Brock Bowers, Amarius Mims attacking return from injury the right way

ATHENS, Ga. — Brock Bowers and Amarius Mims are each projected first round picks, and Georgia has been without the two top prospects for its last 10 quarters of action. However, according to head coach Kirby Smart, the two Bulldogs are doing everything in their power to be back on the field as soon as possible.

“He’s been great. He’s done everything we’ve asked,” Smart said on Monday about his star tight end Bowers and how he’s handling the rehab process. “He ran on Friday, did a good workout. Had Saturday off, obviously, and continues to work. He’s going to do all he can to try to get back as fast as he can.”

Bowers underwent tight rope ankle surgery on Monday, October 16th. It’s been exactly three weeks since the procedure, one that typically requires 4-6 weeks on the sideline. With the way Bowers has attacked his rehab, it certainly looks like he’ll be back within that timeline, if not sooner.

Bowers travelled with the team to Jacksonville for the Florida game, coming out of the tunnel on the jog. Smart joked that bringing him to that game was about making sure he was getting his rehab done before calling him the “spirit of this team.” Fellow tight end Oscar Delp, who has stepped up in the absence of Bowers to give Georgia five catches, 64 yards and a touchdown, added that Bowers has been like another coach.

“Yeah, he’s been great. He’s been at every meeting. He’s with us every time we’re watching film. He’s the same Brock he’s been when he’s healthy. I’m excited to kind of have him there always with us and talking with us. He’s always going to be an extra brain over there,” Delp said. “He’s just so smart with the game of football and everything, just what he sees. He’s a great teammate, so it’s been great having him with us still. Outside of the playing field, it’s almost like nothing ever happened. He’s still in every meeting, doing everything that he’s always doing.”

“This guy has been in every meeting. He was in the punt walk through today. He goes to everything. He’s front and center, on time, ready to go and still he gets all his rehab done,” Smart said of Bowers in his comments after the Florida game. “That’s just the kind of kid he is. And everybody looks him. We’ve had other guys get that injury and they disappear for weeks. They come back. He hasn’t missed anything. He loves football. And he loves this team.”

Prior to his injury, Bowers had totaled 41 catches for 567 yards and four touchdowns, all still team-highs despite the two games missed.

As for Mims, who dressed against Florida for the first time since undergoing his tightrope ankle procedure after suffering the injury in September versus South Carolina, he too is doing all the right things to get back to playing. A starter of the first three games at right tackle, Mims went through warm ups with the second team on Saturday prior to the matchup with Missouri. While he didn’t play, Smart said he is closer.

“Mims practiced all of last week, did a good job, wasn’t quite 100% but he took reps at his right tackle position and did a good job,” Smart said. “… I think Mims is much closer, he feels comfortable. He probably could have played Saturday had we needed him. I think he’s in a good place. I think he’s much closer to being able to play and play like he wants to play and go out there and compete. Looking forward to seeing him do that in practice so we can gain some more information.”

Xavier Truss has started the six games in Mims’ place. He moved into that role from the starting spot at left guard where he began the year. Truss told reporters on Monday that when the time comes for Mims to return, he’s ready to play wherever he’s asked.

“We get a good rotation in, as we have over the past two years, consistently at practice. If you were out there, you’d see that everybody works at every position across the board,” Truss said. “Guards flip, tackles flip, we all play different positions. As far as being ready, I think I’m ready to play anywhere across the line. That’s up to the coaches at the end of the day. I’m just excited to get my chance to get out there.”

Georgia takes on Ole Miss this Saturday in a top-10 showdown. The Rebels enter Athens with an 8-1 record and ranked No. 10 in the initial College Football Playoff poll. They still have a small chance to win the SEC West but need the help of Alabama, and have to take care of their own business.

Kickoff time for Saturday is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. The network’s premier pregame show College GameDay will also be on Georgia’s campus to feature the contest Saturday morning starting at 9:00 a.m. ET.