The Georgia Bulldogs are looking for their second straight SEC title as they face Alabama in the title game on Saturday, but they could be trying to scrape by in the second half without two key starters in Amarius Mims and Ladd McConkey.
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Unfortunately for the Dawgs, they will have to battle back against the Tide without Mims, who suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the contest, and McConkey, who went down near the end of the first half.
The monster right tackle is listed at 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds and was receiving consideration as a possible first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Understand Amarius Mims is out with an ankle injury....
— Anthony Dasher (@AnthonyDasher1) December 2, 2023
An ankle injury is especially concerning for Mims considering he had surgery as a result of an ankle injury he suffered in a game back in September. He only returned to the Georgia starting lineup a couple weeks ago in Georgia's victory over Ole Miss, missing six games all together.
In Mims' absence earlier this year, Xavier Truss started at right tackle with Monroe Feeling also seeing time at the position. Truss is a big presence in his own right. The redshirt senior is listed at 6-foot-7 and 320 pounds. He is a versatile veteran who started all 15 games for Georgia at left guard last season and returned to that position once Mims returned.
The Georgia offensive line already had its hands full try contain a strong Alabama pass rush. The Tide are led by Dallas Turner and Chris Braswell, who each have 8 sacks on the season. Now, without its best offensive lineman, and down 17-7, Georgia has a tough challenge awaiting in the second half of the SEC Championship.
For McConkey, the star wideout has been dealing with a back injury throughout the 2023 season. Although he has been able to play in limited capacity, he was seen clearly limping off of the field after stumbling shortly before halftime.
The winner of this game is headed to the College Football Playoff, while the loser will need a miracle in order to be among the final four. These two programs are responsible for the last three national championships with Alabama winning in 2021 and Georgia in 2022 and 2023.