During Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was asked if he thought tight end Brock Bowers would play Saturday night against Ole Miss (7 p.m., ESPN).

While he didn’t say yes, he also didn’t say no.

“I think there’s a lot of markers he’s got to hit. There’s more than just the marker of sheer speed,” Smart said. “One of the first things you look for on this injury is acceleration and deceleration, not GPS speed.

“So, when your deceleration numbers and acceleration numbers get closer to your norm because we have a baseline on all these guys, you feel much more comfortable about it. But you have to get to that point.”

Should Bowers suit up for the game, it will mark 26 days since the All-American underway TightRope surgery to repair the high-ankle sprain he suffered almost a month ago at Vanderbilt.

Even if he doesn’t play, Smart has at least given Ole Miss head coach and Rebel defensive coordinator Pete Golding something else to think about.

On Tuesday night, wide receiver Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint said he heard Bowers was turning in GPS speeds of 19-20 mph.

Smart acknowledged that Bowers - who UGASports confirmed has been practicing in a black non-contact jersey - has been doing straight-line running.

However, Smart cautioned fans should not base all their hope of Bowers playing simply on that.

“Straight line running is not football, unfortunately, maybe on kickoff or something else, but the other areas, you’ve got to have that,” Smart said. “But he’s working towards that. I’ve never seen a person work as hard as he has to try to create an opportunity for himself.”

If Bowers is able to play on Saturday, Smart said he would not be putting himself at any additional risk.

“I don’t think we put the future at risk at all. That’s a medical decision. We’ve got a great staff here, we’ve got unbelievable doctors here, the surgeon who did the surgery, all those things are taken into account,” Smart said. “They have boxes that you check, and when you check the boxes, it turns back to the player and their comfort level. Then it goes to the coaches to how effective they can be.”

If Bowers plays, it means he’s physically ready and coaches are confident in how effective he will be.

“Those things must be checked off before you can even go there. So, he’s not at greater risk of a long-term career thing, what it boils down to is, can he help us win, is he comfortable with that, and do we think he can do the things he has to be able to do,” Smart said. “But he’s got to be able to hit those numbers and check off those boxes before that becomes a decision.”