Kirby Smart details the change he's seen in Ladd McConkey

Ladd McConkey had quite the season-opening performance during No. 3 Georgia‘s 49-3 drubbing of No. 11 Oregon, touching the ball seven times for for 89 yards for an average of over 12 yards per touch. He also found the end zone twice, but you wouldn’t guess it given his size.

McConkey sits at 6-foot-0 and weighs in at 185 pounds on a good day, one of the smallest players on the entire Bulldogs roster, but knows how to make a man miss and find his way into the end zone if you’re not careful.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has always known McConkey had this type of showing in his back pocket, and doesn’t expect it to be the last time the former three-star wideout has a standout performance like the one he had against the Ducks.

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“Probably confidence,” Smart said about the biggest change he’s seen between this year and last. “Ladd’s always been a good player. That’s not something new. He’s always been an extremely hard worker. He’s dependable. He’s conscientious. It’s important to him. He gives you everything he’s got every day.

“The biggest difference is, you know, he has confidence in himself to perform because he performed on big stages last year. And when you’re one of these guys that has confidence, talent and you work really hard, then the sky’s the limit for you. And he’s worked really hard each and every day. And he knows the things he’s still got to work on and he’s got a lot of those things, too.”

Right before halftime against Oregon on Saturday, Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett found McConkey for a touchdown in one of the most impressive plays of the game. Facing first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, Bennet dropped back and searched for an open receiver but didn’t find any. Time was running out, and a group of Ducks defenders were closing in for the sack. Bennett shook off one Oregon player and let it fly to McConkey, who was standing all alone in the end zone.

Smart knows McConkey is capable of performing at the level on a weekly basis, and he’ll have another opportunity to showcase his skills in Georgia’s Week 2 matchup against Samford this Saturday in Athens at 4 p.m. ET live on the SEC Network.