Twice. Kirby Smart had dodged the suspension-related questions twice. Back on August 21st, during a press conference, a report had asked Smart if any player from the Bulldogs would be facing any form of suspension because of their past charges. Smart had directly said, “We’ll deal with all that when it comes to it.” And then again on August 27th, when asked about the same thing, Smart had noted that he won’t be discussing that. While people might have thought that Kirby Smart won’t be taking any risks as the season opener is right around the corner, the HC has managed to turn the tables.

Just a few hours ago on August 28th, we got the news that Smart had decided to suspend Trevor Etienne for 1 game. Earlier, a week back, we had received information that the DUI charges slammed against Trevor were dropped. The reason behind the charges being dropped was not disclosed. However, people started speculating if Smart would take any action from this end or not. This is a good step toward the right path. Back when Rara Thomas was arrested for battery and child cruelty, we got the news from On3 on X that Kirby Smart had decided to dismiss Rara indefinitely from the team. Smart and his locker room culture were under intense scrutiny from fans and analysts alike when the entire Rara Thomas scenario happened. Fox Sports, Aaron Torres, had dragged Smart through the mud because of his inability to maintain balance in the camp. “Hold your guys responsible a little bit,” Torres had noted. Despite their upcoming match against Clemson, Smart was confident enough to take the risk of suspending Etienne.

Earlier we had got the news that RB Roderick Robinson had suffered a toe injury during the fall camp. This had crippled the RB squad for the team. Branson Robinson and Etienne are the only reliable ones on the RB squad to aid QB Carson Beck on the field. However, now with Etienne suspended as well, things could get rough for Carson Beck and the Bulldogs during their season opener. Could this lead to a Shedeur Sanders-like fate for Carson Beck?

Can Kirby Smart protect Carson Beck?

Most sacked QB. No one wants this title next to their name. That is what Shedeur Sanders became. Because of Deion Sanders’s inability to understand the requirements of the O-line properly, Shedeur had no one from the Buffs to properly protect him inside the pocket. Looks like the same could end up happening to Carson Beck as well. With the fall camp over, we received an update from Smart that many guys from the O-line had suffered serious injuries like hamstring injury and Achilles. This was a major blow to Beck’s overall protection on the field.

While Smart has thought of a new strategy and has decided to focus on player depth rather than chemistry to ensure that each kid has enough skill to carry out the work on the field despite being crippled, things still don’t look good for Beck. With Roderick Robinson (who will be joining the Bulldogs after recovery), Trevor Etienne, and Rara Thomas out of the team right now, fans can only hope that the Bulldogs manage to pull through on August 31st.