ATHENS — A trio of Georgia players will miss Saturday’s game against Southern, and their status for the showdown with Alabama is in doubt.

Inside linebacker Reggie Carter (shoulder), fullback Christian Payne (fibula) and defensive back Rico McGraw (knee) will not play Saturday, coach Mark Richt said after Wednesday’s practice.

Carter’s shoulder issue has been a nagging one, and he wasn’t at practice Tuesday and Wednesday. Carter, a junior, had a chance to compete for a starting job at inside linebacker, but while he’s dealt with the injury Jake Ganus and Tim Kimbrough have done well sharing time.

Payne, a walk-on sophomore, missed the season opener with the fibula, which he cracked in the preseason, returned for the Vanderbilt game, then re-injured the fibula last week against South Carolina. Payne was the first-teamer while healthy.

McGraw, a freshman, had arthroscopic knee surgery after the Vanderbilt game, and the initial timetable was one-to-two weeks. McGraw started at the star position in the season opener against Louisiana-Monroe.