Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is no longer on the Volunteers’ availability report ahead of a Saturday night matchup against Georgia, meaning he could suit up to play in Athens.

He was listed as questionable on the SEC availability report released Wednesday night after sustaining an injury that sidelined him during the second half of Tennessee’s Week 11 game against Mississippi State but is officially cleared to play as of Friday night. The news comes after ESPN reported that Iamaleava was in concussion protocol on Tuesday. Coach Josh Heupel called the decision to keep Iamaleava out of the Nov. 9 game a “cautionary measure.”

The redshirt freshman has thrown for 1,879 yards and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions in nine games. With an 8-1 record, Tennessee sits at No. 7 in the most recent College Football Playoff rankings. It’s tied for first in the SEC with No. 3 Texas.

The Bulldogs fell out of the CFP top 10 after a sluggish loss to Ole Miss last week. Even though Georgia sits at No. 12, it would be the first team left out of the bracket if the season ended today because No. 13 Boise State would earn an automatic spot in the Playoff as the highest-ranked Group of 5 champion.

Entering the win-to-get-in matchup versus Tennessee, Georgia faces injury hurdles as well. Running backs Trevor Etienne, Roderick Robinson, who has not played this season, and Branson Robinson, who has been inactive three games due to a knee injury, are all out of Saturday’s game. Walk-on Cash Jones also appears on the Bulldogs’ availability report as questionable.

A key piece in Tennessee’s game plan

Iamaleava’s return is a massive boost for the Vols’ offense, which managed just 13 second-half points with Gaston Moore at the helm last week vs. Mississippi State. Moore has earned the confidence of Tennessee’s staff, but he has thrown only 42 passes in three-plus seasons with the Vols after transferring from UCF. Iamaleava’s numbers haven’t wowed anyone this year, but his decision-making, mobility and accuracy made him a five-star prospect and the future of Tennessee’s program.

He’s the program’s present, too. It’ll be an uphill battle for the Vols on the road against Georgia’s defense, and Heupel’s teams haven’t scored more than 17 points against Georgia in three games, but it was hard to see that trend changing without the program’s star quarterback. — David Ubben, national college football writer

Required reading

(Photo: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)

Tensions boiled over this week in Georgia’s Abkhazia region as protesters oppose a measure that seeks to give property rights to Russians.

Demonstrators opposing a proposal to permit Russian nationals to purchase property in the breakaway region in Georgia stormed the separatist parliament on Friday, resulting in clashes with police.

Georgia Protests

Parliament had been scheduled to debate the measure but postponed the session as protesters gathered outside the government compound, which houses the legislature and presidential office. Demonstrators used a truck to ram the gates and stormed into the compound, hurling rocks at police, who responded with tear gas.

At least eight people were injured during the unrest in Sukhumi, the regional capital on the Black Sea, according to local news reports.

President Aslan Bzhania’s office later announced that he was drafting an order to withdraw the proposed measure from consideration. While police vacated the parliament building, protesters remained on site, calling for Bzhania’s resignation, according to Russian news agencies. Some reports indicated protesters had taken control of the building.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Georgian service reported that a statement from Bzhania’s office said the decision to withdraw the proposed measure “was made in order to stabilize the situation in the republic.”

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Abkhazia media outlet Nuzhnaya Gazeta reported about the protests on its Telegram channel, saying: “The confrontation is growing, and there is a risk of it turning into bloodshed.”

Abkhazia

Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia after a conflict that ended in 1993, with Georgia losing control of the remaining territory following a brief war with Russia in 2008. While Moscow recognizes Abkhazia as an independent state, many of the region’s roughly 245,000 residents fear it functions as little more than a client state of Russia.

The government of Georgia considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be occupied territory, and the majority of Western governments, including the U.S., considers the regions as part of Georgia.

Critics of the proposed property deal argue that it would inflate apartment prices and further entrench Moscow’s influence in the region. With its scenic mountains and Black Sea coastline, Abkhazia is a favored destination for Russian tourists, sparking concerns about heightened demand for vacation properties.

The detention of five opposition figures during a similar protest on Monday sparked widespread unrest the following day, with demonstrators blocking bridges leading to Sukhumi.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.

No. 12 Georgia will be without one of its top offensive weapons for Saturday’s showdown with No. 7 Tennessee. Running back Trevor Etienne was listed as out with a rib injury on the SEC’s injury report after being listed as questionable throughout the week.

Etienne, who transferred to Georgia after two seasons at Florida, is the Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 477 yards and seven touchdowns, with an additional 140 receiving yards on 23 catches. He suffered the injury to his ribs in Week 10’s 34-20 win over the Gators. Etienne attempted to play in last week’s 28-10 loss to Ole Miss, but participated in only six snaps.

Georgia’s running back depth was already thin and Etienne’s injury only makes the situation more dire. Freshman Nate Frazier is the team’s second-leading rusher with 333 yards and three touchdowns on 75 carries. However, fellow freshmen Dwight Phillips Jr. and Chauncey Bowens have seven touches between them this season.

Branson Robinson has missed three games with a knee injury, junior Cash Jones is listed as questionable on this week’s injury report and Roderick Robinson II has not played this season due to turf toe.

As a result, Georgia is second to last among SEC teams in rushing with 1,117 total yards and yards per game (124.1), and 10th in the conference with 3.35 yards per carry. The lack of a consistent rushing attack has affected the performance of quarterback Carson Beck, who has thrown 12 interceptions this season — twice as many as he threw last year.

At 5-2 in the SEC (7-2 overall), a loss would likely knock Georgia out of the College Football Playoff picture. Tennessee could arguably afford a defeat at 8-1 (5-1 in conference).

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava is listed as questionable while reportedly in the concussion protocol during the week.