  We demonstrate how some problems arising in simplicial quantum gravity can be
successfully addressed within the framework of combinatorial group theory. In
particular, we argue that the number of simplicial 3-manifolds having a fixed
homology type grows exponentially with the number of tetrahedra they are made
of. We propose a model of 3D gravity interacting with scalar fermions, some
restriction of which gives the 2-dimensional self-avoiding-loop-gas matrix
model. We propose a qualitative picture of the phase structure of 3D simplicial
gravity compatible with the numerical experiments and available analytical
results.
