “All Access” show Thursday night. “I’ve got a feeling we’ll see Nico. He’ll be ready to play.”
Whether Iamaleava goes will have a profound effect on the Vols’ offense. His backup is fifth-year senior Gaston Moore, who followed Josh Heupel from Central Florida to Knoxville. But Moore is not nearly as dynamic a quarterback.
“Arm strength,” Smart said of Iamaleava’s greatest attribute. “His ball comes out like a 90 mile-an-hour fastball, and he throws it from sideline to sideline. That’s one of the advantages of their system. The width of their splits puts you way away from the ball, but his ball gets there before you do because he throws it so hard. His deep ball, man, he can throw the ball so far.”
Quarterback Comp Pct.-Yds-TD-INT Rush-TD
Iamaleava 65.2-1,879-11-4 215-1
G. Moore 64.0- 201-2-2 18-0
Familiar faces
There are former Georgia assistant coach coaches on the Tennessee staff: Rodney Garner, Willie Martinez and Mike Ekeler.
Garner coached under Jim Donnan and Mark Richt as defensive line coach, recruiting coordinator and assistant head coach from 1998-2012. He coaches the Vols’ defensive line.
Martinez was the Bulldogs’ secondary coach and defensive coordinator under Richt from 2001-09. He coaches Tennessee’s defensive backs.
Ekeler was inside linebackers coach and special-teams coordinator in 2014-15. For the Vols he handles outside linebackers and special teams.
“I know quite a few of their guys,” Smart said. “When we play these guys, they’ve got an extra chip on their shoulder because they used to work here.”
As always seems to be the case wherever Garner is coaching, the Vols feature one of the best defensive line units in the SEC.
Lights, cameras, action
Georgia is playing at home for the first time in 35 games and is playing its first true night game of the season. Accordingly, the Bulldogs are expected to pull out all the stops. Fireworks and an elaborate pregame and fourth-quarter light shows featuring Sanford’s underused, red, LED lights are expected highlights.
But the biggest thing Smart wants is noise from the expected capacity crowd.
“Loud, loud, loud and more loud,” Smart said. “I mean, we need every competitive edge we can get.”
