Doing everything isn't anything new for Dillon Bell.
The sophomore Georgia receiver played all over the offense in high school. Even as schools recruited him as a pass-catcher, Bell flashed his talents at multiple positions including quarterback.
All those talents came together on a fall Saturday in Knoxville, leading to a huge performance in a 38-10 win over the Volunteers.
"Great competitor. When his number is called, he’s ready," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the game. "He made plays on back-shoulder 50-50 balls, made a great play that Bobo (Mike Bobo, offensive coordinator) put together for him with the opportunity to pass, and the runs after the catch were big. So, he stepped up big today, and we continue to have guys do that when other guys are down."
Bell appeared all over the stat sheet for Georgia in the win. He had five receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown, along with one rush for four yards.
But the highlight of the game came in the first quarter, when Bell tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint to put Georiga on top 10-7.
The scoring strike was the first touchdown pass thrown by a Georgia receiver since Terry Godwin in the 2016 Taxslayer Gator Bowl. Bell became the second Georgia player with a passing and receiving touchdown in the same game since 2000.
"That was a whole game-changer right there," said Bell. "My confidence was just like, wow. He caught it and then we just shut the crowd up. They had momentum, they scored on the first play of the drive, then we came back with that. It was just a blessing overall. I was like, I’ve got to get it to him. The safety came down, everybody came down to it. I was like, got to make a good pass."
As big as that touchdown was, Bell made another play just as important in the second quarter.
Facing a third-and-12 at the Georgia 27, quarterback Carson Beck fired a ball to Bell down the sideline. The receiver hauled it in over a defender for a 21-yard gain and a first down. Georgia went on to score on the drive to take a 24-7 lead.
"It takes me back to our second scrimmage in the spring," Beck said. "We had the same exact play on, same fade ball, same thing, he made the same exact catch. So many reps with these guys and having confidence in them to go make those plays, and then it comes out on Saturday. I’m super proud."
Bell's strong performance highlighted the receiver depth that will continue to serve Georgia well as it starts postseason play.
"The receiver room, we’ve got weapons all over the place," Rosemy-Jacksaint said. "It doesn’t matter who’s in the game, I feel like whoever is in at the time, there’s a standard that we play here at Georgia. Whoever’s in at that time, they’re going to play to that standard of Georgia football. We feel like we trust everybody to go out there and perform at a high level and make the plays they’re supposed to make."
