KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Brock Bowers has scored touchdowns on 9 of 11 SEC teams he has faced, but Tennessee is not among them.
The Vols have arguably been harder on Bowers than any opponent, and they’re sure to have a plan for him when Georgia comes to Neyland Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. game on Saturday.
Bowers has not had so much as 30 yards receiving in either of his two games against Tennessee, recording two and three catches, respectively.
Brian Jean-Mary, a 23-year veteran linebacker coach at Tennessee, claims the Vols aren’t necessarily doing anything special.
“I’m not gonna sit here and say we’ve designed a defense to try slow him down, I don’t think anybody can,” Jean-Mary said this week. “I think the targets come as the offense sees to target him.
“Georgia has won two national championships for a reason, because they adjust to what defenses are doing.”
Indeed, Coach Kirby Smart has preached how his offenses are predicated on quarterbacks making the proper reads and finding the right matchups.
At the very least, the Vols have not made Bowers a convenient or easy target, and that would suggest they are making sure to account for him in coverage.
Jean-Mary made it sound like that will be the case once again.
“Give him all the credit in the world, he came back last week against Ole Miss and was able to catch a touchdown pass and didn’t look like he skipped a beat,” the veteran Tennessee coach said. “If you ask anybody on our defense, we know how talented he is.”
Bowers played 45 snaps on offense in his first game back after having TightRope ankle surgery 26 days before returning for the game last Saturday.
Still, Jean-Mary said, the Vols will be dialed in on Bowers.
“Our hope is to contain him,” the UT linebackers coach said. “I would never say we were able to stop him …. "
Here’a a look at how Bowers has fared catching the ball against SEC opponents:
Bowers receptions vs. the SEC
Alabama
2021: 4 rec, 36 yds TD, 33-18 win
2021: 10 rec, 139 yds, TD, 24-41 loss
2023: Dec. 2, SEC Championship Game
Auburn
2021: 2 rec, 43 yds, 34-10 win
2022: 2 rec, 36 yds, 42-10 win
2023: 8 rec, 157 yds, TD, 27-20 win
Florida
2021: 1 rec, 38 yds, 34-7 win
2022: 5 rec, 154 yds, TD, 45-20 win
Kentucky
2021: 5 rec, 101 yds, 2 TD, 30-13 win
2022: 2 rec, 10 yds, 16-6 win
2023: 7 rec, 132 yds, TD, 51-13 win
LSU
2022: 6 rec. 81 yds, TD, 50-30 win
Mississippi State
2022: 5 rec, 41 yards, TD, 45-19 win
Missouri
2021: 2 rec, 39 yds, 43-6 win
2022: 5 rec, 66 yds, 26-22 win
Ole Miss
2023: 3 rec, 34 yds, TD, 52-17 win
South Carolina:
2021: 5 rec, 53 yds, 40-13 win
2022: 5 rec, 121 yds, 2 TDs, 48-7 win
2023: 7 rec, 54 yds, 24-14 win
Tennessee
2021: 2 rec, 23 yds, 41-17 win
2022: 3 rec, 27 yards, 27-13 win
Vanderbilt
2021: 4 rec, 69 yds, 2 TD, 62-0 win
2022: 4 rec, 15 yds, 55-0 win
2023: 4 rec, 22 yds, 37-20 win
