The Georgia Bulldogs had another resounding victory on Saturday behind another strong performance from quarterback Stetson Bennett. The offense showed up in a big way, tagging Mississippi State for 45 points in the 26-point road win to clinch its second consecutive SEC East title -- and fifth in the last six years.
One of the major contributors to this performance is someone who has been quietly been the go-to guy all season. Ladd McConkey continued his run of consistency with a big second half on Saturday, punctuated by a 70-yard touchdown run and a 17-yard touchdown reception.
Mike Griffith joined the Morning Show on Monday to discuss the sophomore wide receiver's strong performance and how he has gone under the radar as one of the lesser-appreciated Bulldogs this season.
"Yeah, you know Ladd [McConkey] has been dealing with an injury early in the season and he kind of had to kind of keep playing through it because AD Mitchell was out," Griffith told the Morning Show. "Now you see Ladd getting healthy and Georgia added five or six plays for him in the last couple of weeks."
The two-touchdown performance surprised no one around the Georgia program. Despite being loaded down with four and five-star recruits, it's the former 169th-rated wide receiver from the class of 2020 who has taken the lead in that room.
McConkey's play in the second half on Saturday was instrumental in putting the western version of the Bulldogs to bed for good.
McConkey and the rest of the receiver room had been receiving their fair share of criticism over the first half of the season for their explosiveness, but this is now the second week in a row that he has had an explosive play of 30 or more yards. Against Tennessee, he also brought down a 37-yard touchdown pass that helped blow that game wide open.
"[McConkey] did a little bit more on the perimeter that they knew that the tight ends would get added attention and Ladd would have some opportunities one-on-one," Griffith said. "And you know you're watching that guy grow into an NFL wide receiver prospect right before your eyes."
Despite dealing with nagging injuries in the first half of the year, the sophomore receiver has caught 43 passes for 578 yards and four touchdowns while emerging as a reliable target for Stetson Bennett. With more plays like he had on Saturday, the pride of Chatsworth, GA won't be flying under the radar for much longer.