Georgia’s first SEC availability report for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. matchup in Atlanta against Florida came with a mixed picture, and the biggest name on it is safety KJ Bolden.
Bolden, a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award for the nation’s top defensive back, is listed as questionable. He sat out Georgia’s 27-24 loss to Auburn on Oct. 17 because of a lower right leg injury.
“He's doing all he can to get back and be able to play,” coach Kirby Smart said Wednesday on Atlanta's 680 AM. “I know he wants to really bad, but only time's probably going to be able to tell on that.”
Bolden has 22 tackles, one interception and two pass breakups this season.
Inside linebacker Raylen Wilson said the Bulldogs have felt his absence.
“We need that toughness, week in and week out," inside linebacker Raylen Wilson said. "Especially on the perimeter with our DBs.
It starts with him mostly. He’s battling through his injury he’s going through.
He’s taking it pretty well because we know injury comes with this game.”
Georgia also has two more players tagged as questionable: wide receiver Isiah Canion and running back Chauncey Bowens.
Canion, the Georgia Tech transfer, has missed the last four games with what Smart has described as a “lower extremity injury.”
Bowens was hurt in the win over Vanderbilt and has missed Georgia’s last two games with a lower body injury.
The Bulldogs’ injury report also includes three players ruled out: safety Tyriq Green (leg), outside linebacker Amaris Williams (knee) and wide receiver Thomas Blackshear (collarbone). Georgia does not have any players listed as doubtful or probable.
Florida’s report includes both of its top quarterbacks, Aaron Philo and Tramell Jones Jr., who are listed as questionable. Philo missed Florida’s last game against Texas with a shoulder injury, and Jones was banged up in the win, according to coach Jon Sumrall this week.
This is the third season the SEC has required schools to submit availability reports before conference games. The league releases them daily on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, then again 90 minutes before kickoff on game day.
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Byrum Browns 115 rushing yards were especially jarring for Georgia because they topped the Bulldogs entire ground output, a stat that speaks to how lopsided the line of scrimmage battle became. For Kirby Smart, the larger concern is not just the upset itself but the kind of recurring issues that can turn a talented roster into one that keeps inviting trouble against teams it should beat at home. [Read more 🡒]