The Georgia Bulldogs will be without their top receiver, injured junior Malcolm Mitchell, for their key matchup with South Carolina on Saturday. But as it turns out, the Gameocks won't be prepared to take full advantage of his absence.
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That's because South Carolina's most talented cornerback, Vic Hampton, will be out of the starting lineup himself. Hampton was involved in a helmet-to-helmet collision during a punt return against North Carolina that left him unable to take full part in practice this week. As a result, Ahmad Christian will start at Hampton's cornerback spot, and Bruce Ellington will handle his punt-return duties.
Hampton should be able to play against Georgia in a limited role off the bench.
"Ahmad's going to start, because Victor only really practiced (Thursday)," said defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, according to gogamecocks.com. "But I think he's getting better. (As for punt returns), I think we're going to relieve him of those duties for a while. He understands."
The Hampton-Mitchell matchup would have been one to watch for NFL scouts. Instead, both teams will have to draw from their bench to play on the island.
Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter @ChaseGoodbread