ATHENS — A.J. Green missed last week's game, and he didn't even make it through the first half against Auburn.
Georgia's star receiver was knocked out of Saturday night's game with an injured left shoulder. He went down hard when tackled along the sideline on a 12-yard reception in the second quarter and headed to the locker room holding his left arm.
Doctors determined that he sprained the AC joint. He watched the second half from the sideline, his arm in a sling.
Green, leading the Southeastern Conference in catches and receiving yards per game, sat out last week's victory over Tennessee
Tech with a bruised lung, but was cleared to play against Auburn. He has 47 catches for 751 yards and six touchdowns.
TATE'S NEW NUMBER: Ben Tate dropped one of the 4s in his number to honor an injured teammate.
Tate, who normally wears No. 44, switched to 4 for the Georgia game — the number that had been worn by safety Zac Etheridge, who is out for year after sustaining a serious neck injury against Mississippi two weeks ago.
Etheridge cracked his fifth vertebra and tore ligaments in his neck in a headfirst collision with teammate Antonio Coleman.
Despite the seriousness of the injury — he'll have to wear a harness-like brace for three to four months — Etheridge said he wants to play again, and doctors have said he should make a full recovery.
SHOWING SUPPORT: Georgia showed its support for injured baseball player Chance Veazey, wearing helmet decals of a baseball with the letter "CV."
Veazey, a freshman, was seriously injured Oct. 28 when his scooter collided with a car on campus. He underwent back surgery and is continuing his rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, best known for its work with spinal cord injuries.
Israel Troupe found another good way to honor Veazey, catching the first touchdown pass of his career on a 50-yard toss from Joe Cox.
Troupe and Veazey both attended Tift County High School.
EXTRA POINTS: Georgia actually led the turnover stat in the first half, getting an interception from CB Brandon Boykin. Still, the Bulldogs were minus-15 for the season. ... Boykin also set a school record for most kickoff returns in a season with his 29th, breaking the mark he had shared with Gene Washington (1974) and Asher Allen (2007). ... LB Akeem Dent got the first start of the season after returning from a hamstring injury. Also, DE Justin Houston returned to the lineup after sitting out last week with an elbow injury. ... Former Georgia player Billy Payne was honored before the game for receiving the National Football Foundation's Distinguished American Award. Payne, who played three years for the Bulldogs in the late 1960s, guided Atlanta's winning bid for the 1996 Summer Olympics and now runs Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters.