Off the cuff: Atkins explains how he and Rochester got their offensive shot

Georgia coaches raised a few eyebrows during last week’s game against Ole Miss when nose tackle John Atkins and defensive tackle Julian Rochester each received an offensive rep for the Bulldogs on a key fourth-and-1 play.

It just wasn’t clear at the time how off the cuff the call to put them on the field was.

“It was just thrown out there,” said Atkins, who revealed the decision came directly from head coach Kirby Smart, despite the fact the Bulldog junior claimed the team never worked on the play in practice. “He just said go hit someone.”

That’s just what he did.

Right before the snap, Atkins ran onto the field to line up at fullback with Rochester taking the spot at right tackle.

The decision paid off.

Running back Nick Chubb picked up 16 yards and a first down, one of the few bright spots for the Bulldogs in last week’s 45-14 loss to the Rebels.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the offensive side,” said Atkins, who played offensive tackle and tight end during his prep days at Thomson High. “It was fun though.”

Atkins laughed that the call to go in came so quick, he didn’t have time to think about messing up.

“When I went out there, I just thought back to when I was in high school – just go. Just hit him,” said Atkins, who joked that he actually graded out well on the play.

“I ended up getting two points,” he said. “I think that was pretty good.”