Kirby Smart updates status of injured O-linemen ahead of Auburn game
By Keith Farner
Published:
Georgia’s offensive line has experienced a rash of injuries in recent weeks, and now the Bulldogs are facing a strong test from Auburn’s defensive line.
Coach Kirby Smart said this week that Lamont Gaillard and Cade Mays were limited, but did some work at practice. He labeled them as day to day. Mays suffered a “stinger” and Gaillard is dealing with a hyperextended knee.
Auburn’s defensive line is regarded as one of the best around, and Smart explained why.
“They’re big, they’re physical, they’re quick, they’re athletic. A lot of them are gonna be high draft picks,” he said. “We’ve been against them before. It seems like they’ve been there forever. They’re talented, and they do a good job up front. I think the biggest thing is being consistent. You’ve got to keep chopping wood. You can’t expect to get a lot of movement early on those guys. They’re heavy and they strike. We’re gonna strike. Two guys striking each other, two stubborn teams. They wanna stop the run and we want to run the ball. We’ll see how it goes.”
Auburn is second in the SEC with 29 sacks, and leads the league with 79 tackles for a loss, six more than Alabama. Georgia, meanwhile, leads the SEC in rushing offense at 233 yards per game.
Georgia’s won four of the last five meetings in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday on ESPN.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
