ATHENS — Senior defensive end Rod Battle is the latest Bulldog to be lost for the season due to a knee injury, Georgia coach Mark Richt announced Sunday during his weekly media teleconference.

A 6-4, 259-pound native of Atlanta, Battle left the South Carolina game in the second quarter due to an injured left knee. He has appeared in 36 career games for the Bulldogs including 22 starts. He started the first two games this season and had registered three tackles. Battle was redshirted his first season in 2005.

"Rod has an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) injury that will cost him the season," Richt said. "I haven’t had a chance to look at the situation to see if he can get another year. It’s sad, he’s a classy human being who was practicing and playing hard, doing all the right things, being a leader and then this happens."

This marks the second Bulldog in as many weeks to be lost for the season due to a knee injury. During the season opener at Oklahoma State, offensive tackle Trinton Sturdivant went down with an ACL injury for the second time in his Bulldog career.