Javon Bullard assesses Oscar Delp's performance in Peach Bowl after Darnell Washington injury

When Darnell Washington went down with an injury in last week’s Peach Bowl between Georgia and Ohio State, freshman Oscar Delp was called upon to replace him. He didn’t show up in the stat sheet, but Javon Bullard said Delp still made an impact on the game.

Delp has five receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown this season as a reserve tight end behind Washington and Brock Bowers. But when Washington went down with a leg injury, he had to come in and replace him as part of the “next man up” mentality Georgia follows.

Bullard thought he did well, all things considered.

“I felt like he played great,” Bullard said. “Oscar comes to practice and works day in and day out. That’s how this team works. One man goes down, another one has to step up. Like I said, we don’t hold our heads out in pity. Darnell is a great player, and Oscar came in and, I wouldn’t say filled those shoes, but he definitely did what he needed to do in order to get the win.”

Delp was a key part of Georgia’s recruiting class last season, coming in as a four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 83-ranked player from the 2022 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Stetson Bennett on Darnell Washington: ‘Hopefully he’ll be good to go’

Kirby Smart said he’s “hoping” Washington and other injured Bulldogs will play, and Stetson Bennett expressed a similar sentiment.

“Darnell’s getting treatment,” Bennett said on a teleconference Tuesday. “He’s resting up. Hopefully, he’ll be good to go. He’s an unbelievable talent and he’s amazing.”

After Saturday’s game, Smart said he thought Washington suffered a high ankle sprain, but wasn’t entirely sure. He was seen in a walking boot and on crutches, watching from the sideline as Georgia came all the way back to knock off Ohio State 42-41 and head to a second consecutive national title game.

Washington is one of the top playmakers for Bennett and the Georgia offense, ranking fourth on the roster with 426 receiving yards this season. But Bennett said it’ll be next man up if Washington can’t go.

“If he can’t go, we’re just going to have other people step up,” Bennett said. “That’s the way it works here. It’s about the team. We want to have him, we would love to have him. He’s one of the game-changers we have. But if we don’t, then we still have to go win a football game.”