ATHENS — Georgia’s offensive line played so well in Amarius Mims’ absence the wonder was whether the Bulldogs even needed the preseason All-American tackle back in the lineup following his Week 4 ankle surgery.
The answer to that is, of course, an emphatic “yes.” And for proof, one could just ask Tennessee’s Roman Harrison. A 6-foot-2, 235-pound defensive lineman from Bainbridge, Harrison found himself as the meat in a blocking sandwich being split between Mims and right guard Tate Ratledge early in Saturday’s game. Mims happened to hoist Harrison off the ground as he passed him inside to Ratledge before taking on another would-be intruder to the outside. Receiving Harrison in midair, Ratledge merely slung Harrison to the ground and, for yet another pass play, quarterback Carson Beck found himself untouched as he delivered the football to his intended target.
In the Georgia offense’s meeting room, the Bulldogs were calling it an “alley-oop block.”
“Oh, man, the coaches were talking about their end guys and how they’re fast and they jump up the field,” Mims said this week. “So I tried to take a good set and I saw him go under me. I tried to catch him with my left hand and I caught him. Tate finished him. That’s all.”
Nine weeks after undergoing to same TightRope surgery tight end Brock Bowers underwent, Mims finally returned to the starting lineup at right tackle and played a season-high 51 snaps. He said he’s feeling like his old self again and ready to contribute the rest of the way for the Bulldogs.
“The toughest part was mentally, just watching my teammates every day and not being able to practice and play,” Mims said. “I was taking a lot of mental notes, but it was nice just to be back there.”
Xavier Truss, who left his starting post at left guard to start the next six games at tackle in Mims’ absence, remains at tackle as Dylan Fairchild and Micah Morris have now solidified the situation at guard.
Mims just laughed when asked why it took him eight weeks to be able to get back on the field for the Bulldogs while it took tight end Brock Bowers only 26 days after undergoing to same procedure.
“I don’t know, I’ll just say that Brock is not human,” Mims cracked. “Honestly, he’s different on and off the field.”
Of course, recovery can look slightly different when you’re 6-7, 340 as opposed to 6-4, 240. And Mims’ issues certainly didn’t have anything to do with shape or conditioning.
This week he reported that the last body-mass-index he took had him at 17% body fat at 340 pounds. Currently, he said, he weighs 335.
“I’ll get that number back to you when I find out,” Mims said with a smile and a win.
Red cross report
Player availability again will be at the top of Georgia’s list of concerns for the Tech game. The Bulldogs were missing several key players for last week’s trip to Tennessee, and they’re hoping to be as close to fully-well as possible for their Dec. 2 date with Alabama in the SEC Championship game.
Heading that list is junior flanker Ladd McConkey. The dynamic offensive playmaker, who missed the first four games of the season because of a chronic back issue, played only six plays against Tennessee and sat out most of practice all week with a sprained ankle.
Georgia also lost wide receiver Rara Thomas when he aggravated a foot sprain in the first quarter against the Volunteers.
“Ladd’s still recovering; trying to get him back,” Smart said in his last media briefing after Tuesday night’s practice. “Hasn’t been able to do much. … Rara hasn’t either. We’ve been keeping the weight and the pressure off of it, but hoping we can get him back as well. We’ll see.”
The Bulldogs are also expected to be without cornerback Julian Humphrey (shoulder) and starting inside linebacker Jamon “Pop” Dumas-Johnson (forearm).
Ratledge’s availability is very much up in the air. He’s been working trainers after leaving the Tennessee game with what Smart says is a non-structural knee issue. Ratledge has been “Moving and running” at practice but not taking reps with the offensive linemen.
The news was better on defensive lineman Warren Brinson, who returned to the practice field this week after not making the trip to Knoxville. He’s dealing with a calf strain.
Bullard’s buddy
In a way, Georgia’s Javon Bullard is looking forward to seeing his old friend Dominick Blaylock on The Flats on Saturday. In some other ways, he’s not.
The Bulldogs’ star safety said Blaylock was one of the toughest receivers to cover in Georgia’s practices over the years, especially when he was healthy, of course.
Blaylock had two ACL knee surgeries and long recoveries while attending UGA. A 5-star recruiting prospect out of Marietta, he started for the Bulldogs as a freshman but saw his time decrease over the years and he transferred to Georgia Tech this past offseason.
“Shout out to my boy, Dom,” Bullard said. “We used to talk and make jokes all the time at practice, because Dom was so nonchalant and so skilled. Me and Tykee (Smith) used to talk about it all time. Dominick wouldn’t even care, and he’d still be messing you up all the time at practice. He’s a great player and I’m excited to face off against him on Saturday.”
Blaylock has 21 catches for 337 yards (16 ypr) and two TDs for the Yellow Jackets this season.
Tech and Georgia meet at 7 p.m. Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
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