Dominic Lovett, Ladd McConkey emerging at right time for Georgia

Georgia saw two of its top players come to life on Saturday. Dominic Lovett hauled in a team-high nine passes for 72 yards and a touchdown – his first in a UGA uniform – in the 37-20 win over Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Ladd McConkey, who missed the first four games due to a back injury, had his best outing in the three games he’s played so far with four grabs and 58 yards on the day.

Are those stat-lines going to blow anyone away? No. Are they an indication that the two receivers are making strides in the right direction? Possibly. Does Georgia need Lovett and McConkey to play their best football of the season now? Absolutely.

“I thought that was a huge confidence boost for him and our team,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said about McConkey showing signs versus Vanderbilt that he’s coming into his old self again. “Carson trusts him. I think he felt much better today, but it’s day to day.  He doesn’t get to practice during the week, so we’re trying to find what that rhythm is. Is it a mid-week one practice and then recover? How much does it set him back when he plays? We won’t know that until tomorrow. It’s just hard for the offensive coordinator to figure out how to use a guy if he’s not at practice.”

McConkey made his return to the field against Auburn at the end of September. He caught four passes that day – three of which went for third down conversions – in a limited role on The Plains. McConkey brought in one pass for 11 yards in last week’s win over Kentucky before the breakout of sorts versus Vanderbilt.

“He’s another explosive player who can make plays,” Georgia quarterback Carson Beck said. “Good to see him get out there, have a few receptions and get some yards.”

As Smart explained, McConkey’s situation has been tough on all involved parties. Coaches have had to try and balance the need for him to practice in order to get in a rhythm with the offense and the need for him to rest so that his back isn’t bothering him on game day. It’s been equally as frustrating for McConkey himself.

“It was awesome. I’m so glad to be out there with my guys,” McConkey said after his season debut against Auburn. “I’ve been craving to get out there … I wanted to be out there more than anything really. Been grinding, grinding, grinding and finally felt good enough to get back out there.”

As for Lovett, it’s a different type of challenge to get him comfortable. While McConkey’s been kept off the field by injury, it’s been familiarity with the offensive system that’s made for some setbacks with Lovett. The Missouri transfer arrived in Athens back in the spring. He made an impact early, starting a pair of games at receiver in his first month on the team. However, he hadn’t quite had a day like he did versus Vanderbilt, appearing completely comfortable in his role.

“He’s been a good extension. We’ve really tried to get him to believe that’s exactly what it is. It’s a run. There’s no need to dance. There’s no need to juke. There’s no need to stop because they’re coming. I can promise you they’re coming,” Smart said about the receiver Lovett being used on the perimeter as an extension of the run game with quick passes out to him on the edge. “You need to get 2-3 yards after contact if we get you 7 or 8. I thought we started the game off with Dillon Bell doing that today. There was several times the ball was in space. Making people defend the entire field is frustrating for a defense.”

Lovett said he didn’t feel a huge difference in his outing, but the stat sheet says otherwise. After averaging 3.67 receptions and 35 yards per game, his 9-grab, 72-yard day was definitely an uptick in production. If he were to put it on anything, Lovett credited it to simply doing his job.

“Nothing really, just kind of went out there and did my job to the best of my ability,” he said. “When the ball came my way, I made plays. It was exciting, good to celebrate with my teammates and have fun.”

Georgia will need Lovett and McConkey to continue their strong play going forward. With the Bulldogs potentially down leading receiver Brock Bowers for some time after he suffered an ankle sprain on Saturday, the bye week comes at the right time to re-adjust offensive philosophies and find ways to still put up points with the other explosive players.

“I thought our guys did a great job,” Smart said in assessing the offensive performance without Bowers. “The red area stalled out a couple times, had to kick field goals, and that’s probably a good thing for Peyton Woodring to go out there in that wind that we had and to nail some critical, crucial field goals. Really proud of him for that, and really proud of the offense on the day. I mean, they did some good things. Threw the ball in the perimeter, missed some explosives, and got sloppy with the ball there. One ball got tipped, and then Carson had the fumble. You can’t turn the ball over and do that. But when you don’t punt, I can’t say that you didn’t play good offense.”

“I’ve never had a bye week that came at the wrong time,” he added. “I feel great about the bye week. I’m glad it’s here. We’ll try to get better. People don’t understand what a bye week really is. I mean, it’s an opportunity-for-growth week for me. It’s not a bye week. I don’t look at it as time off. We’ve got some players that need it, and we’re a banged-up football team. We’ve still got guys that are missing practice and missing time and then try to go out there and play. We’ll try to get them healthy.”