Kirby Smart updates injury situation: 'Brock Bowers was probably the closest to being able to go'

Georgia was able to survive and defeat rival Georgia Tech 31-23 on Saturday to end the regular season as their focus now shifts to their SEC Championship. But questions still loom regarding some of the Bulldogs’ key offensive differencemakers.

Star tight end Brock Bowers, wide receiver Ladd McConkey, and offensive lineman Tate Ratledge all missed Saturday’s game with injuries. Which head coach Kirby Smart addressed following the win and ahead of a huge conference title game against Alabama.

“As far as last night, Brock was probably the closest to being able to go of those guys,” Smart said on Sunday’s SEC 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, and just didn’t think that he could go. Nothing about who we’re playing or anything else. He’s got to be able to go compete at a high level and be able to feel good about what he’s doing. We didn’t feel that he had that last night.”

Bowers suffered a high ankle sprain in Georgia’s Week 7 game against Vanderbilt that required him to undergo a tightrope procedure the following Monday. He missed just two games as a result of his surgery, returning and playing in the Bulldogs’ last two games where he logged 10 catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns.

The soreness in Bowers’ ankle kept him out of Saturday’s game despite his production, which will now unintentionally serve as more rest for Georgia’s conference championship game as well.

Ratledge missing Saturday’s game on the other hand sounded a little bit more intentional according to Smart.

“And Tate, he maybe could’ve played, but he was not 100%. And we’re hoping to get him back. As far as the other guys go, it’s gonna be, to me, day-to-day. I mean, we just don’t know anything. We certainly don’t know anymore today because we haven’t done anything,” Smart concluded.

Ratledge started 15 consecutive games before missing Saturday’s matchup, which was the second-longest streak for any Bulldogs’ offensive player. The right guard missed just one game last season versus Kentucky, and hopefully this season he only misses one as well.

It will be interesting to see if the Bulldogs can get a healthy McConkey in the postseason as well following a regular season riddled with injuries. He missed four games this year with a back injury and missed Saturday’s game following an ankle injury suffered against Ole Miss that resulted in him playing in just six snaps the week prior against Tennessee.

There’s no question that the Bulldogs are rightfully one of the most feared teams in the country when it comes to the postseason given their recent track record, but a fully healthy offense would make them even more dangerous in the months of December and January of this season.