ATHENS — The Georgia offense has not had its full complement of weapons this season. Ladd McConkey missed the first four games of the season with a back injury.
Offensive tackle Amarius Mims has been out since the South Carolina game with an ankle injury. Tight end Brock Bowers has missed the past two games with an ankle injury of his own.
The three key Bulldogs have not been on the field together for a single play this season. But that could change on Saturday.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart provided an update on Bowers while speaking on ESPN’s College GameDay.
“That’s what we hope,” Smart said on Bowers playing. “I don’t know if he’s going to be 100 percent but he’s done a good job during the week of working towards the benchmarks he’s got to do. We’ll see how he is, game-time decision.”
Bowers, despite missing the past two games, is still Georgia’s leader in every receiving category. Bowers had TightRope Surgery on Oct. 16, two days after the Bulldogs beat Vanderbilt.
With Bowers out, Georgia has been able to lean on Oscar Delp. The sophomore tight end caught a touchdown in last week’s win over Missouri. McConkey meanwhile has led Georgia in receiving in each of the past two games for the Bulldogs. He’s caught 13 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown in wins over Florida and Missouri.
As for Mims, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Mims will play this week. Xavier Truss has started the last six games for Georgia at right tackle with Mims out. Dylan Fairchild took Truss’ spot at left guard.
Mims is seen as one of the top offensive tackles in the sport. At 6-foot-7 and 330 pounds, Mims is talented enough to help swing games from the right tackle position. The Bulldogs did give up 3.0 sacks last week against Missouri and Ole Miss ranks second in the SEC in sacks.
“I still don’t know that we’ll be 100 percent, hoping to get Mims back,” Smart said. “With those things happening, we’re getting closer on offense to where we need to be.”
Even without all of its pieces, Georgia’s offense has found a way to continue to shine. The Bulldogs are averaging 39.3 points per game, ranking 10th in the country. Quarterback Carson Beck has thrown 16 touchdown passes to only 4 interceptions.
Bowers and Mims will get a little more time to heal, as Saturday’s game against Ole Miss is set for a 7 p.m. ET kick. The game between the No. 2 Bulldogs and No. 9 Rebels will air on ESPN.