ATHENS -- Georgia’s running back situation went from bad to worse Thursday night.
Trevor Etienne, the Bulldogs’ leading rusher, was downgraded to “out” from “questionable” in the latest SEC Availability Report for Saturday’s game against Tennessee (ABC, 7:30 p.m.). The junior transfer has played through a rib injury since getting hurt late in the first half against Florida on Nov. 2. The 5-foot-9, 205-pound Etienne tried to play through the injury while missing parts of Georgia’s last two games. But the 12th-ranked Bulldogs scratched him sometime after completing their final full practice of the week on Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s game against No. 7-ranked Vols.
For the moment at least, Cash Jones (foot) remained listed as questionable in the second of the four-times-a-week, conference-mandated availability reports. Jones, a former walkon and the Bulldogs’ third-string back, has been seen on campus wearing a walking boot this week.
Already long sidelined for Georgia are running backs Branson Robinson (knee) and Roderick Robinson (toe). “Rod-Rob” has missed the entire season since undergoing toe surgery late in the Bulldogs’ preseason camp. “B-Rob” has missed the last three games with a sprained MCL knee ligament.
It has been a frustrating first season with the Bulldogs for Etienne. After transferring to UGA from Florida in the offseason, he missed Georgia’s opener against Clemson due to a disciplinary suspension and then has seen only limited playing time in several other games this season.
Nevertheless, he remains the Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 477 yards on 95 carries with seven touchdowns. He also has another 140 yards receiving.
“That’s hard on him, but I thought he was really tough tonight and made some good runs for us,” coach Kirby Smart said after Etienne had to leave the Ole Miss game. “He tried to go out there and tough it out, but he didn’t feel like he had the same juice. He felt like he was a step slow.”
Depending on Jones’ availability, that could leave true freshman Nate Frazier with nearly 100 percent of Georgia’s ball-carrying responsibilities on Saturday in what is being billed as the Bulldogs’ biggest game of the season. Frazier is the team’s second-leading rusher with 333 yards and 3 touchdowns on 72 carries. The Compton, Calif., native has led Georgia in rushing twice this season, with 83 yards on 11 carries in the opener against Clemson and 82 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in the Bulldogs’ win over Florida.
Georgia has a few other options in the backfield. Freshman Chauncey Bowens has appeared in two games and has 20 yards on six carries. Wide receiver Dwight Phillips, a freshman who played running back at Mableton’s Pebblebrook High School, also has one carry this season, scoring on four-yard jet sweep against Florida.
Another option for the Bulldogs could be playing flanker Dillon Bell some at running back. The 6-1, 210-pound junior, did that some last year and averaged 6.3 yards on 25 carries and scored two touchdowns. Like Phillips, Bell also played running back in high school. However, he is Georgia’s third-leading receiver with 393 yards and 4 touchdowns on 33 receptions.
As for Tennessee, quarterback Nico Iamaleava is still listed as questionable. The 6-6, 215-pound redshirt freshman has been in concussion protocol since the second half of last Saturday’s 33-14 win over Mississippi State. However, he reportedly has been participating in the Vols’ practices this week.
If Iamaleava can’t play, fifth-year senior Gaston Moore will fill in.
“Yeah, that’s a dilemma,” Smart said this week. “You know, we don’t know a lot.”
