ATHENS — After an injury scare to Georgia’s leading receiver, and two games without its best defensive lineman, it appears Terry Godwin and Trenton Thompson are on track to play against Florida.
Both players were in uniform at Tuesday’s practice, the team’s first of the bye week. Georgia plays Florida in Jacksonville a week from Saturday.
Godwin left Saturday’s win against Missouri after hurting his ribs, but afterwards Kirby Smart said the junior should be fine. And sure enough, Godwin was able to participate on Tuesday, and did not appear to be wincing or limited as he ran through a drill with receivers.
This practice was not full-contact, as players were wearing shorts.
Thompson has missed two games since spraining the MCL in his knee. But he was able to jog and skip off the field after Saturday’s game, a good indicator of his imminent return.
To further the positive news on the injury front, senior inside linebacker Reggie Carter has also been cleared to return to practice. Carter missed the past two games with an injury that Smart did not disclose. That could put Carter in the mix to start against Florida, with normal starter Natrez Patrick still due to miss two more games because of a suspension.
Godwin leads the Bulldogs with 369 receiving yards and five touchdown catches this season, including his memorable one-handed catch in the win at Notre Dame. He had four catches for 42 yards against Missouri before leaving the game with the rib injury.
Thompson, also a junior, has 17 tackles, three for a loss, in five games this season. He tied for the team lead with five sacks last season, though he doesn’t have one this year.
Thompson’s return would be a big lift for the defensive line entering the Florida game, with two other contributors (David Marshall and DaQuan Hawkins-Muckle) still on the mend.