Georgia Football News and Notes for Wednesday

A lot of people have made a big deal about sophomore Oscar Delp taking over for Brock Bowers since the latter's ankle injury three weeks ago.

Delp, on the other hand, simply shrugs. With the exception of Bowers temporarily on the sideline, not a lot has changed.

“I’ve practiced the same way I’ve been practicing, just as hard as I can. It sucks having him go down, and he’s a huge part of our team,” Delp said. “I knew there were going to be more opportunities on the table for players; I just had to make every play that I had a chance to make and keep on practicing.”

Head coach Kirby Smart agrees.

Not many press sessions have passed without someone asking about Delp.

“I don’t see any difference. I know y’all find that hard to believe, but he played when Brock was here, he plays when Brock’s not. He took a load of reps before Brock was injured, he takes a load of reps with Brock injured,” Smart said. “He fights his tail off every day at practice, he works hard. If anything, he’s just gotten more opportunities, and he’s made the most of them.”

Delp certainly did his part in Georgia’s 43-20 rout of the Gators.

His two catches of 31 yards included a one-handed 18-yard snag off a throw from Carson Beck while also being a key blocker in the Bulldogs’ run game.

“I wasn’t nervous. I’ve been getting in there all season,” Delp said. “Coach (Smart) has done well preparing us for situations like this all season. I was just excited to get out there and play, just like always.”

Delp said Bowers is still playing a very big role.

“He’s been great. He’s been at every meeting. He’s with us every minute we’re watching film,” Delp said. “He’s the same Brock as when he’s healthy. I’m excited to have him there. He’s always with us, always talking with us.”

Until he’s back, Delp will continue doing whatever he can to make Bowers proud.

“I’ve always been confident in myself. I think it’s really about making other people comfortable with another face in there doing something that really hasn’t been seen with Brock in there all the time,” Delp said. “But I’ve always been confident in myself, and I think my teammates are as well.”

… Freshman linebacker CJ Allen is apparently none the worse for wear after tweaking his hamstring against Florida.

“He’s been able to practice,” Smart said. “He hasn't been 100 percent, so we've been trying to control and monitor his GPS, so he won't have long sprints. We try to control his reps and things like that."

… Freshman defensive back Joenel Aguero, who blocked a punt last week against the Gators, also earned some praise.

“He’s working really hard. He’s one of these talented young players who’s an athlete, fast, explosive, good tackler and man-to-man cover guy,” Smart said. “But he’s learning a position he hasn’t played, a ton of nickel/star. He’s been able to learn behind a crafty vet like Tykee (Smith). He’s gotten a ton of work in terms of volume in practice work and practice reps.”

… Does Carson Beck have total autonomy to check plays?

“It depends on the game and play call. Some plays are his checks, some plays are sideline checks, and some plays are automatically checked. It varies,” said Smart. “When you say how much latitude does he have, there’s some plays he has a lot of latitude, there’s some plays he has no latitude. The situation controls that; the point in the game controls that. I don’t think there’s a quarterback out there that doesn’t have some latitude. With our guys, we trust and allow them to do some things. But there’s a decision being made every play. It’s just whether we’re tagging in or whether the coordinator is controlling it for him. Either way, we have plays for them both.”

… What makes Missouri transfer Dominic Lovett stand out?

“He’s experienced. He brings a value of pass-catching ability from our conference. It’s tough, it’s man-to-man; they can get their hands on you. He played well last year and had some production. The same way with RaRa (Thomas),” Smart said. “You get guys who have had some production. A lot of times they are a little more confident than a high school kid or anybody else, and he has that confidence. He’s given us the luxury of some experience that we didn’t have.”

… Dealing with Missouri’s exotic looks on defense is one of Smart’s biggest concerns.

“It’s very demanding. It takes great communication, and it takes being on the same page. They create difficulty because they understand what you’re doing protection-wise. They try to get the best matchups and create confusion,” he said. “It’s what great defenses do: they try to create pressure while not completely exposing their secondary.”

Here's what we are hearing about Brock Bower's rehab.