Georgia football's off week from games allowed a beat-up Bulldog team a chance to recover and try to get healthy for a five-week end of regular season stretch that starts Saturday against Florida in Atlanta.
That includes star safety KJ Bolden who Georgia missed when Auburn stunned Georgia 27-24 on Oct. 17.
“With KJ Bolden going down, he was a huge loss for us,” country music star Luke Bryan, whose son Bo Bryan is the most recent Georgia commitment, said on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff on Saturday.
Bolden’s 20-game starting streak ended when he was sidelined by a right foot injury sustained late in the Alabama game.
Coach Kirby Smart was asked about Bolden on Monday as well as injured wide receiver Isiah Canion.
“I really don’t know on either one of them because we haven’t done anything since Thursday," Smart said. "We had good practices all week last week and then leading into this week, we’ll find out more about where they are today and then do the injury report information we have.”
The SEC Availability report will be released for the first time this week on Wednesday night.
Georgia practiced Tuesday and Thursday last week and had a lighter session on Weduesday.
There was more reps for players Georgia is trying to develop.
“Our team needed, ,not our team, but some of our players needed recovery more than they needed to just get better," Smart said.
East Carolina transfer Ja’Marley Riddle started in place of Bolden against Auburn.
He had six tackles and a pass breakup in 75 nsaps, but a team-high four missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
Bolden has 22 tackles and 2 tackles for loss, an interception and 2 pass breakups.
Georgia has been without Canion with a lower body injury since week two and running back Chauncey Bowens has missed the last two games with a right foot injury.
Florida coach Jon Sumrall said Monday of Canion: “He’s been out a couple of games, but he's a great player. Georgia, the way they have done it and built now, they don't go out and go to the portal to get a third-string guy."
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Kirby Smart on Georgia football safety KJ Bolden's status for Florida