Kirby Smart discusses RB Kendall Milton, provides injury updates on AD Mitchell, others
Foe the 2nd consecutive September, Georgia is the talk of the college football world.
The Bulldogs, who play Kent State on Saturday, have been absolutely dominant thus far in 2022, outscoring their opponents 130-10 through 3 games.
Still, Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday during his weekly appearance on the SEC coaches teleconference that there’s still improvement to be made, and that includes a defense that has allowed only 1 touchdown this season.
“Communication across the board,” said Smart when asked about where his defense can improve. “We’ve got a lot of plays where we have players on different pages and that can be costly in critical situations.”
Smart was also asked Wednesday about what he has seen from junior running back Kendall Milton, who’s the Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 167 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year.
“Kendall’s a hard worker,” Smart said. “He does a great job each and every day. He’s had some injuries the past couple of years that have held him back. … Certainly is a big, physical back. He’s worked so hard to get where he can catch the ball out of the backfield better. … He’s showed a lot of maturity to improve in that area.”
And finally Wednesday, Smart provided injury updates on a few of his players.
“We’re hopeful to get AD (Mitchell) back,” Smart said. “He’s getting closer. … Nyland’s (Green) running. Don’t know if he’ll be able to play this week, but he’s getting close. Earnest (Green) is looking as good as he has all year. … He may be available for this game. We’ll see how today’s practice and Thursday’s go.”
As for defensive tackle Jalen Carter’s status, Smart said, “Still don’t know. He was limited yesterday. It’ll probably remain that way today. We’ll see how he’s able to push through. It’s not a severe ankle injury, but at that position, you put a lot of stress on that.”
The Bulldogs and Golden Flashes are set for a noon (ET) kick off on Saturday. The game will be televised by ESPN+ and SEC Network+, and Georgia is currently a 45-point favorite.
"Chris Wallace covers college football for Saturday Down South. He has covered college athletics for multiple newspapers and also worked previously for Rivals.com and GolfChannel.com."