“ If you don’t offer them, don’t recruit them ”

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For truly the first time of the night, one of Georgia’s top receivers – Kearis Jackson – dropped JT Daniels, giving up what would have been a sure touchdown to put Georgia 31-24 in the fourth quarter.

Then on the next play, another wide receiver – George Pickens – dropped what could have been another touchdown. The game after Pickens atoned by picking up a third conversion, but it had been canceled by a maintenance penalty on Warren McClendon.

“It really was the next game,” Daniels said of the hapless game series. “I didn’t offer two plays in a row and you’re like ‘fuck, I wish that would happen.’

So on the third and the 20th Georgia had to play to at least come within goal range. The State of Mississippi moved to Cover 0, essentially putting all of Georgia’s receivers in individual situations.

“When I knew what we called it, and when I saw the zero shell, I knew we were going to score,” Daniels said.

That’s exactly what Georgia did when Daniels hit an open Jackson for a 40-yard touchdown. It was his fourth on the game, one in which he pitched for 401 yards.

“It was just one of those pieces that you just gotta go get,” Jackson said. “JT put in a great shot and I just have to get in position to go catch a catch.

Daniels was a little harder on himself, noting that he murdered Jackson during the touchdown. But the most important point is that Daniels put the ball in a position for Jackson to play.

Related: Game ball: JT Daniels’ 401-yard passing performance ignites Georgia’s offense

Daniels made a layup, something the Georgian quarterbacks failed to do in losses to Florida and Alabama. Jackson finished with four catches for 55 yards. Pickens ended up having his best game of the season, registering eight passes for 87 yards and one touchdown, Daniels’ first in a Georgia uniform.

Pickens missed the last two games, but from the start on Saturday it was clear he had a connection to Daniels and was engaged in offense in a way he had not been at this point in the season . It was no accident his best game with Daniels under center.

Then there was Jermaine Burton, who came just nine yards short to set a new school record for yards received. He finished the game with 197 receiving yards and two touchdowns on eight catches. Arriving in the night, the rookie made 10 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown on the season.

Daniels made it very clear why he felt so comfortable constantly putting him up there at his wide receivers.

“If you’ve got George Pickens and Jermaine Burton, if you don’t want to talk to them about it, don’t recruit them,” Daniels said. “George will make me look good, Jermaine will make me look good.” Kearis makes me look really good when I throw a deep ball at him in the middle and make a great play.

“If you want to have a one-on-one with George, Jermaine, Kearis and all of our guys, I’m probably going to make you want to try and stop it.”

Mississippi State couldn’t make it Saturday night as Daniels threw for 401 yards. It’s obviously the biggest story to come out of the game, but the performance of Georgia’s wide receivers was another positive sign.

The position has been somewhere between a quagmire and an absolute problem for Georgia since the start of the 2019 season. Pickens has flashed at times, as have Jackson and Burton. But at no time before tonight had the three of them shined together like they did against the State of Mississippi.

“He did a good job with the receivers, also making them believe that he was going to give them the ball and play and put some energy back into this group, which is really important,” said the coach. Georgia Kirby Smart.

Georgia even had the best result of the season from Demetris Robertson, having made three catches for 45 yards, all in the second half.

Much like the quarterback, it was fair to wonder why Georgia hadn’t pulled more of their wide receivers under Smart. It certainly doesn’t help when people like Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint and Dominick Blaylock have seasonal injuries.

And as we saw heading into the Mississippi State game, ineffective quarterback play won’t help either.

Perhaps the game’s winning reader sums up the past and future of the wide receiver position best. There was a hiccup. But the performances of Jackson, Pickens and Burton also offer a sign of hope.

Because with Daniels at quarterback, the belief is there in Georgia’s pass catchers.

“They are just resilient. They just kept coming, ”Smart said. “They could have put their heads in and been upset, but we have to make these plays. They tried to take home and we made them pay.

Georgian quarterback JT Daniels on Georgia wide receivers

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