The Georgia football team held its third practice on Wednesday as it gets ready to play No. 18 Auburn. Below you can find live updates, the injury report and the latest practice news.
Georgia is 5-0 on the season while Auburn is 4-1. Georgia won last season’s meeting 27-6 when the game was played in Athens.
Georgia football-Auburn live updates, practice news
6 p.m. update, Oct. 6: Georgia just wrapped its third practice of the week. We’ll hear from Jamaree Salyer and long snapper William Mote.
- “I’m most proud of us finishing games. If you look at us in the fourth quarter, we’ve been able to keep our defense off the field. The games that we did, we finished for the defense.” Jamaree Salyer on the offensive line. Says communication needs to get better.
- “I feel comfortable there. If the team needs me to be a long snapper, I’d be there to help us win.” -- Salyer on playing left tackle.
- “He’s a freak athlete. The way he runs at 6-4,6-5 240, the way he runs is freakish. That guy is a freak athlete. His ability to get off the ball and run, it makes games a lot easier. He’s a beast. He’s powerful, he’s explosive. He’s got a really high motor.” -- Salyer on Adam Anderson.
- “I probably talk to Andrew the most. He’ll call me and tell me if I play good. He’s not too critical but he checks in. He’s like a big brother to me.” -- Salyer on hearing from Andrew Thomas.
- “I think so too. For me, guard is more of a bending position. I enjoy playing guard for sure. It’s where I feel the most natural.” -- Salyer on playing tackle over guard.
- “Did it surprise us no? We wanted to have a physical game. We took that as a challenge and wanted to go be physical with them.”-- Salyer on running the ball as much as they did against Arkansas.
- “I think Sed is growing a lot. Understanding the playbook, understanding the assignment. Going into a loud stadium like Auburn, it’ll be another test for him.” -- Salyer on Sedrick Van Pran.
9 a.m. update, Oct. 6: A couple of pictures from practice this week, along with an update to the injury report:
Kirby Smart on JT Daniels: “Anything that doesn’t bother it, you want to continue to do. So he was able today to go out and do some soft toss and it didn’t bother it. That’s the same protocol they did with Dak. It’s not a complete shutdown. There’s exercises he can do in our training room that are bands and throwing motions and things that don’t hurt him. They don’t bother him. As long as it doesn’t bother him, then we feel like we’re getting improvement, gradual improvement.”
Kirby Smart on Dominick Blaylock, Arian Smith and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint: “We have a chance of getting all three. They were out there running, hitting 18-19 mph. They weren’t running full speed but they were moving around. Rosemy probably has the best chance, but each one of them has a chance to make it back. But they’re not taking a lot of reps. They’re hitting walk-through reps but we’re going to see if they can clear by Thursday or Friday.”
Kirby Smart on Tykee Smith: “I think Tykee is much closer. He took more reps today. It’s not just ability. He has the ability, it’s him understanding the defense, getting back in, getting full-speed reps. It’s different when you start covering a guy running 19, 20 miles an hour at you. That’s the biggest thing getting him back comfortable doing that.”
Kirby Smart on Darnell Washington: Darnell, he was really more effective last week than I thought he would be. He’s been able to take to take his reps this week so he’s moving in the right direction. The biggest thing with Darnell is getting him in playing shape.
6 p.m. update Oct. 5: Georgia coach Kirby Smart is set to speak to the media, along with linebacker Channing Tindall and cornerback Ameer Speed. Surely the status of JT Daniels and his practice availability will be discussed.
- The problem with inside is that the turf wears on your legs a little bit more. The preparation has been great. I think the guys had good energy today.
- I feel like we’re as beat up as I’ve been here. Guys worked hard, they’re buying into it and executing.
- “Rosemy probably has the best chance. They’re not taking a lot of reps. They’re going to see if they can clean by Thursday or Friday.” -- Smart on the status of Dom Blaylock, Arian Smith and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint.
- “Now we’re probably at 50 percent that haven’t been at a true road game. We try to teach and learn from it. You can’t let one mistake compound things and make it worse.” -- Smart on playing on the road.
