Georgia RB Trevor Etienne (rib) to sit out vs. Tennessee

Georgia RB Trevor Etienne (rib) to sit out vs. Tennessee

Georgia leading rusher Trevor Etienne will miss the Bulldogs' pivotal Southeastern Conference contest against No. 7 Tennessee on Saturday due to his rib injury.No. 12 Georgia downgraded Etienne fro

Georgia leading rusher Trevor Etienne will miss the Bulldogs’ pivotal Southeastern Conference contest against No. 7 Tennessee on Saturday due to his rib injury.

No. 12 Georgia downgraded Etienne from questionable to out Thursday night on the SEC availability report.

Etienne was injured during a 34-20 win over Florida on Nov. 2. He played sparingly last week during a 28-10 loss to then-No. 16 Ole Miss before exiting.

Etienne has rushed for 477 yards and seven touchdowns and also has 23 receptions for 140 yards in eight games for Georgia (7-2, 5-2).

Freshman Nate Frazier will be the main ball carrier against the Volunteers. He is second on the team with 333 rushing yards and has scored three touchdowns on the ground.

Etienne is the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. Trevor missed the season-opening contest against Clemson due to a school suspension for an offseason arrest on DUI and reckless driving charges.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava remains in concussion protocol and is still listed as questionable for the contest. His status will be listed again on the SEC availability report on Friday and also on Saturday, approximately 90 minutes before kickoff.

Iamaleava sustained the head injury during the Volunteers’ 33-14 victory against Mississippi State last Saturday. He missed the second half due to the injury.

Iamaleava has passed for 1,879 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions in nine games this season. Gaston Moore is the No. 2 quarterback for the Volunteers (8-1, 5-1) and has passed for 201 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in four games.