JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Wouldn’t you know the guy who stepped up in the absence of 6-foot-4, 240-pound tight end Brock Bowers was 6-foot, 185-pound flanker Ladd McConkey.
The smallest guy on the field – most of the time anyway – played large for the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in a 43-20 win over Florida on Saturday at EverBank Stadium. McConkey recorded a game-high six catches for 135 yards scored on a 41-yard touchdown and set up another score after a 54-yard reception.
McConkey’s yards and receptions both represented career highs for the junior from Chatsworth.
“It’s pretty cool to know that,” McConkey said in a crowded interview room following the room. “But honestly, I don’t even look at that. I just go out there and play, and whatever happens, happens.”
McConkey’s performance was amazing on a couple of fronts. First, it came in the eighth game of the season after McConkey missed the first four and played sparingly in the past three because of a mysterious back ailment. Second, it came in the first game the Bulldogs played without Bowers, a two-time All-American tight end through which most of Georgia offense has been running all season. Bowers was sidelined in the second quarter of the Georgia’s previous game, Oct. 14 at Vanderbilt, to an ankle injury which required surgery two weeks ago.
Bowers was replaced in the starting lineup by sophomore tight end Oscar Delp. Lawson Luckie, a freshman, moved into the role of No. 2 tight end and played extensively Saturday. Delp finished with two catches for 31 yards, including a highlight-reel, one-handed grab for an 18-yard catch that helped set up the Bulldogs’ first score of the game.
Delp and McConkey were among nine players who caught passes from Georgia quarterback Carson Beck against the Gators.
“The whole mindset was it’s not one person; we’re not a one-person team,” McConkey said. “One person cannot fill Brock Bowers’ role. So, the plan was for everyone to step up 5% and contribute however they can to fill that void. For one person to go out there and say, ‘I’m going to take over and do what Brock Bowers does,’ that’s silly to say. I feel like the whole offense stepped up and did something about it.”
Beck finished with 315 yards passing and two touchdowns. It was Beck’s fourth 300-plus yard passing game of the season and lifts his season average to 307.8 yards per game.
“We’ve got so many guys that can make plays when our offensive line is playing the way it is,” Beck said. “Ladd had an amazing day. He had a rough early part of the season, being injured and stuff. So, to see him come out today and have that type of game and execute at such a high level is just awesome.”
McConkey is not ready to pronounce himself fit as a fiddle. That’s what got him in trouble earlier this fall when he was trying to get back on the field.
McConkey still hasn’t named what his back malady is, only that it comes and goes and has required a lot of maintenance to navigate. The key now, he said, is they believe they know what kind of regular physical-therapy regimen best sets him up to be able to play at a high level on Saturdays.
“It definitely was frustrating at the beginning of the year because, like, I didn’t really know what was going on. You know, feel bad, feel good, feel bad,” McConkey said. “So, I’ve stacked a couple of weeks together consistently now, and I’m staying with the same program I’ve been doing and going from there. Just trying to stay on top of it. Just because you feel good doesn’t mean you are good. So, I’m just trying to do everything I can to stay on top of it.”
McConkey’s teammates and coaches were beaming about what he was able to do.
“It came at the right time, right?” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said with a grin. “We’ve gotta keep him healthy because he’s such a weapon, such a competitor. The yards after catch is what he gives us that a lot of other guys haven’t done. He catches it and runs with it, and he does a tremendous job.”
Of the 135 receiving yards McConkey logged Saturday, 78 of the came after the catch. Nobody was happier to see that than Bowers, who stood among the receivers and tight ends throughout the game and shared observations and advice.
“Yeah, he was involved,” McConkey said of Bowers, a close friend off the field. “Obviously I’m going to go over there and see what he sees. He did a great job with Lawson and Oscar. He’s like another coach on the field because he’s played so much ball, he knows what to expect and what to do.”
McConkey’s kind of like that himself. The hope for the Bulldogs is they can be reunited on the field again.
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