Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart provides injury updates on receiver Dillon Bell, more ahead of UMass game
Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart gave several injury updates on key Georgia players ahead of the UMass game.
“No update on (wide receiver) Dillon (Bell) really, I just ran into him a few minutes ago. He got an ankle sprain, not going to require (surgery), it’s stable,” said Smart. “So, hopeful to get him back, and same with (running back) Trevor (Etienne).’
Georgia wide receiver Dillon Bell left of Georgia’s win over Tennessee with an ankle injury and was seen in a boot during the second half. Bell is expected to miss the UMass game. Trevor Etienne also missed the Tennessee game with a ribs injury.
“Ribs are a painful injury,” continued Smart when discussing Etienne later. Georgia is thin at running back, but if Carson Beck can play well, then it does not matter as much.
“Earnest (Greene) was going to be a game time decision, and he’s still struggling with that arm that he was out there giving everything he had against Ole Miss. Didn’t have complete strength in his left arm, which is hard to use at left tackle. We’re hoping that he continues to gain strength,” said Smart on Georgia left tackle Earnest Greene.
Georgia started Monroe Freeling against Tennessee. The Bulldogs did not allow a sack to the Volunteers’ stout defensive front.
“Micah (Morris) was close to being able to go and might have been in an emergency Saturday, but it’s not completely healthy,” said Smart on offensive guard Micah Morris. UGA started Tate Ratledge and Dylan Fairchild at offensive guard.
“Joenel (Aguero) had a pin, so he got injured in the Ole Miss game. But he’s available to play. But he got a pin put in his hand, his pinky. He was cleared to play but was going to struggle to play in a club… he’s in the same situation this week, but he’s post screw getting put in. So, we think he’s going to be closer to being able to play,” said Smart.
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Georgia plays UMass at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 23. The Bulldogs are hoping to get a little healthier ahead of their Friday, Nov. 29 game against Georgia Tech.
Georgia freshman wide receiver is generating buzz after the Tennessee game
Freshman wide receiver Nitro Tuggle shined in Georgia’s 31-17 win against Tennessee. Tuggle made the most of his opportunities: He caught two passes for 25 yards, a career high.
His 16-yard reception in the opening drive of the third quarter helped ignite the offense on a 12-play scoring drive that helped the Bulldogs regain the lead.
One of Tuggle’s routes drew praise from Georgia’s all-time leading receiver Terrence Edwards. “I love everything about this route/release,” said Edwards via social media.
Tuggle showcased a combination of wiggle and explosiveness that we have not seen in the wide receiver room this year. Now that it is late November, Georgia coach Kirby Smart will say the freshman are not freshman anymore especially if they were early enrollees.
Wide receiver Dillon Bell is trending toward being out for the game against UMass on Saturday. Another wide receiver, Colbie Young, remains suspended indefinitely, so Georgia is without several top receivers and needs young players to step up. Expect Tuggle to receive meaningful snaps early in the game.
Safe to say, they answered convincingly, winning 31-17 versus the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers. In the first quarter, it was looking bleak when the Volunteers went up 10-0, but quarterback Carson Beck rattled off two dimes in the end zone to Oscar Delp to make it 14-10.
Tennessee countered with a Dylan Sampson rushing touchdown and Georgia was able to get a field goal to deadlock it at 17-17 at halftime. The Georgia defense shutout the Volunteer in the second half and the Georgia offense played in control the rest of the way, with Beck and stud freshman Nate Frazier running in one touchdown each to reach the final score.
Carson Beck was hyper-efficient in this one, passing for 347 yards and two touchdowns on 40 attempts. Most importantly, he had no turnovers, something that has plagued him all season against the SEC. He also ran in a touchdown for good measure.
Beck helped to offset a mediocre Georgia running game. Nate Frazier, who has been filling in as the lead running back with Trevor Etienne out, recorded 68 yards on 19 carries and scored a touchdown. Frazier’s touchdown made the game out of reach for the Vols late in the fourth.
