Georgia football to play Auburn without key weapon
10/02/2024 09:28 PM
Georgia football is off to a strong start this season, and is still in a good position to make a run to the College Football Playoff even after a heartbreaking loss to Alabama in Tuscaloosa. However, they have been dealing with a ton of injuries so far this season, and they will be missing another key piece on defense when they try to bounce back this Saturday against Auburn.
Star linebacker Smael Mondon is going to miss the Week 6 SEC clash after being listed as out on Georgia’s midweek injury report, according to Matt Zenitz of 247 Sports.
Mondon has been a key cog in Kirby Smart’s defense for a few years now. He tallied 144 total tackles and 13 tackles for loss over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and has recorded 17 tackles and one tackle for loss in four games this season. Mondon also chips in as a pass rusher; he has five career sacks including three last season.
Mondon’s injury comes right after star pass rusher Mykel Williams was able to return against Alabama, albeit not at 100%, from the ankle injury that he suffered in the season-opener against Clemson. This Georgia defense has the talent to be an elite unit, but it’s hard to build the continuity as so many top players keep cycling in and out of the lineup.
Georgia still controls their own destiny after loss to Alabama
One of the new aspects to college football that is a consequence of the 12-team playoff format is that one loss no longer ends your season. There are a ton of teams that still have life to compete for a National Championship that would have already been virtually eliminated in past seasons — Notre Dame, Clemson, USC, Michigan, Ole Miss and many more — and now it’s seemingly possible to lose two or even three games and still make the field.
A loss to Alabama on the road may not have eliminated Georgia in past seasons, but it certainly would have completely wiped out their margin for error. Now, after a valiant comeback that came up just short, Georgia’s playoff chances feel nearly as good as they were when they were still unbeaten.
Kirby Smart and company still have three big chances to bolster their resume before the end of the regular season, as they have road dates with No. 2 Texas and No. 12 Ole Miss before No. 4 Tennessee comes to Athens. Additionally, their season-opening blowout of Clemson continues to age well, as the Tigers are playing good football and are one of the favorites to potentially win the ACC.
Whether the devaluation of regular season results is a good thing or not is certainly up for debate. However, it helps teams like Georgia who have to play five or six ranked teams in a season, and allows them to play a bad half like they did in the first half in Tuscaloosa without suffering extremely harsh consequences.
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