Georgia expects Lawson Luckie to return after ‘scary’ hit vs. Mississippi State

ATHENS — Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie exited Saturday’s game in the second quarter after taking a shot to the head by a Mississippi State defender.

Play was stopped as Luckie was attended to on the field. He ultimately was able to walk off the field.

Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart provided an update on Luckie on Monday.

“Lawson is doing well,” Smart said. “I think he’s going make a good quick turn, but we’ll see.”

Luckie’s mother, Hillary, shared her perspective on the hit via her Facebook account.

“Thank you so much to everyone that reached out checking on Lawson,” Hillary Luckie wrote. “I wish I could’ve responded to every message, but there were literally 100’s. I was overwhelmed by how much love and support everyone showed for him. It was really scary for a few minutes. I think it’s probably every football parent’s biggest fear to see your child get hit like that and not move. He’s doing well today and will continue to get better. Thanks again for all the well wishes and prayers.”

On the season, Luckie has 10 receptions for 81 yards and three touchdowns, with all three scored Oct. 18 in the win against Ole Miss.

Oscar Delp led the Georgia tight ends in snaps and receptions Saturday. He caught his first touchdown on the season against Mississippi State, finishing with three catches for 41 yards.

Delp offered his unique perspective on Luckie and the challenges of blocking out the fear of those type of hits.

“You never really go in the game thinking — you can’t think about getting hurt or you’re going to get hurt," Delp said. “So you just kinda go in there, do your job, play, do what you’re supposed to do. When you start to think about things and other players getting hurt, it affects you, and I think that’s the No. 1 reason for players getting hurt is just playing cautious.”

On the sideline Saturday, Delp found the team chaplain and began to pray for Luckie. The senior tight end felt relieved when he was told by the training staff that Luckie was moving and conscious on the field.

“I mean, it looked like a scary hit on the field. I had a good view of it,” Delp said. “Just praying for him and hoping he was OK.”

Georgia often runs multiple tight end sets, especially after losing Colbie Young because of an injury against Ole Miss.

With Luckie out, Jaden Reddell and Elyiss Williams saw an uptick in snaps. Williams played 25 snaps while Reddell was in for 20.

Williams came down with a 24-yard reception in the second quarter of the win. Smart raved about the development of the freshman tight end.

“He is an accelerating player,” Smart said. “I’ve never seen a kid go on the scout team, go as hard as he did, and get better as fast as he did. I’m like, ‘Hey guys, this guy’s a really good player. He’s a weapon.’ They want to keep putting him on the scout team to get him better. I’m like, I don’t want to lose him. I want him to keep playing and utilize his skill set.”