ATLANTA — When you play a war of a football game like Georgia did on Saturday, you’re going to have some bumps and bruises. Georgia knows that, as the Bulldogs saw a number of players go down on Saturday night with injuries.
Darnell Washington left the game in the first quarter with a left ankle injury. He did not return to the game and Smart said he didn’t know if it was a high ankle sprain.
“He tried to go back and couldn’t go back on it. We’ll have to evaluate and see,” Smart said. “The good news is he’s got more than a normal week. I know he’ll do everything he can to get back. He’s headed out west towards where he’s from. It will be important to him to try to get back.”
“We’ve got some good wideouts too, and they have a chip on their shoulder, and they want to make plays,” Smart said. “They have a quarterback that can get them the ball. A lot of those guys have been able to come back. It’s really been my committee when you look at it. You see Arian, A.D., Ladd, all those guys making plays for us in the passing game. Marcus has made big plays.”
Georgia also picked up a number of injuries on the defensive front. Chaz Chambliss left the game with a knee injury he suffered on special teams. Robert Beal later left the game with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. Beal was walking on his own when he was exiting the locker room.
The Bulldogs saw Marvin Jones Jr. and Jalon Walker play more snaps with Beal and Chambliss injured. The Bulldogs are already without Nolan Smith, who tore his pectoral muscle against Florida.
Defensive end Mykel Williams left the game multiple times with what seemed to be a cramping issue. He was able to come back into the game for Georgia.
“We got some guys that got winded in the game. We wanted to play Trezmen and Rian and Marvin had to play,” Smart said. “At one point, we had our third and fourth string guys on special teams that hadn’t played all year. We’re at the point in a long season where it’s accumulating, and you’re having to play a lot of guys who maybe haven’t played.”
Georgia will get an extra two days of rest before its next game, as the Bulldogs take on TCU in Los Angeles on Jan. 9. The Horned Frogs picked up a 51-45 win over Michigan on Saturday.