Dominick Blaylock is the Explosive Weapon Georgia Will Need in the SEC Championship
The biggest question facing the Georgia Football program entering the 2019 season was a lack of experienced talent and depth at the wide receiver position. Despite being an afterthought early, Dominick Blaylock has emerged as a real threat. He is the man that the Bulldogs should look to early and often for explosive plays in the passing game in the SEC Championship.
The Georgia Football team has suffered many blows to the wide receiver position in 2019. The team lost three of their top wideouts, Mecole Hardman, Riley Riley, and Terry Godwin to the NFL draft prior to the season. J.J. Holloman, another terrific wide receiver, was dismissed prior to the season.
Now with the injury to Lawrence Cager and first-half suspension of George Pickens, that thin group has only gotten thinner.
Dominick Blaylock came to the Georgia Bulldogs as a four-star recruit out of Marietta, Georgia. The 6'1 195 lb wide receiver is the son of former Atlanta Hawks starting point guard Mookie Blaylock. He was the fifth-ranked wide receiver in the nation, 36th ranked player in the nation according to 247sports.com.
When the Georgia Bulldogs began play this season, Blaylock was a bit of an afterthought. He trailed Lawrence Cager, Demetris Robertson, Matt Landers, and Kearis Jackson on the depth chart. The 6'4 George Pickens received the most hype among freshman receivers.
Blaylock first burst onto the scene in mop-up duty against Murray State. he caught his first three career passes for a total of 48 yards. That includes his first collegiate touchdown, a 25-yard score on a swing pass from backup quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Blaylock continued to make his presence known the following week, with his first career 100-yard game against Arkansas State. Dominick did most of his damage on a five-yard out route from Jake Fromm. The defender made the mistake of jumping the route, the throw was on target and Blaylock outraced several defenders up the sideline for a 60-yard score.
Dom continued his ascension up the Georgia Bulldogs depth chart against Tennessee. He took over the punt return role due to fumbling problems from Tyler Simmons. Dominick brought stability to the position. He did not put the ball on the ground until a miscue in last week's 52-7 domination over Georgia Tech. However, he made up for the gaff with season-high returns of 29 yards and later 32 yards.
An injury to leading receiver Lawrence Cager and the first-half suspension for second-leading George Pickens as mentioned earlier has made the thin wide receiver position downright anemic heading into Saturday's SEC Championship clash against LSU. This leaves Blaylock as the leading yardage gainer and touchdown scorer among pass-catchers, with 299 yards and five touchdowns respectively.
The Georgia Bulldogs would be wise to make Dominick Blaylock the number one target in their matchup against the LSU Tigers. He has good speed and the agility to make defenders miss in the open field. UGA offensive coordinator James Coley should include several plays in the game plan to get the ball to Dom in open space. Plays similar to this aforementioned first touchdown grab against Murray State.
Dominick isn't limited to just catching short passes. He also has the speed to make big plays up the seam. This 51-yard touchdown against Auburn is a prime example.
While the Georgia Bulldogs will have to look towards 6'5 wide receivers Matt Landers and Tommy Bush for Jake Fromm's patented back-shoulder throws, Dominick Blaylock should be the wide receiver the Georgia Bulldogs target most this Saturday. Getting the ball to Dom on short and intermediate passes early and often will be key for the Dawgs loosening up the LSU defense and opening up the running game.
Should Georgia follow this game plan and execute it to perfection, a victory celebration is sure to ensue. The only regret is Larry Munson is no longer here to give us another legendary call.
