One reason I have higher hopes for Georgia’s passing game in 2018 is that I expect the offensive line to make another leap forward. Another reason, though, is that there are signs the receiving corps is stepping up things.
That’s now behind him, with Hardman coming off of a strong finish to the 2017 season. Holding an expertise with the playbook, Hardman believes he can bring more to the table as a junior.
“Once you get it down like I have it now, you can start putting a little flavor to it on your own, and play how you’re supposed to play,” Hardman said.
By this, Hardman means he doesn’t have to stay directly on script with a particular route. If a defender is playing a certain way, Hardman can try some techniques that break the initial line of the route. And as the chemistry between a quarterback and receiver grows, the coaching staff allows for more leeway in this area.
Hardman said the trust with quarterback Jake Fromm has grown to the point where they can maneuver their way around a strict route concept.
“In the playbook, you have lines and they tell you the route,” Hardman said. “But on the field, coming out first, you try to run it like that. But once you know it, you can do different releases, stems, and not necessarily how it’s drawn up. When you’re comfortable with that, coaches will give you more freedom to do more things.”
Remember that last season was Hardman’s first full year on offense. His game did improve noticeably over the second half of the season. If he’s really comfortable with the playbook and Fromm, look out, world.
From there, assume he’s not the only receiver growing more comfortable with the offense and his quarterback. This could get fun.
Get The Picture 
Love the video. Still hurts.
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Mecole was a weapon at year’s end.
That play made me think it was really going to happen. 😦
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Me too. Just dang.
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Watching that boob at the end call yet another penalty on Georgia just got my blood boiling again
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Same here. WTF was trying to call? And based on what I see here, the play had already developed and Mecole was on his was when he threw the flag.
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Sideline infraction maybe? Jeebus what a night.
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Player steps out of bounds you blow the whistle, right? You will never convince me that the officiating crew wasn’t doing everything short of making tackles to help Alabama that night.
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Oh yeah!! The refs were on the take for sure. I personally think it was professional gamblers playing the difference between the opening and closing point spreads. I base that not just on what we saw on the field that night but on the betting pattern. They got it, too. A three point Bama victory won the bets both ways. How the feds don’t investigate this garbage is beyond me. Millions of dollars are bet on college football games every week and way more on a game like the National Championship Game but the government just won’t do anything about obviously fixed games. Are they that stupid? Sheeesh!!
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Vegas! Yet another group making bank on “students”.
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FWIW I think you are correct Mayor. Didn’t we hear about a big bet moving the point spread a few days before the game?
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Total BS. No conspiracy, just incompetent officials.
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That’s a lot less fun than a conspiracy theory. 🙂
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No I mean sideline infraction as in our sideline blowing up with excitement. You can hear one of the announcers say ‘that’s the only penalty that doesn’t negate the touchdown.’
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Awesome throw and catch. First time I have watched any replay of that game. 20-7. 6:52 left in the 3rd. I thought it was over. I think I might start drinking early today.
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Yep. You’ve done better than me. I’ve tried to limit my viewings, but have caught bits and pieces here and there.
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I never went back and re-watched our SECC loss to Alabama and I will probably never go back and watch this game again either. Of course, should we end up in the SECC game with them this year I’m sure we will see that final play about as often as we saw the so called miracle on the plains catch. Otherwise known to us as knock the damn ball down stupid.
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I didn’t watch the 2012 SEC title game again until a couple of years ago. This one may be different. We didn’t blow it. We got beat by a really good team of referees.
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+1.
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No. They were a good team, but we blew it. Frigging gift.
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We did not blow that game. We were beat by a team with more talent and more depth. What our coaching staff did that night was incredible. What Bama’s true freshmen did that night was miraculous. Sure, we could have put that game away but we didn’t and their freshmen made plays.
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I love that play. I’ll never forget the great plays from that game from this team. I know some say they can’t re-watch, and I understand that, but for me it’s about re-watching the plays that revealed our heart and excellence to (in part) relive the real joy at the time.
Go Dawgs, and thank you, Mecole Hardman.
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Possibly first year in last 6 with majority of snaps taken by an incumbent QB.
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Good thing you qualified that with a possible. G-Day QBR is TBD.
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Assuming he doesn’t go down in the 3rd series of game 1 with a freak knee injury and that allows a 5 star true freshman quarterback to get playing time and that never relinquishes the starting job, even when the incumbent comes back healthy. But yes, possibly 😉 Damn you Munson! (shakes fist at the sky)
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2013 wasn’t 6 years ago. We’ve had 4 seasons in a row of new QB starters:
2014: Hutson
2015: Greyson
2016: Eason
2017: Fromm
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Almost like Mecole flipped a switch around mid-season in his consistency in catching the ball. During his freshman year, and 1st half of 2017, he was unreliable to the point of being very close to losing his job as a slot guy; then he caught everything and held on to spin his magic after the catch. No looking back for him now, DCs of our opponents have to account for him as a threat on every play. UGA may not have a nationally known marquis WR, but has some very talented receivers: out wide, in the slot, and at TE. The 2018 offense is a tough our for everyone who lines up against us, capable of running over you, or getting it into the hands of some speedy receivers; glad Mecole figured it out.
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Agreed about the switch flip. Went to the Vandy game for a bachelor party weekend. Guy in front of us screamed all game “Catch the damn ball Mecole!” Side note – a guy in front of us is screaming “Gotta have a turnover here!” with Vandy on offense when we were up 45-14 in the 4th.
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“Gotta have a turnover…” — Ha! Greed is good!
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It’s like watching a gazelle run.
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He really reminds me of Percy Harvin. He can be that dangerous.
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I hate referees.
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I’m still shocked the refs didn’t call him out of bounds on that.
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Think that’s the first time since the game I’ve watched any clip from it. Still feels like we got cheated.
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We got every call at the start of the game and this was probably the last call of the night we got.
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It wasn’t really a “call” as he was either in or out and replay showed he was in.
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I know many of us a sweating the loss of Wims to the nfl, but is there anyone in cfb with a better WR corps than Godwin, Hardman & Ridley? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
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Having no 6’4″ basketball player at the top of the depth chart to bail us out will be a big gap to fill.
Looking to Coach Coley and Coach Hankton for more creativity in the passing game. I know very little about Hankton, but I was impressed with Coley’s leadership last season, especially at the end of the first half of the Rose Bowl.
Like the back-shoulder throws we thrived on with Aaron Murray, I am looking forward to seeing what new advantage is coming in the passing game. Bring on the ‘flavor’.
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Tommy Bush and Mark Webb will get every opportunity this season to turn into that guy.
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Mark Webb is fully entrenched as a DB. Holloman will be the guy who steps up.
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Don’t forget about Matt Landers. As I understood it, he gave our DBs nightmares in the red zone during practice.
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Jesus have mercy. Thanks for giving me a dose of PTSD today. Just when I thought I had gotten over that game, you show me a video of us (at least I thought) putting the game away.
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