No. 1 Georgia gains steam on offense with the return of Bowers and Mims from injuries

The injury list for No. 1 Georgia’s offense this season could have been lifted from a preseason summary of the team’s all-star candidates.

Right tackle Amarius Mims, one of the nation’s top offensive line NFL prospects, missed six games.

Ladd McConkey, the Bulldogs’ leading wide receiver from 2022, missed four games. Brock Bowers, last year’s Mackey Award winner as the nation’s top tight end, was held out two games. Top running backs Daijun Edwards and Kendall Milton also missed games.

Somehow, two-time defending national champion Georgia kept plugging the holes and extending its school-record winning streak. That success made it easy to overlook how much more productive the offense might be with all its top players on the field.

Finally, with Bowers making a dramatic comeback sooner than expected following ankle surgery and Mims returning to the O-line, Georgia’s offense was close to full strength for last week’s 52-17 runaway win over then-No. 10 Mississippi. The result was a season-high 611 total yards and impressive momentum for Saturday’s visit to No. 21 Tennessee.

A replenished offensive line helped Georgia run for 300 yards with five touchdowns against Ole Miss. Coaches rolled in fresh linemen during the game.

“I thought it helped us a lot,” left guard Dylan Fairchild said Monday. “I think we do a really good job of playing for each other. Being able to do that with guys splitting time, I think that speaks a lot about our line as a unit. We’re really connected.”

Georgia (10-0, 7-0 Southeastern Conference, No. 2 CFP) already has secured its SEC championship game matchup against No. 8 Alabama on Dec. 2 in Atlanta. The Bulldogs will be playing to protect their hopes for a third straight national championship, as well as extend their 27-game winning streak,…