Kirby Smart Names a UGA Football Group That Needs to Step Up

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AUSTIN - Kirby Smart has done his fair share of media hits with a gigantic top-5 matchup with the Texas  Longhorns looming this weekend. 

UGA Football is heading into the game with some significant injuries. Georgia is used to being banged up, but it hurts when a huge game is in front of you and you are missing some of your key players. Now, with the SEC student athlete availability report, we get to see who is “in, out, probable or questionable” heading into a game. 

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On Friday night, Smart stayed up late to join ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt on the late night edition of SportsCenter. Van Pelt acknowledged Georgia's injury issues and asked Kirby which position group needs to step up the most:

“It’s in the offensive line. You know, we’ve had guys the last couple of weeks in and out, in and out, in and out. We’ve got a couple of guys in and out of practice this week, so it has been a struggle to kind of put that group together. I know this- they are one of the toughest groups we’ve got, so they will be ‘next man up’ and get ready to go fight and play.”

The “couple of guys” that Smart is referring to are Tate Ratledge and Jared Wilson. 

Ratledge, the All-American guard, hurt his ankle in the first half of the Kentucky game and underwent surgery to repair it. His “questionable” designation is the first sign of improvement on that front. 

Wilson, the first-year starter at center, suffered a foot injury against Alabama, and Georgia has been cautious with easing him back. Drew Bobo, Mike Bobo’s son, has been starting at center in relief for Wilson. 

Georgia’s injuries this week:

UGA RB Roderick Robinson - Out

UGA LB Smael Mondon - Out

UGA RB Branson Robinson - Out

UGA OL Tate Ratledge - Questionable

UGA DL Jordan Hall - Probable

UGA OL Jared Wilson - Probable

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