- “Tykee and Darnell are both working really well. We’re not limiting their reps anymore. Being on turf affects them too. Tykee is much closer. He took more reps today.”
- “Darnell was more effective than I thought he would be last week.” -- Smart on Darnell Washington.
- “Devonte Wyatt was not the player he was when he got here. I can assure Jordan Davis wasn’t either. I think Tray does an incredible job of developing them.” --Smart on the defensive line.
- “My first question with Ron is “Is he going to hurt it any worse?” Today he was able to go out and do some soft toss. There are exercises he can do in our training room that don’t bother him.” -- Smart on JT Daniels. Says the key is to avoid making the injury worse. Doesn’t want to continue a cycle of re-injury and then rehab.
- “The challenge is how you cover for that long. He can extend plays. He can win with his feet. He’s very creative with his feet. Sometimes the design runs are easier to defend. It’s tremendously hard. I don’t think people understand how good of an athlete he is.” Smart on Bo Nix. Says Nix hit 22 miles per hour on GPS.
- “He’s looked good. His lower back still bothers him but it’s not to the point that it impacts his performance right now. He’s done a good job. He’s a savvy vet. He’s very intelligent.” -- Kirby Smart on Stetson Bennett.
- “Size, speed, athleticism. Elite get off. Long and fast. You start looking at the comparisons, it’s Leonard Floyd. His biggest issue has been being able to handle bulk and weight. He’s matured so much in the classroom. He bought into the program and all that came into it.” -- Kirby Smart on Adam Anderson.
- “Been trying to figure that out for 25 years. We can figure that out, we’d make a lot of money. We’re trying like hell every day.” -- Kirby Smart on creating turnovers.
- “I don’t look at coaching him like any different than anyone on the team. He’s been coached hard. He argues his point and usually has a good reason for it.” -- Smart on coaching Stetson Bennett.
- “We’ve definitely seen Bo Nix. He’s always been a dual-threat quarterback. We’re going to have to keep him in the pocket. He’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.” -- Channing Tindall on Bo Nix.
- “Just being there, I’ve played at different away games, just learning on ourselves to get up outta there.” -- Channing Tindall on playing at Auburn.
- “He’s like 6-foot-6, 340 pounds and runs like a 4.8 40. Playing behind him is a linebacker’s fantasy. It’s like straight downhill runs after that.” -- Channing Tindall on Jordan Davis.
- “He’s trying to become a master of his craft each and every day. He’s trying to experiment with what he wants now. He’ll be a master at one or two of those moves. His experience has gotten much better.”-- Channing Tindall on Adam Anderson.
- “The season goes by quickly. Bloody Tuesday and fast Wednesday.” -- Channing Tindall on getting through the season.
12 p.m. update, Oct. 4: Georgia coach Kirby Smart is set to meet with the media shortly to preview the game against Auburn.
Georgia players Sedrick Van Pran and Chris Smith also met with the media as well to preview the game.
- Smart begins by thanking the fans. “We didn’t expect anything less from our fan base.”
- “Playing at Auburn is one of the toughest places to play.”
- “Lot of similarities to things I see. Obviously, Mike has done a tremendous job in taking his best players and highlighting their positives.”
- “I thought Bo played a tremendous game against LSU. I think Mike’s done a really good job.” -- Kirby Smart on Mike Bobo
- “Feel good about our backs. I got a lot of trust in faith in all five of those guys. Those guys have done a good job of being healthy.” -- Kirby Smart on the running backs.
- “It’s what you have to do to be successful. We strive for that. We don’t always reach it but these kids have responded to the challenges.” Smart on playing to the standard.
- “Is it going to poison them? I hope not. The standard of being elite is what keeps them from becoming poisoned.” -- Kirby Smart on the defense.
- “I don’t think there’s one superstar on our team. People outside want that but I don’t think there is one. I think that speaks to the commitment of this team.”
