Kirby Smart hopeful Georgia can get healthier during bye week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Brock Bowers’ injury was the big story in Georgia’s 37-20 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday, but he wasn’t the only Bulldog to get hurt. Just when it seemed that Kirby Smart’s team was getting healthier, a couple of key players sustained injuries in the win.
Offensive tackle Xavier Truss, like Bowers, sprained his ankle. Smart was not sure whether either was a high or low ankle sprain, something that should be more clear by the next time Smart speaks with media. Between now and then, both players will undergo an MRI.
Furthermore, running back Kendall Milton reinjured his MCL that he previously sprained. Smart said that it happened on a hit to his knee in the first half, tightened up during the halftime break and kept him out of action during the third and fourth quarters. Before being sidelined, Milton had 53 yards on five carries including a long of 28 and a touchdown.
“Yeah, his MCL bothered him again,” Smart said. “He took a hit on it earlier in the game before the fourth-down carry, and it tightened up at halftime on him. Didn’t feel like he could go because of the — what happens is it gets stiffer and we try to keep him warm with the MCL. But it tightened up on him when he took a shot — he took a helmet to the knee.”
Defensive back Dan Jackson was also unavailable for the Bulldogs on Saturday. Jackson counted against Georgia’s 74-man travel roster for the SEC road game but came down with an illness last night. When asked about his absence, Smart was concerned it was some sort of an infection.
“Yeah, he got sick last night. He was with us, and we thought he was going to be able to play, and he’s dealing with maybe some infection. I’m not sure. I just know he’s sick.”
Lucky for Georgia, the Bulldogs have the bye week coming up. They’ll have a Saturday off next before a trip to Jacksonville for the annual rivalry game against Florida, giving any injured players more than the normal time to rest up.
“I’ve never had a bye week that came at the wrong time,” Smart said in his postgame press conference. “I feel great about the bye week. I’m glad it’s here. We’ll try to get better. People don’t understand what a bye week really is. I mean, it’s an opportunity-for-growth week for me. It’s not a bye week. I don’t look at it as time off. We’ve got some players that need it, and we’re a banged-up football team. We’ve still got guys that are missing practice and missing time and then try to go out there and play. We’ll try to get them healthy.”
