Georgia Tech will be without starting quarterback Joshua Nesbitt when the Yellow Jackets visit Georgia on Nov. 27, but will the Bulldogs have starting quarterback Aaron Murray at full strength?
Coach Mark Richt did not discuss Murray's health Sunday, one day after the redshirt freshman injured his left knee during the final minutes of Georgia's 49-31 loss at Auburn. Richt said after the game that the 6-foot-1, 209-pounder took a shot to the knee but that he didn't believe there was any structural damage.
"I'm not going to talk about injuries," Richt said Sunday. "I'm going to hold off on that."
Asked if he still felt Murray did not suffer any structural damage, Richt said, "Again, I'm not making any comments on it. No injuries tonight." Cornerback Sanders Commings and defensive end Demarcus Dobbs also left Saturday's game for Georgia.
Richt gave everybody Sunday off as the Bulldogs head into their bye week.
Murray threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers but was sacked four times and knocked down countless others. Auburn junior defensive tackle Nick Fairley never sacked Murray but struck his knee, resulting in Murray's exit, and had a blatant late hit in the third quarter that drew a personal-foul penalty .
Richt was asked if he planned to send tapes of Fairley to the Southeastern Conference office and said, "That's another subject I'm not going to make a comment on right now."
The Yellow Jackets lost Nesbitt for the regular season when he broke his right forearm during the 28-21 loss at Virginia Tech on Nov. 4. Tevin Washington started this past Saturday against visiting Miami and rushed for 122 yards and threw for 101, but the Hurricanes rolled to a 35-10 win.
Georgia Tech is 5-5 and hosts Duke this Saturday.
"Any time you lose your quarterback, it's a tremendous blow to your system," Richt said. "If Cam Newton couldn't play for Auburn, it would be a drastic change for them. Joshua Nesbitt had been running that system for a while and running it extremely well."
The Bulldogs are scheduled to practice today, Tuesday and Thursday. At 5-6, they have to defeat the Jackets to become bowl-eligible for a 14th consecutive year.
Georgia Tech also is seeking a 14th straight bowl, having played in the Orange Bowl last season as the Atlantic Coast Conference champion.
"This bye week is very important, because we can get our minds right and let our bodies rest," Bulldogs safety Bacarri Rambo said. "We've been grinding for 11 weeks straight, so we can sit back and focus on Georgia Tech. We want to go out with a victory for our seniors, and it would qualify us to be bowl-eligible."
Said Georgia tailback Caleb King: "It's time to go back to work."
Should the Bulldogs attain postseason status, their most likely destinations would be the Music City Bowl in Nashville, the Liberty Bowl in Memphis or the BBVA Compass Bowl (formerly the Papajohns.com) in Birmingham. Should the SEC place two teams in BCS bowls and Tennessee win its final two games, the Volunteers would be the likely pick for the Music City.