If the Vols upset Georgia on Saturday, for the first time since 2009, it will be without sophomore wide receiver Josh Smith.
Tennessee head coach Butch Jones confirmed on Thursday that Smith will not make the trip to Athens this weekend.
JONES: Josh Smith will not make the trip to Athens. We will also be minus Von Pearson. Josh Malone will have a great opportunity.
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) September 25, 2014
The Vols will also be without Von Pearson, who was injured in Tennessee’s win against Arkansas State earlier this season.
It’s obviously a big blow to the Vols’ offense. Smith, who struggled at times as a freshman, had really stepped up during the first three games of the season.
The Knoxville native has already nearly matched his output from a season ago. Smith has 10 catches for 135 yards so far this season. That includes a 40-yard touchdown grab against Oklahoma.
True freshman Josh Malone will be expected to step up in the absence of Smith and Pearson.
Malone has seen his role grow steadily as the season has progressed. He will be a key part of the offense against Georgia.
With Pearson and Smith out, the Bulldogs will almost certainly zero in on Vol wide receivers Marquez North and Pig Howard.
Malone, just as North did a season ago, could become a name the rest of the SEC knows when the Vols square off against Georgia.