ATHENS - Georgia football coach Kirby Smart has finally found what he's looking for.
A game-changing, explosive wide receiver. Without Zachariah Branch, the Bulldogs desperately needed to fine some receivers who can be explosive and make big plays down the field. Veteran Sacovie White-Helton has showed that potential this season, as has sophomore wideout Talyn Taylor.
However, it appears true freshman Craig Dandridge can also take the top off a defense. The first-year wideout from Alpharetta, Georgia has made an immediate impact in year one and shined over the weekend during Georgia's dominant 45-17 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The speedy 6-foot-1 185-pounder hauled in three passes for 74 yards that included a big 61-yard touchdown catch in the 4th quarter. He's been a major weapon so far who earned praise from Kirby Smart after the big win.
"He works really hard," Smart told reporters on Saturday. Craig is very smart, he's very intelligent, he's savvy. He plays fast. He catches the ball and he runs after the catch. I mean, he made a great catch on a bubble pass that, that probably shouldn't have caught. Then he caught the big over and broke a tackle. So we tell our guys all the time: ”If you catch the ball well and you break tackles, you're going to get touches."
So far this season Dandridge has caught seven passes for 166 yards and one touchdown.
Another receiver who brings big-play potential is second-year wideout Talyn Taylor. After a strong start to the season where he scored touchdowns against Tennessee State and Western Kentucky, Talyn did not record a catch during Georgia's comfortable win over Arkansas. Still, Smart knows his talented receiver has a chancer to major impact this weekend and beyond.
"I'm very pleased with where he's at," Smart told reporters this week. The next step is to continue doing what he's doing. You know, he didn't get many opportunities Saturday, not by his choice.
"There was a (pass interference) that he's probably going to catch a touchdown on," Smart added. "He ran a couple great routes on plays that protection broke down, but he's done a great job. I think he's improved on his physicality and blocking and that's always a big asset for him. But he runs good routes and I think he's gotta continue to get better and improve, but it’s on little things that he continues to grow and get more confidence in."
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