Georgia football coach Kirby Smart updates injury status of D’Andre Swift and Devonte Wyatt

ATHENS — Georgia coach Kirby Smart confirmed D’Andre Swift will play against LSU during a Sunday teleconference previewing the SEC Championship Game.

“I expect D’Andre to be fine,” Smart said, rejecting a notion that Swift’s shoulder injury could be severe enough to affect his performance to a drastic degree.

Swift, the Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 1,203 yards and 7 touchdowns, suffered the shoulder injury in the third quarter of Georgia’s 52-7 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday in Atlanta.

Swift had 73 yards on 10 carries and fumbled twice before leaving the game.

The No. 4-ranked Bulldogs (11-1) play the Tigers (12-0) at 4 p.m. next Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and are underdogs for the first time this season. LSU opened as a 4-point favorite.

Smart also said that defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt, who did not dress out for the game with the Yellow Jackets, is expected to play this week.

The 6-foot-3, 301-pound Wyatt has quietly had a strong season for Georgia up front. Wyatt is second on the team with 19 QB Hurries along with his 22 tackles in 11 games.

The Bulldogs will be missing freshman receiver George Pickens for the first half of the game. Pickens was ejected in the third quarter of the Georgia Tech game, triggering a suspension.

Georgia lost its top receiver, senior graduate transfer Lawrence Cager, when he suffered an ankle injury last Wednesday and underwent surgery on Friday.

Senior receiver Tyler Simmons has stepped up the past two games. Smart said on the teleconference that Simmons is no longer wearing the shoulder brace he was in after suffering an injury in the second game of the season.

The Bulldogs also added some depth to the receiving corps when sophomore Tommy Bush returned to the field against the Yellow Jackets and made his first catch of the season.

Bush missed the first nine games with a groin injury.