‘Concussion-like symptoms’ sideline Branden Smith

ATHENS – Georgia might be without cornerback and punt returner Branden Smith for Saturday’s game against Arkansas.

Smith did not practice Wednesday because of what coach Mark Richt called “concussion-like symptoms.”

“He actually got knocked out of bounds at yesterday’s practice and had a contact-related headache,” Richt said Wednesday night. “I’m not even sure on his status [for Saturday], to be honest with you.”

If Smith doesn’t play, Carlton Thomas and Logan Gray “would be the top two candidates” to return punts, Richt said. Sanders Commings and Jordan Love would get more work at corner, Richt said. Smith also would be missed on offense, where he tends to be used for a few plays per game.

Other injury updates: Fullback Shaun Chapas, who sprained an ankle against South Carolina, did not practice Wednesday. He was in a walking boot and remains questionable at best for Saturday. . . .  Nose Justin Anderson is doubtful for the game, Richt said, because of “a turf toe issue that was reaggravated.”

104 comments Add your comment

Tired of the talking, let's get to walking!

September 16th, 2010
7:14 am

I was just reading what all the nay sayers had to say this morning,and noticed TheTaxJacket still clinging to a game that happened two years ago. ((((45-42))))…..really dude??? Is it that bad on the flats? Oh wait, I forgot it’s Georgia Tech…. it is that bad.

Murphy

September 16th, 2010
7:28 am

This injury might be worse than no A.J. Special teams will be a huge factor in the game on Sat. Wow Im really worried if he doesnt play.

chiefdawg

September 16th, 2010
7:29 am

Strength and Conditioning is sorely lacking. That’s the problem people.

Woodstock Dawg

September 16th, 2010
7:41 am

BoWeevil, get a life and please go away. Your obssession with Mark Richt and the Bulldogs is very unhealthy. Getting a job and moving out of your parents basement would be a good start. There’s a whole big wide world out there..

Dap01

September 16th, 2010
8:03 am

it must be a sad existance on this earth to pull against a college team so bad that you lurk around just to blog negative post on another teams blog.

Sad existance.

Buck Belue wears a toupee and gave Herschel "special" massages

September 16th, 2010
8:29 am

A sad existence is being IRRELEVANT in the world of college football for 30 years and counting..

Need Run Blocking

September 16th, 2010
8:38 am

Buck… didn’t take long for a tek fan in desguise to show up….

Gainesville Dawg

September 16th, 2010
8:44 am

boo weevil and Chris, what are you doing on a UGA blog??????? You are obsessive!!!!!!
You are not mentally balanced individuals. Please get off and do not worry us anymore.
Go, Dawgs!!!!!!!!!!

Lefty LaRue

September 16th, 2010
8:49 am

Some of these guys should be coming up for parole. Getting a few more student-athletes eligible to play should bode well for the team from Athens. Suspensions don’t last forever (actually only 1 week) no matter the crime so we’ll see some new numbers running around on the field Saturday. Good lunck to the student-athletes from Georgia on Saturday!

WonderDawg

September 16th, 2010
8:50 am

TheTaxJacket, Nesbitt is gonna be luck to be mvp of the Jackets.

North Dakota State > Ga Tech

REALIST

September 16th, 2010
8:51 am

Unfortunately, despite the quality of athletes Athens is a coaching black hole. It is more than a little disconcerting when the HC says that they need to know their personnel better…Geez… 24/7…365 with these guys and that’s an issue. It was with Dooly, Goff and Donnan, too. It must be the red clay hills. But it could be worse…just look at what Johnson is doing to the NATS…haha. They won’t have 10 bonafide Div 1 athletes on their team by the time he gets all the players in place for his show…Despite the criticism…Go Dawgs

fireBooBoo.com

September 16th, 2010
8:53 am

most of you ragging on BoWeevil sound like blind homers who apparently are satisfied with mediocrity.

dawgfan

September 16th, 2010
8:54 am

1-2 here we come.

