Georgia football injury updates: Kirby Smart comments ahead of SEC championship
Georgia football could get back at least a couple of offensive starters for the SEC championship game against Alabama Saturday.
Coach Kirby Smart said Sunday evening that star tight end Brock Bowers and offensive guard Tate Ratledge were closest to being able to play in the 31-23 win Saturday night at Georgia Tech, but they were held out as were wide receivers Ladd McConkey and Rara Thomas.
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“Brock was probably the closest to being able to go of those guys,” Smart said on a title game teleconference. “Just didn’t feel as good as he had. He was a little sore. We wanted to be able to use him situationally or see what he could do if he felt comfortable with it. Just didn’t think he could go.”
Bowers, the 2022 Mackey Award winner who leads Georgia in receiving, played the previous two games after returning just 26 days following TightRope surgery for a high ankle sprain.
Bowers missed his third game of the season Saturday.
“It’s nothing about who we were playing or anything else,” Smart said. “He’s got to be able to go compete at a high level and to be able to feel good about what he’s doing. We didn’t feel he had that last night.”
Ratledge sustained a knee injury at Tennessee. He was replaced in the starting lineup at right guard by Xavier Truss.
“Tate may could have played, but he was not 100 percent,” Smart said. “We’re hopeful to get him back. As far as the other guys go, it’s just going to be day to-day. We just don’t know anything. We certainly anymore today because we haven’t done anything.”
Georgia will return to the practice field Monday.
Thomas, the Mississippi State transfer, was out with a foot injury Saturday.
McConkey is dealing with an ankle sprain after played limited snaps against Tennessee. He missed the first four games earlier in the season with a back injury.
“He gets frustrated with it,” Smart said of McConkey being sidelined. “A lot of it is beyond his control. He’s done everything he can from a rehab standpoint to get back and he’s filled his role as a leader and energy guy on the sideline and supporter of the other guys. That’s all you can ask him to do.”
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football injury updates: Kirby Smart previews SEC championship
