Darnell Washington's ability to do it all the key to Georgia's offense
ATHENS, Ga. — Brock Bowers told ESPN’s broadcast crew prior to Georgia’s matchup with Mississippi State this past Saturday that the Bulldog offense runs through Darnell Washington. That may sound interesting coming from the team-leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns who is in Washington’s same position group, but there’s certainly some validity to what Bowers is saying. His statement was also backed up by the way Washington played the first time out after his comments, helping lead Georgia to a 45-19 win on the road.
The 6-foot-7, 270-pound tight end got his night started on the first drive of the game, hauling in a pass from Stetson Bennett and running free for 30 yards down to the Mississippi State 13. That helped set Georgia up for a score on its opening drive to put the Bulldogs up 7-0.
Washington was far from finished. He caught one more pass in the first half before showing off the entirety of his skillset in the second half. Washington laid down a crucial block for Ladd McConkey on his 70-yard touchdown run before hauling in a touchdown of his own, his first of the season and just the second of his career. That was one of three passes that he caught in the second half as a part of a career-high five catch night in the win.
“I didn’t know it was his first touchdown because it makes no sense that it was his first touchdown,” Bennett said after the game. “Dude is unbelievable. He’s a mismatch everywhere. He weighs whatever he weighs but he’s like 6-(foot)-8, 6-(foot)-7 and can run like we run, the little dudes. He can catch like little dudes but he’s 6-(foot)-7, 280. You can’t cover him with a DN. He’s unbelievable.”
“He blocks, he runs routes, he does everything for us,” McConkey added. “He’s a huge weapon. Not just blocking but catching the ball. You see it on those runs he has, he’s so hard to tackle. For him to get the ball in his hands, he’s a huge weapon for us.”
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As his teammates explained so well, Washington is a weapon in every aspect of the game for Georgia. He can block. He can catch. He can run. That’s something that is sure to keep defensive coordinators up at night as they try to prepare for the Georgia offense.
“If I was a defensive coordinator, I know I’d be stressed out to having to figure out how can I stop almost six offensive linemen in like with Darnell, with his size and his capabilities of blocking and running routes,” Kearis Jackson said. “You have Brock at the same time, who is able to block and run routes. I know they’re much bigger than myself, but it’s just a weapon that we can always use. It’s hard to stop that.”
So far this season, very few have stopped that. It’s helped Georgia get to where it’s at: 10-0 with the SEC East clinched and a spot in the College Football Playoff well within reach. And the likelihood that anybody is able to consistently stop it down the road without giving up other aspects of the offense is low. Guys like Washington just don’t grow up trees. Not every team in the country has one of them to match up against a guy like him.
So, as Georgia comes down the stretch, don’t be surprised if Saturday’s score for Washington isn’t his last of the season. Stetson Bennett was surprised that it was his first, and he’s the one getting the ball into his hands. Maybe his surprise is a sign of things to come for Washington. But even if not, remember that he’s able to affect the games in many other ways with his blocking ability too. After all, Brock Bowers said that the offense runs through him. Maybe he was right.
