Bulldogs add safety Tray Matthews to injury list

Matthews is Georgia’s fourth-leading tackler with 20 and has the team’s only interception. He missed nearly three weeks of preseason camp because of a hamstring pull. Richt was not certain Wednesday how the Bulldogs might proceed if Matthews is not available.

“I don’t know; you’ll have to ask Todd,” he said, referring to defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. “‘I don’t know’ sometimes means I don’t want to tell everybody. But I’m not exactly sure how we’ll do it. We’ve got to make some decisions, if in fact he can’t go.”

Freshman Quincy Mauger is listed as his backup at free safety, but senior Connor Norman and junior Corey Moore also plays the position.

Meanwhile, Gurley continues to spend his afternoons getting treatment in the training room. He has not worked with the team since leaving the LSU game with a left-ankle sprain with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter. He leads the Bulldogs and ranks third in the SEC with 450 yards rushing.

Gurley’s absence so far doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a scratch for Saturday

“There’s no drop-dead day,” Richt said. “It used be that way, I think. But it depends on the guy and what type of veteran he is. If you think he has to practice Wednesday and Thursday in order to be mentally ready to play, maybe. But if a guy knows what to do and he feels great on Saturday, I think I’d still play him anyway.”

However, the fact that sophomore Keith Marshall has been getting the majority of snaps with the No. 1 offense this week means that he is most likely to start.

“It would make sense to do that,” Richt said. “Keith is very capable of carrying it as many times as we need him to,” Richt added. “You get a lot more rest in the game now with the television timeouts. He could carry it 15, 20, 25 times.”

Marshall has 213 yards (4.2 yards per carry) in a backup role to Gurley this season. He had 96 yards on 20 carries in relief against LSU on Saturday.

Meanwhile, freshmen reserves Brendan Douglas and J.J. Green are preparing to play Saturday.

“They’ve done well,” Richt said. “They’ve been doing pretty well all along. They’ve been getting a lot of the reps during the competitive periods because Todd and Keith get a fair amount of those in games anyway. So they’ve been getting a lot of work all along.”

Still contributing: Norman has played less on defense these days, but is keeping busy on special teams. The senior safety recovered a fumbled punt by LSU's Odell Beckham on Saturday and was named one of Georgia's captains for Saturday's game against Tennessee.

“I think Connor is a guy who is kind of the essence of college football at its core and what it’s all about,” said tight ends coach John Lilly, who coordinates the Bulldogs’ special teams. “He walked on here and has really taken advantage of every opportunity he’s been given, both defensively and in the kicking game. You look at his whole body of work, and he’s made some big plays for us. Obviously, he made a huge one with the recovery of the muffed punt the other day that set us up to take the lead late in the third quarter.”

He said it: Tennessee defensive coordinator Willie Martinez on Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray: "Maybe he'll get sick."

Etc.: The Bulldogs held a 90-minute practice in helmets and shoulder pads Wednesday. "The effort was outstanding today, and overall we had good focus," Richt said. "Our scout team did their part especially on special teams. … Linebacker Ryne Rankin had to sit out practice Wednesday because of an unspecified illness. Receiver Michael Bennett had to run on the side Wednesday, but Richt said "he's fine" and will be able to play Saturday… . The Bulldogs and Vols each have played 14 freshmen.