Ladd McConkey makes instant impact in return, 'felt good' after the fact
AUBURN, Ala. — Ladd McConkey made his return to the field, and season-debut, on Saturday having missed the first four games due to battles with his back. Despite Georgia head coach Kirby Smart indicating that McConkey’s action would be more situational, the Preseason All-SEC selection made a big impact for the Bulldogs in a 27-20 win over Auburn.
McConkey first came into the game for an early 3rd and 9. Carson Beck came his way with the ball, picking up 11 yards and a fresh set of downs.
That was the first of three third down conversions for the Chatsworth, Ga. native. It was all part of a day in which Smart said he got more out of McConkey than he expected.
“Well, for what he practiced, I thought we got way more out of him today,” Smart said. “You know, I worry about him getting a little rusty, but he’s so confident. He played great in this stadium the last time we were here if you remember, and he made some big conversions today. All I can do is hope that there’s no setback from this so that he can continue to get better.”
“He was huge. I think I threw to him on three third downs or something like that,” Beck added. “He got open. They tried to play man on him, and he broke a guy off. It’s good to have a guy out there that’s going to make plays in a big time game like that.”
Smart went on to say that McConkey’s action was situational. While it didn’t seem that way as he hauled in four passes for 38 yards, the coaching staff tried to get him in on both run and pass plays to get him back in a rhythm. Still, as Smart said, they “used him as freely as needed.”
As for what McConkey had to say about his day and return to action, he felt good. It was the culmination of weeks of work to get back on the field, and he helped in a huge way for the Bulldogs in the win.
“It was awesome. I’m so glad to be out there with my guys,” McConkey said. “I’ve been craving to get out there … I wanted to be out there more than anything really. Been grinding, grinding, grinding and finally felt good enough to get back out there.”
“I felt pretty good,” he added when asked if he felt 100%. “Obviously it was my first week back at practice so I’m trying to get some more reps as the weeks come, be able to get more comfortable, but I feel good.”
McConkey and Georgia return to Sanford Stadium is coming Saturday to host Kentucky. The Wildcats are undefeated after a win over Florida and likely to be ranked in the top 25. Kickoff time for Saturday is set for 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.
