University of Georgia Athletics
Dog Notes: Mitchell On A Roll
September 26, 2015 | Football
By John Frierson
UGAAA Staff Writer
ATHENS, Ga. -- A healthy Malcolm Mitchell is a happy Malcolm Mitchell. And the Georgia senior wide receiver is a dangerous, productive weapon, as well.
"I'm happy that I can go out there and compete with my teammates," Mitchell said Saturday, following the No. 7-ranked Bulldogs' 48-6 rout of Southern University in Sanford Stadium. Mitchell had five receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown in the win, giving him 136 catches for 1,791 yards and 14 TDs in his career.
Like many of Georgia's starters, Mitchell didn't play much in the second half, though he did have in a 23-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. That came two plays after a 39-yard TD pass from Greyson Lambert to Mitchell was called back for an illegal formation penalty.
The 39-yarder featured Mitchell speeding down the right sideline and catching the ball in stride for, at least a moment, a highlight-reel worthy score.
"I caught it, turned around and saw the flag, and thought, ah, hopefully it's on them," Mitchell said. "I figured it was on us because it was down by the line. I don't know. I was just hoping I'd get another opportunity, and I did."
This season has been an opportunity to do something he hasn't done in a while: be healthy and play consistently. Injuries have plagued Mitchell in his Bulldog career — a torn ACL cost him the 2013 season and he only played in eight games last season — but he's in fine form now. In fact, he's better than he's ever been.
Mitchell had eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown in the Dogs' 52-20 thumping of South Carolina. That big day combined with Saturday's numbers give him the best two-game stretch of his career: 13 receptions for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
"I try not to let the numbers depict how good I am, just because there's more to the game, like blocking," Mitchell said. "Sometimes I run routes to get other guys open."
Lambert said the Mitchell he's seen and connected with often the past two games is the same one he's seen since transferring to Georgia in June.
"He's definitely ... been kind of the voice and the energy for our offense," Lambert said. "He's done an excellent job. I guess the past couple of weeks I've just found him a little bit more."
Coach Mark Richt said the combination of Lambert to Mitchell is working well.
"When it has been the right coverage and (Mitchell) has been the first progression, he's been open and Greyson's done a pretty good job of putting it on him," Richt said after win No. 140 at Georgia, tying him for second all-time with Wally Butts.
QBs Still Sharp
Lambert made national news last week when he set an NCAA record for highest completion percentage (with a minimum of 20 completions). He was 24-for-25 (96 percent) in the Dogs' 52-20 rout of South Carolina, for 330 yards and three touchdowns. He was still sharp against the Jaguars.
In limited action, both because backup Brice Ramsey played quite a bit and because he handed the ball off a lot, Lambert was 9 of 10 passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
"The guys on our team — the offensive line, the receivers that make those uncontested catches — whenever I have a day like this, it's a testament to them," said Lambert, who has thrown seven touchdowns (with no interceptions) this season.
Ramsey was really accurate, as well, going 11 of 14 for 125 yards. Mitchell led the receivers, with Isaiah McKenzie right behind him with four catches for 74 yards. McKenzie's biggest plays were simple screen passes that he turned into big gainers, including a 30-yard reception.
Line Control
Between the noon kickoff against an FCS opponent in Southern, on a wet and gray day, with the game sandwiched between last week's rout of South Carolina and next's weeks game versus No. 12 Alabama, a fast-paced, high-energy start from the Bulldogs on Saturday seemed like a long shot.
Georgia (4-0) didn't start poorly, but it wasn't peak form either. The Bulldogs led the Jaguars 20-6 at the half. Richt said he didn't give "a fire and brimstone" speech at halftime, but he did make it clear he thought Southern was controlling the line of scrimmage on offense and defense.
"I challenged both lines at halftime," he said, and they responded.
Southern (2-2) had 150 yards of offense in the first half; it finished with 184.
"We had to come out, keep our heads on straight and play hard," safety Dominick Sanders said. "We came out with the mentality that when we come out for the second half we're going to perform better than we did in the first half, and we did."
Snaps For Everyone
Unlike in the Dogs' opener against the University of Louisiana at Monroe, when lightning cut the game short in the fourth quarter, Saturday's game went all the way. And all those minutes in the fourth quarter were valuable for the second-, third- and fourth-team players that might not get many snaps once SEC play kicks into high gear for a while.
Freshman defensive tackle Trenton Thompson got his first career stops against South Carolina and then owned the line of scrimmage late against the Jags. He finished tied for the team lead with 5 tackles, including half a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.
On Southern's final drive he shared a tackle for no gain, had a solo tackle for loss and ended the drive on fourth-and-11 by splitting a sack with linebacker D'Andre Walker.
John Frierson is a staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can follow him on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