The defense also showed out in the second half. The run-defense looked ugly in the first, letting up big runs to Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson, but by the second half, they took advantage of Georgia’s offense forcing Tennessee to pass more often. The pass rush got five sacks, including a strip sack on Nico Iamaleava to end the game.
Georgia now rises to 8-2 and finishes their SEC schedule with a 6-2 record. They seemingly control their destiny to make the playoff and could have an outside chance of making the SEC championship if they win out and Alabama loses next week. Tennessee, meanwhile, falls to 8-2, and while they are far from out of the playoff, they’re now in the mosh pit of two-loss teams in the SEC (Alabama, Ole Miss, and Georgia).
Here are four key takeaways from Georgia’s win over Tennessee:
Georgia’s offense was insanely efficient
Georgia Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo arrives with the team before the start of the G-Day spring football game in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
Part of the problem with Mike Bobo’s offense has been turnovers. The Georgia offense had committed 15 turnovers since playing SEC opponents, including 11 in the last four matchups. A lot of those were from Carson Beck Turnovers have been a killer for the Bulldogs for a long time, and the hope was that if Georgia could decrease their turnovers per game, their offense would wake up again.
Mike Bobo’s offensive was super efficient in this regard. The Georgia offense did well in taking what the Tennessee defense gave them, and as a result, Georgia mustered four long, time-consuming drives that spanned over 75 yards, including one touchdown drive that spanned 92 yards.
Carson Beck spread the wealth
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
In the midst of a disappointing season for Carson Beck, he finally looked like a first-round draft pick. A big part of it was spreading the wealth to Georgia’s playmakers. Tight end Oscar Delp had the best game in his career, totaling 56 receiving yards and two touchdowns on four receptions. Vanderbilt transfer London Humphreys also shined as a deep threat with 63 yards on three receptions.
Overall, Georgia had five players with over 50 receiving yards in this game.
Georgia’s pass rush is the catalyst
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
The biggest catalyst for Georgia winning games has been their pass rush. The Bulldogs have so many dynamic players on their front seven and it showed against Tennessee.
Chaz Chambliss sacked Nico Iamaleava twice and he now has 4.5 sacks this month, which is outrageous. Smael Mondon Jr. looks fully healthy. He led the team in tackles with eight and picked up both a sack and a tackle for loss. Damon Wilson II had the most notable play of the bunch, strip sacking Iamaleava to end the game.
Overall, when this Georgia pass rush is firing on all cylinders, they’re almost unstoppable, and this week proved it.
Georgia controls its own destiny
Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
With this win, the Bulldogs are more than likely rewarded a playoff spot. They’ll obviously need to win out, but if they do, they’ll be guaranteed a playoff spot, since they’ve already won against two top-10 teams. This win also means that Georgia can make a run at the SEC championship.
It looks like the winner of Texas A&M or Texas will represent the “home team” in the SEC (unless the winner loses their Week 14 matchup), but if Alabama loses to Oklahoma, Georgia would only have to worry about Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Tennessee. Georgia and Texas A&M would rank above Ole Miss and Tennessee due to conference opponent win percentage, and Georgia would rank above Texas A&M due to a common-games tiebreaker.
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Safe to say, Georgia is still very much alive in the SEC, and rumors of their demise have been greatly exaggerated.
“I respect their opinion but it’s different in our league,” said Georgia head coach Kirby Smart on the selection committee
Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart is unhappy with the College Football Playoff selection committee. Smart made that known after No. 12 Georgia’s 31-17 home win over the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers.
Smart thinks Georgia should be ranked higher than No. 12. The Bulldogs have played the toughest schedule in the country and aren’t getting much credit from the playoff selection committee.
Yes, Georgia has played inconsistently, but the Bulldogs still are 8-2 despite facing five ranked opponents and just one ranked opponent at home.
“I don’t know what they’re looking for,” said Smart on the selection committee. “I really don’t. I wish they could really define the criteria. I wish they could do the eyeball test where they come down here and look at the people we’re playing against and look at them. And you can’t see that stuff on TV.”
