Kirby Smart provides injury updates for starters before SEC Championship

As Georgia prepares for the SEC Championship showdown against Alabama, Kirby Smart continues providing updates on several key injuries to starters. Among the players looking to make a return on Saturday, offensive tackle Jamaree Salyer, defensive back Christopher Smith, running back Kendall Milton, and wide receiver Kearis Jackson provide the most value in the lineup.

Kirby Smart spoke about several injuries during his Thursday press conference, providing a more clear picture of the availability of several key starters dealing with injury management.

Kirby Smart provides injury update

When asked to provide an injury update, Kirby Smart provide plenty good news. It appears the Bulldogs are getting healthy down the stretch, strengthening their depth for the postseason run.

According to Smart, the plan this week was to work running back Kendall Milton back into practice this week, while wide receiver Kearis Jackson looked likely to play in Saturday’s title game. Milton suffered an MLC injury in practice in October, while Jackson’s ribs were banged up in last Saturday’s win over Georgia Tech. Starting tackle Jamaree Salyer has been out since the Missouri game, suffering a foot injury. Despite a small setback, his experience helps speed up the return process.

“Yes, we’re hopeful to have all four of those guys be able to play,” Smart said. “They’ve been able to participate in parts of practice all week and feel good about them, but again, it will boil down to a game-time decision, how they are in warmups and how they look.”

Salyer, Smith and Jackson play the most snaps of the group listed. However, Milton also offers a unique change of pace when Zamir White and James Cook exit the game at running back.

SEC Championship odds

The opening lines are out for the SEC Championship game and for the first time since 2015, the Alabama Crimson Tide is the underdog in Vegas. Nick Saban’s defending national champs will try to beat the odds with a win over No. 1 Georgia.

After the Bulldogs dominated Georgia Tech and the Crimson Tide struggled versus Auburn, the odds increased in Georgia’s favor. The line for Saturday is -6 Georgia, according to Ceasar’s Sportsbook. The current total for the game is 51 points.

Looking back to when Alabama was last an underdog, Oct. 2015, the Crimson Tide was a one-point dog, also against Georgia. Nick Saban and his squad came up with a dominating 38-10 behind 148 rushing yards from eventual Heisman champ Derrick Henry.