Georgia Football: Five Takeaways from S. Carolina Game

3: Mecole Hardman might have figured out this whole ‘receiver’ thing

Going into this season, we talked a lot about all of the weapons Jake Fromm would have at his disposal. None of them look to be better right now than Mecole Hardman who had the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. He simply looked like a man amongst boys out there and he has the sort of speed that means he can score from anywhere, whenever he touches the ball.

It’s worth mentioning that Hardman also showed that maybe this South Carolina team isn’t quite as good as people thought. Yes, he’s fast and talented, but it’s not like the Dawgs were running complicated sets with him. All but one of his big plays came from screens that the Gamecocks simply couldn’t deal with. The one big play down the field he made, he was completely uncovered.

How do you let a guy who has already torched you for a TD get that open? I’m sorry but there are blown coverages and there’s that. That’s the guy that has been Georgia’s best weapon all game and the defense seems to have zero idea where on earth he is. I just don’t know how the coaches don’t burst a blood vessel when they watch that play again. It’s mind-boggling.

Despite the poor defensive play, the fact is that Hardman has stepped up this season so far. With Terry Godwin recovering from injury and Javon Wims departed, there is no go-to receiver for Jake Fromm. Now Georgia does have a lot of weapons and I expect that Fromm will spread the wealth a bit more in future weeks. But Hardman clearly showed today that he’s capable of making big plays when needed with the ball in his hands.