University of Georgia

UGA photographer shares last photo she captured before sideline collision

This is the last image UGA photographer Chamberlain Smith captured before she was run over and injured by Georgia running back Brian Herrien (35) in a sideline accident late in the second quarter.

Athens — Above all else, you must get the shot. That is the creed of the photojournalist.

Chamberlain Smith certainly came through in that regard.

On Tuesday, the UGA photographer who was run over on the Auburn sidelines this past Saturday, tweeted out the last image her camera captured before that fateful moment. It was, of course, an extreme closeup of Georgia running back Brian Herrien.

[RELATED: Georgia's Kirby Smart apologizes for postgame expletive following Auburn win]

To Smith's credit, the photo was in focus and quite good. In it, Herrien's eyes appear to be widening and focused in the direction of Smith's camera an instant before he would unavoidably collide with her.

Smith, who was kneeling several yards away from the boundary, suffered a concussion, a black eye and some cuts to her face as Herrien's knee caught her in full stride. She was knocked unconscious for a brief time before she was carefully loaded onto a backboard by emergency responders and transported to a local hospital.

[RELATED: Kickoff time set for Georgia-Georgia Tech on Channel 2]

Herrien, who was tackled by Auburn linebacker K.J. Britt on the play, was credited for a three-yard gain on the short pass from Jake Fromm. He would score on a five-yard screen pass on the very next play to give Georgia a 13-0 lead 20 seconds before halftime.

Smith, a UGA intern from Ringgold, is resting and recuperating at home this week. She plans to return to work as soon as possible.

[RELATED: Watch 'Bulldogs Game Day' Saturdays at 10 a.m. on Channel 2 for latest UGA news]

This article was written by Chip Towers, Georgia athletics report for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.