Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart updated the status of Georgia tight end Brock Bowers at his press conference on Oct. 17. Bowers underwent TightRope surgery on his ankle following the Vanderbilt game.
Smart also noted Georgia is still mostly focusing on itself ahead of the Florida game, but it will begin more heavily preparing for the Gators over the next couple of days.
Kirby Smart updated the status of several injured Bulldogs and noted how the team can improve ahead of the Oct. 28 game against Florida.
Offensive lineman Xavier Truss
Georgia offensive lineman Xavier Truss suffered an ankle injury against Vanderbilt. Kirby Smart notes that Truss is not back to practicing, but should be good to go next week.
I don’t know. Truss did not practice today, but Truss was weight bearing in the second half of the game. He was on the sideline over there and his deltoid was a little bit hurt and it’s not tight rope or anything like that. We think he should be fine and should be good to go. I don’t know if he’ll be good to go by Thursday, but he should be good to go by Monday.
With Amarius Mims’ ankle injury, Xavier Truss’ return is key for the Georgia offensive line.
Right tackle Amarius Mims
Georgia right tackle Amarius Mims suffered an ankle injury against South Carolina and had to undergo TightRope surgery. Mims, who is projected to be a top pick in the 2024 NFL draft, is nearing a return.
Mims is working his way back. He’s weight-bearing, he’s running, he’s moving around. I thought he looked much better yesterday when we did some stretching strides stuff. He’s been out there at practice, but he hasn’t taken any reps.
Kirby Smart and Georgia are not going to rush back Mims or anybody else. The Bulldogs have a lot of depth and need players like Mims to be at their best after they return.
Tight end Brock Bowers
Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers suffered an ankle injury during the win over Vanderbilt. Bowers underwent TightRope surgery and will need an estimated four to six weeks to recover, which would me that he could return near the end of the regular season.
The key is that we are trying to get him back healthy. There is no timeline for when he comes back to play. The timeline is when he’s healthy.
Kirby Smart is not going to put a timeline on Brock Bowers’ return (or any player’s return). Smart did note that Bowers is in good spirits following his surgery.
Brock Bowers is great. Brock Bowers is rock solid. He wanted to get the thing done as soon as he found out it had to be done, and we were able to expedite that process. He’s great.
Running back Kendall Mitlon
Georgia running back Kendall Milton’s MCL flared up against Vanderbilt. Milton finished with five carries for 53 yards and a touchdown against the Commodores, but he was limited due to his MCL. Milton took a helmet to the knee.
He did some stuff. He was able to go out there and practice. I feel good about Kendall. It was not a high rep day for him, no, but he was out there, and I’m pretty sure he went. I mean, I think he did.
Wide receiver Ladd McConkey
Georgia wide receiver Ladd McConkey played against Vanderbilt, but is still not playing every down. McConkey’s back has been an issue since the start of the season and he missed several Georgia games to start the year.
As far as Ladd, he did well today. He practiced today and probably did more today than what he’s done on the Tuesdays in the past, but he also had Monday and Sunday off. I feel good about where he’s at, but also he’s day-to-day.
After the Vanderbilt game, Kirby Smart noted that McConkey’s back felt stiff. McConkey had a season-high four receptions for 58 yards against the Commodores.
Kirby Smart on how Georgia will replace Brock Bowers
Kirby Smart emphasizes the Bulldogs will not replace Brock Bowers with just one player. Several players will get more touches in Bowers’ absence.
The plays that you design, guys, I think y’all think of them as Brock plays. There are a lot of positions that can be in those spots. (Oscar) Delp can be in those spots, Dom (Lovett) can be in those spots, Dillon Bell can be in those spots, Marcus Rosemy(-Jacksaint) can be in those spots – our offense is not built around one person doing one thing.
Georgia tight end Oscar Delp will see a lot more snaps with Bowers out. The Bulldogs will continue to look to the get ball in the hands of playmakers in open space.
"Superman is not real"
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart thinks the whole team will have to play better in Brock Bowers’ absence. Georgia’s defense could force more turnovers and more field goal attempts in the red zone.
I have one hundred percent confidence that they’ll be resilient, and if they think that one guy’s going to replace Brock Bowers, they’re wrong, and if anybody thinks they’ve got to be Superman, they don’t need to be on our team because they’ll be disappointed. Superman is not real. He’s dead. He’s not alive. He’s not real, so you can’t try to be that guy.
Anyone replacing Bowers, such tight end Oscar Delp, would have to magically turn into an All-American. Delp is a good player, but fans can’t expect him to do everything Brock Bowers does.
There’s no player that we’re asking to step up and do more than you can. As a collective effort, every player’s going to do more.
Kirby Smart on how the defense can improve
Kirby Smart would like for Georgia to improve its red zone defense and force a few more turnovers.
Well, the obvious areas we can improve in, defensive, the red area’s a key area and forcing more turnovers is a huge area.
Georgia has forced just nine turnovers this season including no forced fumbles. The Bulldogs have an even turnover margin.
The Bulldogs have allowed opposing offenses to score 86.7% of red zone drive, which is No. 87 in the nation. Georgia has allowed 11 touchdowns on 15 red zone trips, so the Dawgs need to force teams to settle for a field goal more often.
How the UGA offense can improve
Georgia’s offense has been excellent at moving the football, but could be a little more efficient in the red zone. The Bulldogs have scored touchdowns on 62.5% of their red zone drives, which needs to improve as the season goes on.
Offensively, the ability to run the ball and be explosive running the ball, we want to continue to do that and improving in the red area. We’ve had games where we were elite offensively in the red area, and then we’ve had games where we were forced to kick field goals, and it usually came by way of losing first or second down, not really third down.
Georgia has the No. 48 rushing offense in the nation at 172.4 yards per game.
Evaluating quarterback Carson Beck
Georgia quarterback Carson Beck is the No. 4 passer in the nation. Beck has helped the Georgia offense move the ball well, but the Bulldogs need to score more touchdowns and not kick field goals.
He plays very consistent, winning football when he plays within the system. I think sometimes when he tries too much, he gets himself in trouble. But he’s played at a really high level to me. Like a 90-percent success rate and keeping a 10-percent from being catastrophic is critical.
Beck has thrown an interception in three straight games. He will hope to end that streak against Florida on Oct. 28.
