AD Mitchell excited to make presence known against Ohio State
ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia wide receiver AD Mitchell has missed the majority of the season. After a standout showing in the opener against Oregon, the sophomore suffered a sprained ankle on the first play of the very next.
He tried to make his way backagainst Auburn but aggravated the ankle. Then it wasn’t until the SEC Championship Game win over LSU that Mitchell was in action again. While he didn’t catch a pass, Mitchell certainly made an impact with his completion to Darnell Washington on a two-point conversion, UGA’s final two points of that game. Now, after nearly a month without a game, Mitchell believes there’s still something for him to show on Saturday as the Bulldogs take on Ohio State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
“It’s definitely been up and down, but it’s mostly up now that I’m back … It’s just crazy because, you know, that’s the nature of the sport,” Mitchell said when asked how much of a struggle this year has been for him. “Everything could be going good and one play changes everything. It’s been humbling for sure, but I’m just excited to be here now.”
Mitchell had five receptions for 73 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown catch, in the opener against Oregon. It came on the heels of an offseason of outstanding work and a freshman campaign that put him on the radar. That caused Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett to truly believe that Mitchell was one of the best receivers in the country. When asked at the Heisman Trophy ceremony about Mitchell making his way back to the field, Bennett made it known that they would have to get back on the same page first in practice before it could show on the field in a game. Mitchell, a man of few words, comically described the combination of him and Bennett when clicking on all cylinders as being “like bread and butter.”
Mitchell isn’t the only Georgia receiver to battle injury this season. His running mate, Ladd McConkey, is banged up coming into the Peach Bowl too with his status up in the air. However, if he is able to play, Mitchell believes the sky is the limit.
“You saw the Oregon game. It just came from hard work,” Mitchell said. “We put in a lot of hard work, the team and the offensive collectively. We put in a lot of hard work, and the results showed.”
On what’s left for Mitchell and the receivers this season, the answer was short and sweet.
“We’ll find out come Saturday.”
Georgia and Ohio State kickoff the College Football Playoffs from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN. Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Holly Rowe will be on the call. It’s just the second-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and Buckeyes with the previous one also coming during bowl season, a 21-14 Georgia victory in the 1993 Citrus Bowl.
