Kirby Smart gives injury update on Darnell Washington
Darnell Washington is one of the most involved players on Georgia’s offense. The 6-foot-7, 280-pound tight end out of Las Vegas, Nev. is involved in both the Bulldog ground game and their pass attack. Early in Saturday’s 42-41 win over Ohio State thought, Washington was no longer an option, limping to the sideline with an apparent ankle sprain suffered on Stetson Bennett’s second-quarter interception. Washington went to the locker room, was ruled out by halftime and returned to the sideline without pads on for the second half.
However, on Monday, ESPN’s Marty Smith reported that the injury wasn’t actually an ankle sprain, instead a “soft tissue contusion and strain” that does not require surgery, leaving the door open for Washington to be available for next week’s National Championship Game against TCU.
Washington has played in all 14 games for Georgia up to this point, however, he’s battled injuries before. A foot injury kept him out of the first four games in 2021. Another foot injury sidelined him during spring practice this year. However, when he’s been on the field, Washington has been a weapon.
This season Washington posted career high totals with 27 catches, 426 yards and two touchdowns. He also had individual game career-highs with five catches against Mississippi State and 78 yards versus Vanderbilt. Prior to leaving the game on Saturday, Washington had one catch for nine yards. He was replaced by freshman Oscar Delp.
“He tried to go back and couldn’t go back on it. We’ll have to evaluate and see,” Smart said during his postgame press conference when asked about Washington, believing initially that the injury was a sprain as opposed to the report he shared with Smith after further evaluation. “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.”
Washington wasn’t the only Georgia player to suffer an injury on Saturday. Outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss went down with what Smart called a hyperextended knee.
“We’re hopeful to get pretty much all the guys back. That’s the hope,” Smart said during an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay Monday morning. “We had some guys dropping there for a little bit. We were on our twos and threes in some spots, but some guys stepped up and played and that’s what you have to have at the end of the year.”
Georgia and TCU square off next Monday, January 9th, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The Bulldogs opened as 13.5-point favorite according the oddsmakers in Las Vegas shortly after the conclusion of their semifinal game early Sunday morning. Kickoff time of the national title game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
