Georgia's bye week came at the perfect time this season as it gives two of UGA's starters a chance to get healthy before they resume play next week against Alabama. Those two starters are offensive linemen Juan Gaston and Earnest Greene who have both been dealing with injuries all season long.
Both Bulldogs were injured in the season opener which caused them to miss Georgia's week two win against Austin Peay. They both did play against Tennessee last week, but their injuries continued to creep up and impact how much they could play, especially Greene who did not play towards the end of the game.
Kirby Smart provided an update on both players during this week's press conference, beginning first with Gaston who is a five-star true freshman starter at right guard.
"He (Gaston) seems fine," Kirby Smart shared via ugawire.usatoday.com. "He did some work yesterday. He's got a midfoot that's bothering him some, but it didn't hold him back for much yesterday."
Smart then went on to discuss Greene's injury, which seems a little more serious.
"He (Greene) certainly was not 100% (against Tennessee) and tried to go out there and go and give us all he could," Smart continued. "I think his endurance and the stamina part was hard in that kind of game to go out there and just jump back in and play. Then, you know, we'll continue to work on it and try to figure out what the best lineup is for everybody."
Kirby Smart is hopeful both Bulldogs will be healthy for Alabama
According to Smart it sounds like Gaston is relatively healthy and not dealing with anything too serious. He does still have a minor midfoot injury he is working through that is definitely worth monitoring, but overall it seems like his status is not in jeopardy heading into Alabama week.
Greene on the other hand is a different story. He was not 100 percent against Tennessee and he was unable to finish the game as well. This means it could be difficult for him to be fully healthy by next week when Alabama comes to town, but this extra week off could be exactly what he needs.
Georgia's first official injury report will come out early next week, and while the list of injured Bulldogs should be pretty short these are two names everyone should pay close attention to.