Oh well, at least we’ll still beat Tech. Not that it counts for much. Ask North Dakota State.

how2fish

September 16th, 2010
8:54 am

Buck Belue wears a toupee and gave Herschel “special” massages ..seen any Jay Hawks lately Bug?

how2fish

September 16th, 2010
8:56 am

fireBooBoo.com your an idiot or a Bug not that there is much difference.

WonderDawg

September 16th, 2010
8:58 am

I guess a Techie should understand mediocrity better than most . . .

Lefty LaRue

September 16th, 2010
8:59 am

“Hmmm… is that a sick bat on the ground? I must pick him up!” HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! GO Dawgs

RxDawg

September 16th, 2010
9:00 am

Thats a shame to hear. I hate to hear about injuries, but it’s part of the game. It’s time to man up Dawgs.

collegeballfan

September 16th, 2010
9:02 am

col fot – You are correct players used to play with the bumps and bruises. And then when we started noticing that they were dying in their early to late 40″s we decided to take a look. And guess what?
Playing with bumps and bruises takes 18 years off of your life span.

So now we do not play with bumps and bruises. Especially to the head.

On a scale of 1 to 10 beating Ark is a 1. Smith’s life is a 10.
So if it is OK with you we will go with the 10.

Flat Tire on I-95 in Jacksonville

September 16th, 2010
9:24 am

I wonder what Bobo is thinking now

HMMMMMMMMMM

Man I probably should have used him more last Saturday now I cant

You know being conservative play calling might not work after all

Snoop

September 16th, 2010
9:26 am

I have a graduate degree from the University of Georgia, which remains a fine school, in spite of the disgrace Adams, Evans, and Richt have brought upon it. Georgia has become a poster child for bad sportsmanship and player arrests. Richt may be a fine person in his private life, but he is inconsistent in administering discipline. He has dismissed less talented players for minor offenses, to free up scholarships, while winking at misbehavior from his starters. Danelle Ellerbe was suspended for two games after multiple felonies and a $20,000 bond. Mettenburger left when Richt was unable to cover up the assault charge, which was the third assault against a female in the academic year, two of which were by Montez Robinson. Robinson was withdrawn from school because he was in jail and dismissed after the fact. This is pure hypocricy.

Red Panties

September 16th, 2010
9:33 am

After reading this article and this one:

Tim Tucker

UGA Sports 11:19 p.m. Wednesday, September 15, 2010 :
Decrease Increase Another difficult, but different, test for Dogs’ defenseShareThisPrint E-mail .By

Looks like Richt and Granthem are trying to provide themselves with excuses in case we lose to
Arkansas

Schmeckdawg

September 16th, 2010
9:46 am

Here we go again! Every freaking year!

VoyeurDawg

September 16th, 2010
9:49 am

Oh, what’s the point!? Dawgs have been had dawgie style.

Wonder if it’s possible to convert to NFL fanship? Drop about 80 points from your IQ, take funky chicken lessons, make shorts out of a pair of bluejeans, cut the sleaves off your favorite Kiss t-shirt, get a tattoo of barbed wire around your bicep…

I-DOG

September 16th, 2010
9:59 am

Congratulations to South Carolina on a well played game.

dawgfacedboy

September 16th, 2010
10:05 am

Boweevil- I think I speak for everyone when I say “stfu”. You write like a 3rd grader.

how2fish

September 16th, 2010
10:09 am

chazzo lets see they are 20 year old 200lb + fast and strong as hell..running into each other a speeds we couldn’t match falling off a building..so yeah they get hurt..its really not hard to understand…any SEC school not have anyone hurt at this point ? I truly doubt it.

Thumper

September 16th, 2010
10:13 am

Snoop diggity dogg……so Richt has brought “disgrace” to UGA huh?? My God son….you really are an idiot. Why don’t you take your left leaning tree hugging liberal spewing bullsh!t somewhere else. Oh….and I’ve got a degree from Harvard….won the Nobel Prize…and am CEO of a Fortune 500 company. See how that works? You’re just so much cooler online. My dog craps bigger than your opinion.

