When the Georgia Bulldogs take the field Saturday evening against the Tennessee Volunteers, they will likely play a de facto College Football Playoff game.
Coming into the contest, Georgia checks in at 7-2 and 5-2 in SEC play while Tennessee currently leads the conference with an 8-1 record and 5-1 in SEC play.
Georgia currently ranks No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and a third loss would remove them from SEC Championship contention and likely make it impossible for the Bulldogs to return to the Playoff.
Making things worse for Georgia is they’ll be without leading rusher Trevor Etienne. Etienne suffered an upper-body injury in Georgia’s win over the Florida Gators on November 2. He was also limited in last week’s loss to Ole Miss, recording just six carries for 24 yards.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Thursday night that Etienne is listed as out on the week’s SEC injury report.
Georgia RB Trevor Etienne is out against Tennessee, per the SEC injury report.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 15, 2024
Etienne is Georgia’s leading rusher this season, rushing for 477 yards and seven touchdowns. He spent his first two collegiate seasons with Florida before transferring for the 2024 season, but has yet to reach the heights of previous Georgia running backs or even the numbers he reached in his first two seasons in which he rushed for over 700 yards.
Freshman Nate Frazier, Georgia’s second-leading rusher, will likely receive the bulk of Etienne’s carries. This season he’s rushed for 333 yards and three touchdowns.
