ATHENS - Georgia’s secondary may be waiting on one of its most important pieces, and the timing could hardly be more delicate with Florida next on the schedule.
KJ Bolden has been a difference-maker when he’s on the field. In the games he has started this season, Georgia is 6-0.
In the lone game he missed, against Auburn, the Bulldogs fell to 0-1. That split tells the story as plainly as any stat can.
Kirby Smart said Bolden’s issue surfaced late in the first half against Auburn. “He actually cramped around halftime around the touchdown score right before the half, and then had an injury that came up toward the end around the sack, which he never had to go back in because we ended up keeping the ball during that time,” Smart said during the off week.
Georgia still doesn’t know exactly where Bolden stands for Saturday’s matchup with No. 17 Florida.
The first real checkpoint will come Wednesday, when the SEC releases its availability report. That report won’t spell everything out, but it should offer a clearer sense of whether Bolden is trending toward playing.
Even without that confirmation, Georgia has had two weeks to work around his absence. Smart said that has given the staff a chance to get a better look at other options in the secondary.
“We give those guys tons of reps and tons of development,” Smart said. “We give those guys a lot of opportunities.
They were going to get those regardless last week because KJ wasn’t going to take a ton of volume. I get to see those guys independent of KJ.”
Against Auburn, Ja’Marley Riddle stepped in for Bolden and played 75 of Georgia’s 80 defensive snaps. Zion Branch handled the other five. Riddle finished with six tackles and a pass deflection, though Smart said fatigue showed up late and Riddle also missed on a few important chances.
“Ja’Marley’s improving,” Smart said. “He plays more strong safety than anything else.
He’s very intelligent. He has good instincts, and he communicates really well.”
Riddle arrived from ECU as a transfer addition this offseason, but an injury slowed him early. Georgia’s staff compared that setback to the season-ending knee injury Jordan Hall suffered last season, and it took time for Riddle to settle into the defense.
That hasn’t been the same story for Clemson transfer Khalil Barnes, who has fit in more naturally.
“He’s improved with every week,” Smart said of Riddle He improves every day in our system, understanding how to do things. He’s got good competition around him, including Dink, including Kyron [Jones}, including Zion, all those guys, Todd [Robinson]. They’ve all improved and continue to get better.”
Kyron Jones’ situation is another wrinkle in the secondary. He opened the season as the starter opposite Bolden, but he did not play against Auburn. Smart was asked about Jones on Monday and did not explain why the fourth-year defensive back sat out.
If Bolden is able to return, Barnes and Rasean Dinkins should once again be the starting safeties. If Bolden remains out, Riddle looks like the top candidate to step in.
Georgia is also keeping an eye on Tyriq Green. He’s missed the last five games, spanning six weeks, after suffering an ankle injury against Western Kentucky. He may not be the answer if Bolden is unavailable against Florida, but his value on special teams has already shown up during his short time in Athens.
The bigger picture for Georgia is hard to ignore. Smart pointed out that the Bulldogs could still have a long road ahead if they reach the SEC championship game and don’t land a top-four College Football Playoff seed, with as many as 10 more games potentially waiting if they were to make a run to the national championship game.
That makes getting Bolden back even more important, and it explains why the off week was treated as a chance to recover and reset.
“You’re trying to keep your team healthy and got less depth than we’ve ever had,” Smart said. “So certainly, we’re trying to develop our guys that will be playing if guys get injured, or that might be playing next year. We’re trying to maintain the conditioning level and the physicality to the rest of them.”
Still, Georgia may have to handle another big game without him. If that happens, Smart knows the Bulldogs need a cleaner performance than they delivered the last time Bolden was sidelined.
“We’ve got some guys that need to get well and get healthy. Hopefully we’re able to do that some,” Smart said. “I always worry because, you spend so much time trying to get healthy, you better be ready to strike somebody in this game because it’s going to be physical.”
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