Lawson Luckie injury update: Thursday availability report reveals Georgia TE's status vs. Texas

The eyes of the SEC will descend on the Classic City on Saturday night as Texas takes on host Georgia in a high-stakes conference showdown between two Top 10 programs with plenty on the line. Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm ET Saturday with the game to be televised on ABC.

The No. 5 Bulldogs (8-1, 6-1 SEC) opened the week as a 6.5-point home favorite over 10th-ranked Longhorns (7-2, 4-1 SEC) with an over-under total of just 48.5 points, according to BetMGM. Even Vegas oddsmakers expect a close defensive battle between the two budding SEC rivals.

Georgia and Texas obviously haven’t been rivals long, but after meeting twice last season — including in last season’s epic SEC Championship that the Bulldogs won 22-19 in overtime — this year’s matchup comes with significant College Football Playoff implications for both programs. A third regular season loss on Saturday would effectively doom both the Longhorns’ Playoff and SEC title game hopes. Meanwhile, a second SEC loss by the ‘Dawgs would eliminate any chance of defending their SEC title in Atlanta, and likely cost Georgia a first-round home game in the Playoffs.

Georgia Bulldogs

• WR Colbie Young – Out
• TE Ethan Barbour – Out
• WR Talyn Taylor – Out
• DB Kyron Jones – Out
• DL Jordan Hall – Out

Texas Longhorns

• None to report

Tight end Lawson Luckie previously found himself on the injury report, being listed as probable. However, he has been taken off and appears to be on track to play.

Fresh off their final bye week of the season, the Longhorns reported no injuries in Wednesday’s initial availability report of the week. On the flip side, the Bulldogs already ruled out five players — defensive lineman Jordan Hall, defensive back Kyron Jones, tight end Ethan Barbour and receivers Talyn Taylor and Colbie Young.

Georgia also listed star tight end Lawson Luckie and defensive tackle Josh Horton as “probable” in Wednesday’s initial report, a positive sign for both of their availabilities Saturday night vs. Texas.

While Texas is coming off their second bye of the season, the Bulldogs are riding high off their most complete game of the season in last Saturday’s 41-21 road drubbing of Mississippi State. Powered by a career-best 181 rushing yards from sophomore Nate Frazier, Georgia’s beleagured ground game broke out with a season-high 303 rushing yards and 6.9 yards-per-carry average.

Meanwhile, Texas has turned its season around with four straight SEC wins thanks in part to continued growth from first-year starting QB Arch Manning, who combined for 674 passing yards and six touchdowns to one interception on 70.9-percent passing in back-to-back wins over Mississippi State and Vanderbilt prior to last week’s bye.