DawginLex

September 16th, 2010
10:27 am

boweevil was 12-2 and before that was bulldawg

He can’t count very well so he doesn’t know what to adjust his numbers to from 12-2 to something else.

JayD

September 16th, 2010
10:32 am

You people are idiots!! The article is about an injured player, and you managed to turn it into a circus. Studies should be done on people like all of you!

UGA Insider

September 16th, 2010
10:33 am

The UGA football program is in big trouble this week. It could get ugly as it did against UT at last year. We have really bad team chemistry this year. I was afraid of this after watching the GDay game last spring. We are an average at best team this year.

McDawg

September 16th, 2010
10:44 am

a rather dark mood on this blog today

how many times did we sack Garcia last week? we will need at least that many this week

Geathers will need to step it up

Kel

September 16th, 2010
10:48 am

Some of you make me embarassed to be a UGA fan.

Good, you SHOULD be embarrassed.

I’ve never understood how anyone – even an alumnus – could support and take pride in UGA’s football team. When you look at their history for the past forty years, how can anyone ignore Jan Kemp and the “remedial studies” scam, the Jim Harrick fiasco, the DUIs in the athletic office, the DUIs and other arrests of players, the #1 party school tag (i.e., the most drunk students), the suspensions and outright dismissals, the Fulmer Cup, and on and on?

As disgraceful and humiliating as it is, I don’t see many alums and fans demanding an end to this sordid activity. It sets UGA apart as the kind of school most people abhor, and it’s become an embarrassment to the whole state of Georgia.

Will it never end? Apparently not while Mark Richt is at UGA. Richt is perhaps the biggest hypocrite in the United States. But even with all the cheating and lawlessness that he ignores, he still can’t win the SEC.

So you’re paying him to be BCS champions, but he can’t even win his SEC division. So why do you pay him millions of dollars a year?

Just asking.

how2fish

September 16th, 2010
10:53 am

Kel I’m sorry your the biggest coward in the United States…a 100 different names to hide behind and the same old drivel…go away.

It is just the way that it is

September 16th, 2010
1:16 pm

UGA grads are ready for a big home crowd win. That is all. How UGA gets it, whether Ealey and King run for 42,000 miles or they get 10,000 and AM throws for 2,000 in the Arkansas game, matters not. Go out, look focused, hit hard, no late cheap shot penalties and play smartly and win.

We “gave” Richt his off year in 09 ………..this year with a smart QB, seasoned in the system and highly regarded and with 10 ……….that is ten or diaz returning starters on O, plus, the full complement of O back ups …………….we demand more than 6 points vs Arkansas. Same is true of the UGA D, but we know that is a work in progess with new coacches,etc. We did however, EXPECT a highly motivated D squad and hat showed up in SC was a disgrace. Period.

If Arkansas gets up on UGA and we look sloppy ………….those booooooooo birds will be singing. With all of the arrests and that AJ dumb jersey thing ……………we alumni have had enough. We demand a win and to continue that for the year with only none more breakdown.

The KY game last year, started this new attitude toward Richt and Co. It is just the way that it is. Produce or get out. That is life.

Gooooooooooooooooooooooo Dogs !!

Bdawg

September 16th, 2010
1:47 pm

Smith needs to add weight. He’s too small to take or give a good pounding and it showed in the SC game. For hime to be a 5 star recruit, I am a little disappointed with his skills at CB. Greg Reid is putting on a show at FSU and I expected the same from Smith. I thought with the new defensive coaches, tackling would be better, but I know it takes time. When given the opportunity, the DBs and the S have got to dish out that hard hit to make a statement. We have to put the fear into the opposing offenses and standing around won’t get it done. UGA has to make a statement this week or the season is lost. With all the talent that will be attending the game, we have to make a great showing on both sides of the ball. I hope the adjustments have been made and if people don’t do their jobs, there is someone else to take their place. GATA!

