Georgia OLB Leonard Floyd to Miss Belk Bowl
Georgia’s defense just suffered a blow in losing linebacker Leonard Floyd for the Dec. 30 Belk Bowl
Georgia will be without its top pass rusher in the upcoming Belk Bowl against the Louisville Cardinals, as CBS Sports is reporting that outside linebacker Leonard Floyd will miss the game after undergoing shoulder surgery.
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Floyd has been bothered with a shoulder injury for much of the season, and finally had no choice but to go under the knife.
“Leonard will not be available for this game,” Richt said, per Dawgs247.com. “We want to give him the maximum amount of time to prepare for his [redshirt junior] year.”
Losing Floyd could be significant for a game against Louisville, as Bobby Petrino’s offense relies heavily on quarterback play, and Floyd led the Bulldogs with six sacks and finished third on the team with 8.5 tackles-for-loss. This means that true freshman Lorenzo Carter will once again be called into action.
Carter subbed for Floyd during the season as needed, and was impressive enough to be named to the ESPN True Freshman All-American Team. He finished the season with 20 tackles (13 solo) including six tackles-for-loss, and 3.5 quarterback sacks.
This was the smart move by Floyd and the Bulldogs, as subjecting him to further and even more severe damage for an essentially meaningless bowl game could have jeopardized his ability to be ready for next season. Carter has been an excellent replacement this season, and will likely be one of the starters next year.
Georgia is currently a seven-point favorite over the Cardinals in the Belk Bowl. The two football teams have never met before on the field.