Entering Week 12, the Big Ten had four of the five highest ranked teams in the country. It is rare for another conference to have so many teams ranked ahead of the best teams in the SEC.
“They’re not in that environment,” said Smart on explaining Georgia’s offensive struggles against Ole Miss to the committee. “They’re not at Ole Miss in that environment playing against that defense, which is top five in the country with one of the best pass rushers in the country. And they’re fired up. They got a two-score lead, and they’re coming out to play. They don’t know, they don’t understand that.”
To be fair, it would be tough for the selection committee to pick games every week. If would seem unfair to whatever teams’ games they aren’t attending.
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“I respect their decision. I respect their opinion but it’s different in our league,” said Smart. The next playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
Carson Beck silenced his doubters and supposed “falling draft stock” in the 31-17 win over Tennessee.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was asked one of the most ridiculous questions of the season in a press conference in the week preceding the Tennessee game: would he consider a change at quarterback over Carson Beck?
His response was simple.
“Absolutely not (have we considered a change),” Smart said. “We’ve got the quarterback we’ve got, who’s completely competent, capable and understanding of our system that gives us the best chance to win.”
That question asked sounds even more laughable Saturday after Georgia’s dominant 31-17 win over No. 6 Tennessee. There was some back and forth at first, but there was no need for the “Cardiac Dawgs” to get a last-minute victory.
The outcome the Bulldogs were after was on ice for more than just a small while.
It was also Beck’s best game of the season as he rose to the occasion in an essential must-win game to stay in the College Football Playoff race. He took it upon himself to give an emotional speech to the team ahead on Monday ahead of the game.
“I stood up in front of the team on Monday and just kind of talked to them about how I felt about how our season’s gone,” Beck said. “Whatever has happened has happened. And that all we can control is what he can control moving forward.”
Beck backed up his talk by finishing out a complete game 25-for-40 passing for 347 yards with two passing touchdowns and one rushing score.
It marked his first touchdown on the ground of the season, with his last one coming against the Alabama Crimson Tide in last year’s SEC title game.
Allowing Beck to use his mobility and improvisation ability more — two things he brings to the table that are slightly hidden away in his toolbox at times — was in the game plan and incredibly important in the absence of star running back Trevor Etienne.
“We had a couple plays where it was a designed quarterback run, which I don’t know if we’ve ever done for me ever,” Beck said. “So, I was kind of excited coming into the week because when I was in high school, I was a dual-threat, and so I would just like to let everyone know that.”
Being able to let loose on the ground is something Beck has been pushing Smart on for some time now. And the head coach finally let him go with the wheels on Saturday.
It paid dividends.
“I kept telling coach that I’m a dual-threat and that I can run if he needs me to and he doesn’t ever let me run. But he did let me run tonight a little bit so that’s fun.”
All jokes aside, despite the way Beck has fallen among media analysts in terms of draft stock, it’s clear he’s still got the interest and respect of the coaching staff around him, his teammates and NFL scouts.
That’s all that matters at the end of the day.
“Carson carries himself well,” Smart said after the game. “I’ve been very consistent, even with some of the dumbest questions in the world about out our quarterback, because we see him every day. He gets judged on outcomes and stats, but we don’t judge based on that.”
Smart is confident Beck gives the Bulldogs the strongest shot at going all the way.
“I’m never going to falter on what I see with my eyes. What I see with eyes is a guy that is really good on the pocket. He’s got poise, he’s got composure. He puts us in the right play over and over again and makes good decisions.”
Beck and the Bulldogs will continue their run in the race to the College Football Playoff with just two regular-season matchups left against UMass and Georgia Tech.
Kirby Smart did not mince words when questioned about a potential quarterback change.
Kirby Smart has fielded a lot of questions on Georgia quarterback Carson Beck as of late, many of which have pertained to the signal-caller’s interceptions.
One of the most ludicrous of those was as to whether or not he would consider a change at the position, whether temporarily or permanently and if he thought there could be another option as a running threat.
