The Georgia Bulldogs escaped Tennessee with a gutty 34-31 overtime win to keep their BCS National Championship hopes alive. While they may have won the battle, their personnel losses will be tough to overcome as SEC play continues.
Georgia Bulldogs injuries: Keith Marshall, Michael Bennett among major casualties
Georgia was able to eke out the win over Tennessee on Saturday, but they suffered injuries in the process. Keith Marshall, Michael Bennett, Justin Scott-Wesley, and Collin Barber all went down with potentially serious injuries.
With starting tailback Todd Gurley already on the sidelines with an ankle injury and safety Tray Matthews out, Keith Marshall went down in the first quarter with what appeared to be a serious left knee injury. Marshall remained on the sidelines for a while with ice on his knee, and CBS cameras caught him with tears in his eyes while being consoled by teammates and coaches. He was carted to the locker room just before halftime.
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Michael Bennett was the next playmaker to go down, a heavy loss since No. 1 WR Malcolm Mitchell was already done for the year. The wideout also left with a knee injury that appears to be serious. Bennett left in the third quarter and did not return. He suffered a torn ACL on the same knee during practice last season.
The wide receiver corps again took a hit when Justin Scott-Wesley had to be carted off the field with yet another knee injury. Scott-Wesley was in the game as a gunner on a Georgia punt, and his knee buckled without any contact while he was running down field on a fair catch. He had been leading the Bulldogs with 289 yards receiving entering the game.
Punter Collin Barber was the last of the Bulldogs' major casualties. Tennessee blocked a Georgia punt late in the third quarter, and Barber suffered a head injury on the play. Barber was averaging 48 yards per punt entering Saturday's game.
It is still too early to know the long-term status of the Bulldogs’ newly injured players. All would be big blows if they do miss extended time, however.
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