The Georgia Bulldogs saw several players leave their Week 12 game against Tennessee early and were hit particularly hard on the offensive side of the ball. What’s the latest on some of Georgia’s primary contributors on the injury report?
Georgia Injury Updates: Tate Ratledge, Ladd McConkey, Rara Thomas Leave Tennessee Game Early
Led by head coach Kirby Smart, quarterback Carson Beck, and a talented defense, the Georgia Bulldogs were able to coast to a 38-10 victory over Tennessee, but the win didn’t come without collateral damage.
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Particularly on the offensive side of the ball, Georgia had multiple key contributors leave the game early due to injuries. Offensive guard Tate Ratledge and wide receiver Ladd McConkey left in the first quarter, while WR Rara Thomas left in the second.
Smart offered updates on all three players after the game.
On Ratledge, per Dawg Nation, Smart said: “Tate banged knees, so we felt he might be able to get back in there. He tried to go, but couldn’t, there’s no X-ray, no damage, so he tells me he’s going to be able to play this week. We’ll see.”
On Thomas — who caught one pass for 18 yards before exiting — Smart offered a similar explanation: “The X-rays were negative. It wasn’t an ankle sprain, it bothered him in warmups. Maybe a foot sprain. We don’t really know, but the X-rays are negative, so that’s really good news.”
McConkey’s situation was a bit different. McConkey suffered an ankle injury the week prior against Ole Miss and was held out of practices for the week. On McConkey, Smart said: “We thought he’d be able to go, but he was not really able to go.”
The good news for all three players is that the language used by Smart does not imply that any long-term absences are expected.
Ratledge and Thomas suffered minor injuries that were negative on X-rays, and McConkey tried to play but was pulled early on to preserve his health for the weeks to come.
The Bulldogs have one more regular season game (against Georgia Tech) on Nov. 25 and then take on the top-10 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship game. From there, a prospective College Football Playoff appearance is on the horizon.