A.J. Green injures shoulder, out indefinitely

By Jeff Haws

For the AJC

ATHENS -- Back on the field after the first missed game of his Georgia career, A.J. Green was working his way back into the offense when he hit the ground hard.

On his second consecutive 12-yard reception three plays into the second quarter, Green landed out of bounds and left the game with a sprain to the acromioclavicular joint in his left shoulder.

Beyond being out for the remainder of the game, there was no immediate word on how much time the sophomore will miss because of  the injury.

The play was a simple screen to the left, and Green avoided tacklers near the line of scrimmage and sprinted down the Georgia sideline before being pushed out of bounds by Auburn cornerback Demond Washington at midfield.

He got up favoring his shoulder and never returned to the game.

"He's out indefinitely," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "We just don't know for sure how long he'll be out. It was good to see when he went out that we had other guys who could make plays."

Even so, losing Green would be a big blow to the offense. He entered Saturday's game with more receiving yards than the Georgia's next three receiving yardage leaders combined, and he has more than twice as many catches as Michael Moore, his next-closest teammate. If he misses any significant time, it could lead to an increased role in the offense for Israel Troupe and Rantavious Wooten.

"He's a great player," Georgia quarterback Joe Cox said, of Green. "A couple of our younger guys, they play behind A.J. Green. You're not going to get too many opportunities to catch balls but, when you do get a chance, whether he's hurt or whether he's tired, you've got to capitalize."

Green, the 2008 SEC Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-SEC selection, had already matched his number of catches in his previous two games played, finishing with three against both Vanderbilt and Florida.

Though his numbers still could improve if he returns to the lineup for the final two regular-season games and, potentially, a bowl game, missing any time could leave him well short of matching his 2008 numbers.

Currently, Green has 47 catches for 751 yards and six touchdowns, compared with 56 catches for 963 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

The three catches for 19 yards is Green's lowest yardage output in a game he has played since he caught one pass for 12 yards in last season's Capital One Bowl victory over Michigan State.