Bowers' effort helps lead Georgia to a 42-20 win over Florida
Bowers' effort helps lead Georgia to a 42-20 win over Florida
JACKSONVILLE — Georgia tight end Brock Bowers had himself a career day against Florida. The talented sophomore pass-catcher hauled in five receptions for a career-high 154 yards and a TD on Saturday in the top-ranked Bulldogs’ 42-20 win over the Gators.
Bowers’ highlight of the day came in the second quarter when he had a 73-yard catch-and-run for a score.
Florida linebacker Amari Burney was playing press coverage on him in a 2nd-and-10 situation. Bowers made a great play on a pass that was underthrown from quarterback Stetson Bennett after it was tipped by both him and the Gator defender. He then adjusted, gained possession of the tipped ball, and raced toward the end zone for a score.
“The ball was kind of bouncing around,” Bowers said of the play. “I just snatched it out of the air.”
Georgia’s offense struggled in the third quarter, turning the ball over twice. However, Bowers made an important play in the fourth quarter and helped the Bulldogs regain momentum. He kept the chains moving on a 4th-and-7 play in which he and Bennett hooked up again.
“That one probably meant more to me, because it came on fourth down, but both plays [the TD] were pretty cool,” Bowers said. “I had confidence because we had run that play so much in practice and all of the guys executed it all of the time. So, I felt good about it.”
Bowers’ critical catch went for a 29-yard gain, plus an offsides penalty on Florida’s defense put Georgia inside the Gators’ 10. Senior running back Kenny McIntosh then rushed for a four-yard TD on the next play, which extended the Bulldogs’ lead to three scores.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart agreed with Bowers’ sentiment about the 4th-down catch.
"I immediately thought it was karma for the other one, the one to Darnell (Washington),” Smart said. “It was like we didn't get the Darnell one, but we got that one, and it bounced back our way."
Bennett, who completed 19-of-38 passes for 316 yards with two TDs and two INTs, was proud of Bowers’ performance.
“He just made a really good play. He spun and I think he did a complete 360. Then on the fourth down fade, one-on-one, he just went up and made the play,” Bennett said of Bowers’ two important catches. “He’s just someone you can trust. I’m glad he’s on my side.”
Bowers currently leads Georgia in receiving yards (547) and receiving touchdowns (three). He’s averaging 68.38 yards per game and 17.65 yards per reception. Bowers also has three rushes for a total of 82 yards (27.3 yards per carry) and three scores on the ground.
His 73-yard score was his fourth career TD of 70-plus yards. Also, Bowers’ 154 receiving yards was the sixth time in his career as Bulldog that he’s eclipsed the century mark. His other 100-plus yard game came against South Carolina (121 yards) in September.
Bowers has been of Georgia’s most productive players on the offensive side of the ball in 2022. His six total TDs (three rushing; three receiving) are the second most among Bulldog playmakers. Both McIntosh and running back Daijun Edwards have scored seven TDs each.
Smart highlighted that Bowers has made a lot of progress since the start of the season.
“Yeah, I think he gets [a lot of] opportunities, right? He got touches, he got opportunities, and he has made the most of them,” Smart said of Bowers’ performance this season. “He makes a lot of contested catches. That catch on fourth down, I didn’t think that was going to be a first down. I think it was going to be a 4th-and-2 and we’ve still got to convert. Well, it didn’t matter. He went up and got the ball. He makes a lot of plays on the ball. Brock is the ultimate competitive excellence guy. [Todd] Hartley [Georgia tight ends coach] talks about it all the time. Competitive excellence is when it’s 50-50 or when you’ve got to go make a play, can you make it? We’ve seen him do it over and over again.”
Here is the video from Bowers’ post-game interview following the Florida game: