UGA’s Brandon Kublanow mum about alleged ‘dirty play’ vs. UT
ATHENS — Brandon Kublanow had nothing to say Monday when asked about his part in a play that left a Tennessee player injured last season.
“Yeah, I’m not going to speak about it,” Kublanow said during Georgia’s weekly news conference on Monday. “I’m moving on to the 2016 game. If you want to talk about (2016 game), we’ll talk about it.”
Vols’ players and coaches claimed Kublanow’s lunging block on defensive lineman Shy Tuttle during last year’s game was a dirty play. Tuttle suffered a broken fibula on the play. Tennessee coach Butch Jones asked the SEC for a review, but nothing ever came of it.
Tennessee guard Jack Jones led the criticism of Kublanow. He sent out a tweet after reviewing the game video last fall.
“Just saw the video of Shy getting injured,” Jones wrote. “What a lack of class. I get playing physical at OL. But that was pathetic!”
Privately, Georgia officials contend there was nothing malicious about Kublanow’s play, which came on a toss-sweep left to Sony Michel. The Vols won the game 38-31.
Kublanow and Tuttle are likely to meet on the field at Sanford Stadium on Saturday as the 25th-ranked Bulldogs (3-1, 1-1 SEC) play host to No. 11 Tennessee. Tuttle, a 6-foot-2, 311-pound sophomore, is a regular in the Vols’ defensive line rotation. He has three tackles and a pass breakup to his credit this season.
Tennessee opened as a four-point favorite on Monday. The Vols are coming off a 38-28 win over Florida. Georgia lost to Ole Miss 45-14 in Oxford, Miss.
Kublanow acknowledged that the Bulldogs were extremely down after the loss. But he assured they would be back up for Saturday’s game.
“That’s how it is after a loss like that,” Kublanow said. “You’ve just got to realize you have a season ahead of you. The season’s not over and we’ve just got to get back to work. We have to have a great week of practice in order to beat these guys. That’s what we have to do.”
THE PLAY IN QUESTION:
Tennessee Freshman DT Shy Tuttle Out For The Rest Of The Season With Broken Fibula Because Of This Play vs. Georgia pic.twitter.com/vejaV4dpJO
— Tennessee Fan Base (@VolsFanBASE) October 13, 2015
