Georgia RB Roderick Robinson II Out vs. Clemson with Toe Injury; Trevor Etienne TBD

The Georgia Bulldogs will reportedly be short-handed for their high-profile season opener against Clemson on Saturday.

ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported running back Roderick Robinson II isn't expected to play after undergoing surgery for a toe injury. Head coach Kirby Smart called him "week to week" and also didn't say whether running back Trevor Etienne would be available following his offseason arrest in March.

Robinson is expected to play a major role this season as Georgia's top returning rusher from the 2023 campaign. While he had just 196 yards and two touchdowns last year, the Bulldogs lost Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton from the 2023 roster.

As for Etienne, Schlabach noted he was arrested on charges of DUI, reckless driving and three other misdemeanors, although prosecutors dropped the DUI charge as part of a plea agreement in July.

The running back pleaded no contest to reckless driving and guilty to charges of underage possession of alcohol, failure to maintain lane and a window-tint violation and was ordered to 12 months probation, a substance-abuse evaluation, 40 hours of community service and an alcohol risk reduction program.

He was also fined $852.

"Under Georgia athletic department policy, Etienne would have missed 10% of the Bulldogs' season—at least one game—if he had been found guilty of DUI. It's unclear whether the plea agreement changes that," Schlabach wrote.

The Bulldogs could turn to a combination of sophomore Branson Robinson, freshman Nate Frazier and walk-on Cash Jones if Etienne doesn't play, although Robinson missed last season because of a ruptured patella tendon.

"I mean, at Georgia we don't like to say, 'OK, let's start all over,'" Smart said. "There's these guys that have been in our program that have been picking up stunts, blitzes that our defense runs. We do two-spot walkthroughs where they're getting to pick things up. There's a lot of guys that have had a lot of reps doing those things that hopefully have a great game Saturday."

The questions at running back are under more of a spotlight because of the difficult nature of Georgia's opener.

Clemson is one opponent in a schedule that also features notable games against Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee. While that is a challenging slate, the implementation of a 12-team College Football Playoff field means the Bulldogs and other powerhouse programs now have more room for error when it comes to competing for postseason spots.