Georgia Bulldogs news and notes for Monday

Georgia’s 48-7 win over South Carolina certainly qualified as impressive. There were plenty of highlights for sure.

However, for wide receiver Ladd McConkey, none were any bigger than getting to see seldom-used teammates such as running back Cash Jones and wide receiver Cole Speer not only rep for just the second time this year but contribute to the overall effort as well.

“I love seeing those guys get in. That fires me up so much,” McConkey said Monday. “Talking to them, they were so fired up to get in there and get their first catch, get a couple of runs. I was so happy to see that. They work so hard in practice, so when they’re able to come in and be rewarded for their work, it’s awesome to see.”

A walk-on running back, Jones had one carry for six yards last year, and Saturday was able to touch the football three times, rushing once for eight yards, catching two passes for an additional 11.

Speer, who saw his first action two weeks ago against Samford, made his first career catch, a 12-yarder to give the Bulldogs a fourth quarter first down.

“Again, I just love seeing guys rewarded. They all work extremely hard,” McConkey said. “We got four deep in practice through fall camp, so literally every single player on our team is getting reps every day.

"When you do that in practice, it transfers over to the game. They’ve been getting all those reps, and that’s what we pride ourselves on. When something happens, you’re prepared and you’re able to come in and do it because you’ve been doing it all camp.”

With William Poole no longer a part of the program, Bulldog coaches have been looking for an additional body to possibly contribute at star.

In freshman Darris Smith, the Bulldogs may have found their man.

An outside linebacker, Smith was seen taking part in pre-game warmups with the defensive backs, something Kirby Smart acknowledged has been in the works for a little while.

“Well, he's really a SAM linebacker as an outside linebacker that also plays in space some. In today's day and age, you're seeing every personnel grouping utilized. We want to have the luxury of having a person with more size, be able to play when people go 12 open and people open up sets,” Smart said. “It's really more of a development decision for him. It's not a position change. He played JACK in the game. He played outside linebacker in the game. We're developing a guy that has the skill set to run fast, to learn how to play multiple positions. Which is what we told him when we recruited him.”

At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, safety Christopher Smith joked that Smith is the tallest safety he’s ever seen.

“He’s got a lot of range, a big wingspan, and I think he’s doing pretty well,” Smith said. “He’s obviously still picking things up, but he’s doing really well. He gets a lot of work after practice, he asks me a lot of questions and I try to help him out as much as I can.”

Tight end Arik Gilbert's status for Saturday's game against Kent State (Noon, SEC Network+) appears questionable.

Monday, Smart said the former five star is going to be "day to day throughout the week" without offering any specifics.

Smart also offered the following injury updates for defensive tackle Jalen Carter (ankle) and wide receiver AD Mitchell (ankle).

Carter was limited during the game at South Carolina, while Mitchell did not travel to Columbia.

“Jalen is dealing with a lingering ankle issue. He's really had it since the Oregon game. And he's trying to get well. Trying to get him healthy. Hopefully he'll be full go this week. He was close last week, but didn't end up having to play a lot of snaps," Smart said. "With AD, we're hopeful to get him back this week. Again, it's one of those deals last week we thought we might get him back. We're hopeful to get him back this week."

Smart added he does not know when cornerback Nyland Green (hamstring) will be able to return.

The SEC announced that Georgia’s game at Missouri on Oct. 1 is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and televised on the SEC Network.

Georgia’s all-time record on the SEC Network is 25-3.

Tight end Brock Bowers has been named the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Week following his performance at South Carolina, according to an announcement Monday.

Bowers, a native of Napa, Calif., was twice named the SEC Freshman of the Week in 2021. This marks his first Offensive Player of the Week accolade.

Following the win over No. 11 Oregon, senior safety Christopher Smith was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week. Quarterback Stetson Bennett was the only Bulldog to earn SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors last year following his performance versus UAB.

Bowers posted the fifth 100-yard receiving game of his career and scored three touchdowns in a game for the second time during the 48-7 rout at South Carolina. He had a team-high five receptions for 121 yards and two scores, including a 78-yard touchdown catch that put Georgia up 31-0 in the third quarter.

Bowers also had a 5-yard rushing score for the game's first points in the opening period.

This marked the second time in his career that he has tallied two receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in the same game (2021, at Vanderbilt).