ATHENS — Georgia tailback D’Andre Swift acknowledged he has been battling through a groin injury this season, but he’s ready for Tennessee.
“I get treatment at 7 in the morning every day, try to do it a few times a day to get ready for practices, but I’m good now,” said Swift, who has started all four games this season. “It has been going on for a while.”
Swift expects to start when the No. 2-ranked Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0 SEC) play host to the Vols (2-2, 0-1) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Sanford Stadium (TV: CBS; Radio: WSB 750 AM, 95.5 FM).
Swift, who has a team-high 40 carries for 190 yards, has dealt with the groin injury since spring drills and tweaked it against Middle Tennessee on Sept. 15. The injury led to him coming out after two series.
Last Saturday at Missouri, however, Swift had a career-high 16 carries, gaining 71 yards.
Swift’s 4.75 yards per carry is down from the 7.63 yards he averaged per carry last season, and he has yet to break a run of 20 yards or more after having eight such runs in 2017.
“It will come,” said Swift, whose pass-catching ability and breakaway speed has made him Georgia’s preferred back. “I’m not trying to press it, but it will come.”
Elijah Holyfield leads Georgia with 290 yards rushing on 36 carries (8.1 yards per carry), and Swift said he’s glad the backfield has the depth to wear on opponents.
“Elijah gets a lot of carries, Brian (Herrien) gets a lot of carries, and we’re using (James) Cook, who’s young,” Swift said. “Just having those guys that can come in any time and just create chaos for the defense is real big.”
Cook has 22 carries for 105 yards (4.8 ypc), and Herrien has 17 carries for 100 yards (5.9 ypc).
Whoever is carrying the football will be braced for a physical Tennessee defense, Swift said.
“We know it’s gonna be kind of a chippy game, real physical game, because that’s the type of team that they are,” Swift said, “plus, with a new coach they are going to come out and make a statement.
“We know we’re going to get their best.”
