ATHENS — If there were any doubts about whether Amarius Mims was back to his pre-injury self, a viral block with Tate Ratledge ended any speculation on the matter.
“I know coach was talking this week that their end guys are good, they’re fast, they jet up the field,” Mims said. “So I tried to take a good vertical set. Tried to get him to come under, I knew I had Tate’s help. So I saw him go up under and I tried to catch him with my left hand and I caught him. And then Tate finished him. That’s all.”
Mims injured his ankle in the win over South Carolina back in September. Unlike Brock Bowers, Mims’ 6-foot-7, 335-pound body took longer to recover. He missed six games before finally returning to action against Ole Miss.
He made his first start on Saturday against Tennessee. It wasn’t easy for Mims to be away from the game of football. But his time on the mend taught him something about himself.
“In college, I’ve never had an injury that I’ve been out that long,” Mims said. “What i learned about myself is that I’ve got heart. A lot of people could’ve been like, ‘You know what, I’ll shut it down. I’ve missed six games, that’s a big majority of the year.’ But I’ve learned that I can come back and play as good as I’ve been playing or whatever and all that good stuff. I’ve got heart, man. That’s the main thing.”
Mims was quick to credit the play of Xavier Truss, who took up Mims’ starting spot at right tackle. Prior to the injury, Truss had been the starting left guard. He’s also rotated at left tackle as well since Mims has regained his health.
That Georgia’s offensive line continued to play at such a high standard even without a potential first-round pick speaks to the talent level in Georgia’s offensive line room. Through injury, this group is now one of the deepest units in the country. There’s a real chance that only center Sedrick Van Pran and offensive tackle Earnest Greene end up starting every game for Georgia during the regular season.
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