Smart did not mince words when he responded.
“Absolutely not (have we considered a change),” Smart said. “We’ve got the quarterback we’ve got, who’s completely competent, capable and understanding of our system that gives us the best chance to win.
There is merit to some of the criticism regarding Beck’s questionable decision-making at times, but it should also be noted just how severe Georgia’s issue with receivers dropping passes truly is.
In fact, the No. 11-ranked Bulldogs have one of the worst drop rates in concerning drops rates in college football. It’s the issue that’s holding the offense back most, even though everyone seems to want to point fingers at Beck.
“The receiver problem is real,” college football analyst David Pollack said in a recent appearance on The Todd McShay Show. “They drop balls at the third highest-rate. They don’t make contested catches. Delp (Oscar) is M.I.A. this season. He has less than eight catches on the season. If you want to boil down to what you see and watch on tape, Carson Beck don’t trust Delp. He doesn’t. You can tell there’s definitely not a level of trust. (Brock) Bowers, that ball was getting force-fed. (Ladd) McConkey, that ball was getting force-fed.”
Such an issue causes any quarterback of any caliber to second-guess himself, causes hesitancy in the pocket that can affect timing of getting the ball off and overall decisiveness and generates a pure lack of trust.
Beck finished out his last appearance, the 28-10 loss to Ole Miss, 20-for-31 passing for 186 yards with one interception. On the season to this point, Beck has completed 65.4% of his passes for 2,488 yards with 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
That ratio may look a bit alarming, but at the same time, going back and looking through the film will show more receiver error causing this outcome than decision-making issues by Beck, which have existed but been few and far between.
How Beck continues to progress with the 2025 NFL Draft now much closer than it may appear will be something to watch down the final stretch of the season.
That starts with Saturday’s matchup against No. 6-ranked Tennessee in Sanford Stadium.
Why No. 12 Georgia beats No. 7 Tennessee to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive
The Georgia Bulldogs are large home favorites against the Tennessee Volunteers in their first home night game of the season. Georgia’s postseason fate relies on this game. The Bulldogs are 9.5-point favorites against the 8-1 Volunteers.
Here are three reasons why the Bulldogs will cover and win the game on Saturday.
Head coach Kirby Smart always harps on the fans to be elite to help out his team during big matchups like the one this Saturday. Expect the crowd to play a major factor and force Tennessee to get costly penalties to play behind the chains to put themselves into tougher scenarios. Tennessee starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s status is still in question and if backup Gaston Moore has to play, then that is too much to ask.
Tennessee has played in just two true road games this season, so the Volunteers may struggle in a hostile environment.
Sense of Urgency
(Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
The Bulldogs find themselves in an unfamiliar position, one they haven’t experienced in recent memory. Georgia is currently on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. Expect UGA to approach the game with a major sense of urgency.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel is well aware of the challenge a team like the Bulldogs presents. “We’re preparing to face a great opponent. In every phase of the game, they’re extremely talented and exceptionally well-coached,” Heupel said. His high praise is a clear indication that the Bulldogs will aim to deliver their most complete performance in this critical matchup.
Run game
Tennessee has the second-best run defense in the SEC and is allowing just 100 rushing yards per game. However, in four of six SEC games Tennessee has given up over 100 yards on the ground.
With a trend like that you expect Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo to implement in the game plan that running the ball effectively and efficiently is high on tasks to accomplish to make Saturday successful. Georgia starting running back Trevor Etienne is officially out, so that task will belong to freshman running back Nate Frazier.
Frazier has dealt with starter reps against No. 20 Clemson and Florida. In both games he gained over 80 rushing yards and a touchdown.
UGA head coach Kirby Smart comments on Georgia’s recent offensive struggles
In the Georgia Bulldogs’ 28-10 loss to the No. 10 Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford it raised questions about UGA’s offense identity. With it being this late in the season questions need to be answered with another pivotal matchup in Week 12 agains the No. 4 Tennessee Volunteers at home.
