Kirby Smart shares confidence in Mekhi Mews as punt returner

Georgia Bulldogs punt returner Mekhi Mews has had a few mishaps this season with a handful of dropped punts. But Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart is not ready to throw in the towel on his returner.

In fact, Smart is in full support of how Mews has fared this season. And on Wednesday, the Georgia head man took to task one reporter who questioned whether a change was needed at punt return.

“Have you ever caught one? Have you ever caught a rugby left-footed in the wind? I have. I’m glad I’m not back there, and I’m glad Mews is. I trust him, and I think I got a lot of confidence in him,” said Smart.

“Until you’ve gone back there and seen Tim Wakefield knuckleball, do this through the wind, because the other option is don’t catch it. I don’t think that’s a good option, either, because the ball rolls. So check college football right now and see how many drops and fumbled punts there are. They are not your traditional kickoff, and they’re not your traditional spirals. They’re really hard to catch.”

Over the first games of the season, Mews has been the Bulldogs’ primary punt and kick returner. This year, he has returned 13 punts for 170 yards and has made one house call returning punts.

Smart delves into how Georgia will approach replacing Brock Bowers’ productivity

Groegia lost star tight end Brock Bowers to an ankle sprain over the weekend, with Bowers undergoing tight-rope surgery to repair the issue as quickly as possible.

Coach Kirby Smart admitted losing Bowers is tough, though he said his team has a plan in place without Bowers.

“Any time you lose a player of Brock’s magnitude you have, we have contingency plans every week for really every position, it’s not just Brock’s,” Smart said Wednesday on an SEC teleconference call. “It’s every position of what if. You’ve got to have what ifs in this league. There’s a lot of injuries. It’s a tough, physical sport.”

Bowers suffered the injury in a game against Vanderbilt when he was tackled on a reverse that gained 14 yards. He was wrapped up around his lower left leg as he fell out of bounds, getting up a little gimpy.