crossdawg

September 16th, 2010
2:38 pm

Turf toe? Take 2 asprin & play the darn game.

crossdawg

September 16th, 2010
2:40 pm

Bdawg, Erk would be proud to hear that somebody in Athens has the guts to still say GATA.

the yardbird

September 16th, 2010
2:45 pm

I know you guys hate to loose but dang. The sky has not fallen. New qb, new defensive scheme and jersey issues. That can be fixed pretty easily. Beat Arkansas!!

how2fish

September 16th, 2010
3:13 pm

the yardbird great points we beat ARK and things will look a lot brighter very quickly..

Kyle

September 16th, 2010
3:46 pm

Fairness and equality are different notions. I can treat my kids equally by having them all go to bed at 7pm. Would that be fair to my older kids? I can treat my kids fairly which means I might not necessarily treat them equally. Fairness, here, would hinge on my appreciation for, perhaps, my older kids’ maturity and, simply, less need for sleep.

The difficultly with fairness is it is inherently less transparent than equality. An outsider, that is, can much more easily identify and appreciate equality while it may not at all be obvious from outside if people are being treated fairly.

I trust the coaching staff to treat the kids fairly while knowing I don’t and/or can’t appreciate all that has happened or led to a decision.

Kyle

September 16th, 2010
3:53 pm

Quit with the hard hit crap. We got wowed and were graced with some great ones in recent years – especially at safety.

Who doesn’t love a hard hit (besides the recipient)? I would MUCH prefer solid tackling – wrap up the legs, drive through the tackle, take the ball carrier down. Tackling seems to be a lost art form, at all levels.

Rennie was pretty darn good and way more often than not he made textbook form tackles. The “de-cleaters” are nice but sacrificing a sure tackle just to create a highlight for YouTube, Sportscenter, etc.. needs to stop.

JUNKYARD DAWG

September 16th, 2010
4:23 pm

I recall a coach at alabama named stallings who avg. 10 wins a year and was told that would not work if one of those wins was not vs auburn.. He told that A.D. thatif 10 wins in the SEC is not good enough hire someone else… It took 10 years 5 coaching changes and 4 million per year to replace him… CMR has a better record for his tenure than any coach weve had . GO DAWGS CATCH THEM HAWGS…..

Dang Dawg

September 16th, 2010
4:31 pm

It believe it was Tupac Shakur who said it best, “I got thug love”.

dawg stuck in SC

September 16th, 2010
4:34 pm

Good luck and get well Branden Smith. When you are healthy, I hope the coaches find a way to use your talents to the maximum.

[...] Georgia cornerback Branden Smith might miss the Arkansas game after sitting out Wednesday’s practice with concussion like [...]

aladawg

September 16th, 2010
5:48 pm

col fot, when was the last time you were on a football field? It is really easy to run your mouth when you are obscure, I wonder just how tough you are!

tuskerfan

September 17th, 2010
6:29 am

Wow! First time here and I had no idea of the disapointment UGA fans were experiencing. UGA has basically owned Arkansas since they came into the SEC. I have always admired your program and accomplishments. Razorback fans learned a long time ago that you can’t win them all, but we still love our hogs…even if they lose one every now and then. I suppose there’s nothing wrong at UGA that a few wins won’t cure. Good luck getting back on the road to happiness…after this weekend!

UGAgrad71

September 17th, 2010
11:03 am

Two things cannot be coached: speed and intelligence. We have the speed at many positions. Intelligence requires the knowledge of and the application of information to a logical and constructive conclusion. I do not know that UGA has the intelligence in it’s coaching staff to take the speed that it has in certain positions and intelligently put that speed to it’s best use. As much as you may dislike Saban and Meyer, they put their best players in the best positions, based on their skills, to win!

Eaassyy

September 17th, 2010
12:32 pm

bo weevil=BuLLdawg=12-2. Dude has zero life