ATHENS — Georgia wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell made his long-awaited return to action, playing in a game for the first time in more than 13 months.
Mitchell, sidelined since suffering a torn ACL in his right knee in the first quarter of last season’s opener at Clemson, took the field seven minutes into Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt. The first pass thrown to him by quarterback Hutson Mason was incomplete on a deep route, overthrown. The second pass to him was an 11-yard completion, drawing an ovation from the Sanford Stadium crowd, but was short of a first down on a 3rd-and-16 play, forcing a Georgia punt.
That was Mitchell’s only catch of the day. He was on the field for four plays in the first half, none in the second half.
Mitchell’s return from last season’s ACL reconstruction surgery was delayed when he suffered a cartilage injury in the same knee the week before the Bulldogs opened preseason camp. He underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the cartilage on July 30.
