No. 1 Georgia came back from an 11-point halftime deficit to top South Carolina 24-14 in Week 3, but lost several key players in the process. Star offensive tackle Amarius Mims, along with running backs Kendall Milton and Roderick Robinson II, are nursing injuries that could keep them out of action for the foreseeable future, coach Kirby Smart announced Monday.
Mims, a 6-foot-7, 340-pound junior, suffered an ankle injury late in the second quarter against the Gamecocks. He was helped to the locker room with the assistance of trainers and did not return. Mims, a preseason All-SEC selection and the No. 20 overall prospect in the 2024 CBS Sports NFL Draft prospect rankings, will undergo a tightrope surgery and miss several weeks, according to Smart. The procedure is the same one that famously kept former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa out of action for three weeks in 2019.
Xavier Truss moved from guard to tackle after Mims' injury and will likely step in on a more permanent basis until Mims is able to fully recover.
"It's an ankle sprain, but I don't know how significant. No clue," Smart said on Monday. "It seems like ankle sprains all over the country right now. Everybody's got ankle sprains. We've got ankle sprains everywhere. But I don't know how significant it is, so we'll find out."
Milton suffered an MCL injury during the third quarter of the South Carolina game and did not return after rushing seven times for 25 yards. Robinson, meanwhile, sustained a high ankle sprain. The prognoses for both injuries are unclear, Smart said.
Daijun Edwards, who had been nursing an MCL injury from preseason camp, returned to action against the Gamecocks and finished with 118 yards and a second-half touchdown. Dillon Bell, who is listed as a wide receiver but can play in the backfield, rushed seven times for 23 yards and a score. Cash Jones also found the end zone in the second half on two carries.
The injury bug has hit the two-time reigning national champions hard this year. Wide receiver Ladd McConkey hasn't played this season and star defensive back Javon Bullard is also nursing an ankle injury. If there is a silver lining, it's that the Bulldogs have the ability to tinker with the lineup this weekend against a UAB team that has lost two straight after a season-opening win over North Carolina A&T.
