Add Lawrence Cager’s name to Georgia’s growing list of starters likely to miss Saturday’s game against Kentucky.
The Bulldogs’ leading receiver was playing with a separated shoulder heading into the South Carolina game this past Saturday. Not only did the 6-foot-5 graduate transfer from Miami aggravate that injury, but he suffered another undisclosed one in the course of the 20-17 double overtime loss.
“He's probably out this week,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said during his weekly news conference on Monday. “We don't know that for sure; we're going to see. He's dealing with more than a shoulder now. He has another injury that happened Saturday, so he may not be able to play.”
Cager is tied with freshman George Pickens for the team lead in receptions with 19. He has 245 yards receiving and 3 touchdowns on the season.
Thought to be getting better heading into the South Carolina game, Georgia’s injury situation appears to have worsened coming out. Sophomore cornerback Tyson Campbell, who the Bulldogs are desperately missing on the right side of the secondary, is likely to be out a while longer with turf-toe injury that has kept him sidelined since Week 3.
Campbell dressed out for South Carolina but didn’t play.
“It's a long, slow injury, guys,” Smart said. “I mean, when you talk to everybody across the country, there's nothing you can do to speed that up. So I don't know if he'll be back. Last time I got to see him was during warmups and he was getting closer, so we'll see.”
The Bulldogs likely will give Campbell another week to heal, then they have an off week before playing Florida on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville.
Justin Shaffer, who has started the last two games at left guard, is out this week after suffering a sprained neck against South Carolina. Shaffer was subbing for junior Solomon Kindley, who aggravated his left ankle injury against the Gamecocks. Georgia ended up playing sophomore Cade Mays much of the game at left guard.
Mays had been sharing time at right guard with junior Ben Cleveland, but Cleveland was “banged up” against South Carolina with an undisclosed injury. That resulted in extensive playing time for sophomore Jamaree Salyer, who could get his second start of the season on Saturday. He started at right tackle against Murray State while Isaiah Wilson was sidelined.
Georgia was lauded for its exceptional depth on the offensive line coming into the season. At the halfway point, it’s being tested.
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