Kelvin Banks Jr. injury update: Final decision made on Texas OT vs. Georgia in SEC Championship

Texas will be without offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr. for the SEC Championship against Georgia. According to ESPN’s Chris Low, he’s in street clothes with a brace on his left ankle.

Banks was listed on the SEC availability report this week as questionable, which showed he had a chance of playing in Saturday’s game. On the final report, he was a game-time decision, and he went through warm-ups as he tried to play.

However, Banks is unable to go. That means Texas is down a key piece of its offensive line in the rematch against Georgia, with a College Football Playoff spot on the line.

On the other side, UGA got some good news on the injury front. Running back Trevor Etienne is expected to be a full go after coming off the availability report. That’s important news for the Bulldogs’ rushing attack, which will get its second-leading rusher back.

Georgia and Texas will kick off at 4 p.m. ET from Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Here are the final availability reports for both teams.

Georgia

• DL Joseph Jonah-Ajonye – Out
• RB Branson Robinson – Game Time Decision
• DL Christen Miller – Game Time Decision

Texas

• DB Derek Williams Jr. – Out
• RB CJ Baxter – Out
• RB Christian Clark – Out
• RB Velton Gardner – Out
• OL Kelvin Banks Jr. – Game Time Decision

One of the biggest challenges for Georgia in the SEC Championship will be stopping Texas’ offense. The Longhorns rank No. 14 in the nation in total offense, averaging 450.1 yards, and No. 21 in scoring with 34.8 points per game.

Of course, there’s also the possibility Steve Sarkisian throws both quarterbacks into the game. Quinn Ewers is the starter, but Arch Manning came in with a goal-line package last week against Texas A&M, which could indicate his usage in the SEC title game. Georgia will be ready, though.

“I think first and foremost, they come from a great program,” Bulldogs defensive back Dan Jackson said. “They’re both really smart guys. Nobody’s the exact same. We’re definitely going to be watching a lot of film this week, like we have in the past. We’re just going to be ready for both of them. They’re both great athletes.”