In Monday’s press conference, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had answers.
With the offensive line surrendering a season-high five sacks and nine tackles for losses the offensive line performance was one of the main things wanted to hear from Kirby.
“But, you know, being more efficient is the most important thing. And that’s our biggest struggle, is staying ahead of the chains for third downs and putting together drives where we don’t have turnovers, ” Smart said.
“At the end of the day when you play from behind and a team can rush the passer like they did. Their No. 1 is an elite rusher,” Smart said.
The No. 1 that coach Smart is referring to for Ole Miss is Princely Umanmielen, who had two sacks and two tackles for losses and consistently lived in the Georgia backfield.
Georgia ranks No. 76 with a 38 percent conversion rate on third down. Compared to last year, when Georgia was the best team in the country with a 55 percent conversion rate on third down. Seven starters left for the NFL after last season including main offensive contributors Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. The receiver corps lost two were security blankets for Carson Beck.
Smart also touched on the difficult schedule that the Bulldogs have been going through this season.
“Well, we played really good defenses. So, you guys will look at a stat sheet and you’ll say, where do they rank? And I’ll say, well, against who? Because relative to who we’ve played, we’ve played some really good teams,” Smart said.
The Bulldogs have No. 1 strength of schedule this year with four top 25 matchups in away/neutral stadiums. In those top 25 matchups, the average defense the Georgia offense will faced was 20th in the nation. Georgia will have their hands full with their last matchup against Tennessee, who is No. 7 in total defense.
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This season has been inconsistent on the offensive end of things for Georgia. However, UGA’s season ends with three home games in a row, so there could be a way to find that consistency ahead of the postseason.
Ole Miss fans storm the field early, causing larger fines that Georgia will receive from Ole Miss as a consequence
Ole Miss Rebels fans were looking to celebrate their 28-10 win against the Georgia Bulldogs, but they jumped the gun. With 16 seconds left, Ole Miss fans stormed the field. Officials had to clear the field before the fans stormed again, which resulted in the goalpost being taken off the field.
As a result, the SEC has fined the Rebels $350,000 for the incident. This was Ole Miss’s second offense, which meant they already had a $250,000 fine for this incident, but another $100,000 was tacked on for the fans deciding to storm the field early. Their first incident occurred against LSU last year, and if they storm the field again, they’ll be fined $500,000.
All of this current incident’s fine ($350,000) will go to the Georgia Bulldogs.
The fan-storming incident has also brought with it some controversy from the Georgia Bulldogs, as Georgia safety Jake Pope was caught celebrating with Ole Miss. Kirby Smart has already lambasted Pope in his most recent interview, but Pope has since apologized and explained he surprisingly ran into a longtime friend.
The Georgia Bulldogs drop in ESPN’s Football Power Index rankings after their 28-10 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels.
ESPN’s FPI (Football Power Index) is out after Week 11’s college football action, which featured several games that shook up the ACC and SEC.
According to ESPN, FPI is defined as “a predictive rating system designed to measure team strength and project performance going forward.” In the FPI, nine of the top 25 teams are in the SEC, including five of the top 10. The SEC is again looking like the best conference in college football.
Thanks to the previously No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs’ 28-10 loss to the No. 16 Ole Miss Rebels, they slide down to No. 6. That puts them behind three teams in the SEC: Alabama, Texas, and Ole Miss. Alabama earns the No. 1 spot after their dominating 42-13 win against LSU and they have the highest percentage to make the playoffs outside of Texas.
There was a major upset that took place in Georgia with the previosly undefeated Miami Hurricanes losing to Georgia Tech and hurting their ACC championship hopes.
The Yellow Jackets took a 14-10 lead in the second quarter and never let go. Miami did have a chance to drive down the field with two minutes left in the fourth, but Cam Ward was strip sacked by Tech’s Romello Height.
For Georgia Bulldogs fans, Week 12 will be a do-or-die matchup vs. the No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers. A loss could doom Georgia to miss the College Football Playoff for the second straight season.
