Georgia TE Brock Bowers' availability vs. Vols could come down to specific variable
The Tennessee Volunteers and Georgia Bulldogs both have big games on Saturday, as they will face off against #14 Missouri and #9 Ole Miss, respectively. However, while Josh Heupel and the Volunteers aren't peeking ahead to the Vols' massive showdown with the Georgia Bulldogs on November 18, that doesn't mean that there isn't a key […]
The Tennessee Volunteers and Georgia Bulldogs both have big games on Saturday, as they will face off against #14 Missouri and #9 Ole Miss, respectively. However, while Josh Heupel and the Volunteers aren't peeking ahead to the Vols' massive showdown with the Georgia Bulldogs on November 18, that doesn't mean that there isn't a key issue worth checking on a week in advance.
That would be the health of the ankle of Georgia's superstar tight end Brock Bowers. Bowers suffered a high ankle sprain against Vanderbilt on October 14, which required tightrope surgery to repair. Bowers returned to practice this week, although it sounds as though his participation has been extremely limited.
Kirby Smart addressed what Bowers needs to do to be able to return to action on Saturdays.
Smart's comments make sense. It's one thing to be able to run in one continuous motion, which Bowers is reportedly doing pretty well. It's another to show you can stop and start without limitation or pain, as that's what players are doing constantly during games. Cutting is also a whole other issue, as anyone who's had a high ankle sprain (including yours truly) can attest to. That's one of the harder things to do until the very end of the recovery process.
Bowers' availability is undeniably a crucial factor. Oscar Delp has done a decent job in Bowers' absence, and WR Ladd McConkey has continued to be a force in Georgia's passing game. However, Bowers is the best tight end in the country by a decent margin and takes the Bulldogs' offense to a completely different level.
If Bowers suits up and plays against Ole Miss on Saturday, then Vol fans can probably expect to see him jog out of the Neyland Stadium tunnel in uniform next weekend when the Bulldogs and Vols clash at 3:30 pm on CBS.
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