Georgia entered last year’s trip to Auburn with a wide receiver corps that resembled a MASH unit.
Already without George Pickens due to a torn ACL, when the Bulldogs rolled into the Loveliest Village on the Plains, they did so without Dominick Blaylock (hamstring), Arian Smith (knee), Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (ankle), and Jermaine Burton (groin).
To say head coach Kirby Smart was a wee bit antsy heading into the contest would qualify as an understatement.
Fortunately, Ladd McConkey was there to answer his coach’s call.
A redshirt freshman, McConkey was already starting to become an integral part of Georgia’s receiver rotation.
However, it was during the Bulldogs’ 34-10 win over the Tigers that the young wideout exploded onto the scene.
McConkey enjoyed a season-best performance that afternoon, catching five passes for 135 yards and touchdown to help spark Georgia’s win.
But it was one play in particular that set the tone and enabled the Bulldogs to stretch their record to a perfect 6-0.
Georgia held a 17-3 halftime lead over the Tigers, but the game was technically still in question when the Bulldogs lined up at their own 40-yard line with just over six minutes left in the third quarter.
Hoping for a big play to put Auburn out of its misery, offensive coordinator Todd Monken came up with a simple yet effective plan: go deep.
That’s exactly what McConkey did. Quarterback Stetson Bennett dropped back and laid the ball perfectly into the arms of McConkey, who was all alone, and easily took the ball into the end zone to complete what was a 60-yard play.
Smart admitted after the game that it was the backbreaker he was hoping for and lauded McConkey for making it happen.
“I saw the heart of a warrior, you know. I sat in that young man’s home, and he didn’t have one Power Five offer, and he wanted to play big-time football,” Smart said. “I think any player on our team will tell you that Ladd McConkey outworks every guy out there. And he plays with physical toughness at 184 pounds. Today, he made some plays.”
After the game, Bennett dismissed a question asking if Georgia’s offensive coaches tweaked the game plan due to the wide receivers not available on that particular day.
Bennett did not believe so.
"No, we pretty much knew. That’s mainly the coaching staff’s job, what they want to call and what they don’t, depending on who’s in there. It didn’t seem like it mattered to me. We called the same stuff we always call. Ladd played a hell of a game. They brought the safety down on his touchdown. He stepped on his toes, took it deep, and I just let it fly and trusted him. I don’t think the game plan was really any different."