- “I know he was frustrated. For him it was more about competition or opportunity. The way we practice he was able to get work in.” -- Kirby Smart on Stetson Bennett.
- “As far as JT, he’s doing everything but throwing. The biggest thing is he has to try to rest and heal. He’s not going to do much today with regards to throwing.” -- Kirby Smart on JT Daniels and his practice status.
- “Tykee was not in the same boat (as Darnell). One thing we do here is if you don’t practice you don’t play. He’s reacting to movement so it’s different for him. He’ll be the first to tell you he’s not 100 percent.” -- Kirby Smart on Tykee Smith.
- Arian Smith, Dominick Blaylock and Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint are all closer to playing this week than last week but not definite ins.
- Smart says Daniels has been dealing with the lat injury for about a week and a half. Did some more scans on the injury, including after Vanderbilt. Hoping to get it to heal so that it does not become a long-term injury.
- “We didn’t force any turnovers and that is what elite defenses do.” -- Kirby Smart stressing the importance of turnovers.
- “There is no week off in our conference. They’re going to be the same team regardless of where they’re ranked.” --Smart on playing four-straight SEC foes.
- “One of our Achilles heels has been perimeter blocking. We haven’t done it consistently. The only thing stopping us from being elite on offense is ourselves.” -- Kirby Smart on being elite on offense.
- Also says the lack of depth at wide receiver has been an issue as well.
- “Every offense has a scramble plan. It’s going to happen regardless of your quarterback. It’s not something you control or manipulate. It’s an instinctive trait that some people do better than others.” Smart on quarterbacks scrambling.
- “Dominating special teams on the road is critical. I love the effort and energy on our units. We haven’t always had the greatest intelligence.” Kirby Smart on special teams.
- “One of his better performances. He’s worked so hard to trim weight. Just excited to see him get that opportunity last week.” -- Kirby Smart on Devonte Wyatt.
- “We didn’t want to see D-Rob go. The situation we’re in now is because we’re so thin with injuries. Mike does a great job of using the skillset his players have. D-Rob has been able to make a lot of players from that.”
Georgia and Auburn meet this Saturday in Auburn, Ala. Both teams enter the game ranked, with the Bulldogs coming in as the No. 2 and the Tigers sit at No. 18. Both teams earned impressive wins last week, as Georgia beat Arkansas 37-0 and Auburn took down LSU on the road, 24-19.
These two teams met as ranked foes in 2020. That game also saw Georgia start Stetson Bennett, something it may have to do again on Saturday. Quarterback JT Daniels is dealing with a lat strain that kept him out of last week’s game against Arkansas.
“JT can’t control his lat injury. There’s nothing I can say,” Smart said on Saturday. “I’ve talked to trainers at the Cowboys, the Yankees. We’ve done all this research. There’s nothing else we can do but let it heal.”
Bennett threw for 240 yards and a touchdown last season in the win over Auburn. The Georgia defense made things miserable for Bo Nix and will look to do so once again this coming Saturday.
Through five games, the Georgia defense has given up just 16 points this season, the fewest in the country. Nix did have a strong bounce-back performance against LSU, throwing for 255 yards and also leading Auburn in rushing. It was the first win for Auburn at LSU since 1999.
This will be the first time Smart matches up against new Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin. But Auburn does have some familiar faces as its coordinators, as Mike Bobo is the offensive coordinator and Derek Mason is the defensive coordinator.
Georgia football-Auburn injury report
JT Daniels (lat strain, game-time decision), Arian Smith (shin, questionable), Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (ankle, questionable), Dominick Blaylock (hamstring, questionable), Tykee Smith (foot, questionable), George Pickens (knee, out), Tate Ratledge (foot, out), Rian Davis (quad, out), Jalen Kimber (shoulder, out)
Georgia football-Auburn game time
The Georgia football-Auburn game time is set for 3:30 p.m. ET
Georgia football-Auburn TV Channel
The Georgia football-Auburn TV game will be broadcast on CBS
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- Elite or not, availability of JT Daniels will shape Georgia football season
