What Return of George Pickens Means for Georgia

Star wide receiver George Pickens is expected to make his return Saturday against Mississippi State.

Georgia football has sorely missed the sophomore in its last two games. The Bulldogs offense became stagnant during his absence, scoring just 35 points and tossing four interceptions in two games. How did Pickens absence affect Georgia and how does his return help boost an offense that will likely field a new starting quarterback?

Quarterback vision and confidence

Nothing helps a quarterback more than knowing he has that one guy he can always rely on. Pickens is that player at Georgia. Pickens is a tough, physical and mean receiver with imposing size and hands like pillows. All of that indicates he is a mismatch in one-on-one coverage. Quarterbacks know Pickens doesn’t need to be wide open to make the catch, just place the ball in an area only Pickens can get to, and he’ll do the rest.

That is especially important Saturday as JT Daniels will make his first start as a Bulldog. Having Pickens on the field will help either receiver settle into the game quickly.

Georgia can’t afford losses in the receiving corps

Georgia entered the season down one wide receiver after Dominick Blaylock tore his ACL in the preseason. Blaylock’s absence still can’t be overstated. He’s an amazing athlete with fantastic field vision and a nose for the end zone. As a freshman, Blaylock had 310 yards with five touchdowns on just 18 receptions. Georgia couldn’t replace the production Blaylock was going to have in 2020.

Pickens’ injury was really too much for Georgia to handle. Kearis Jackson has done a great job this season, but he’s not yet ready to be a primary receiver and neither is Demetris Robertson or Jermaine Burton. Add in Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint’s injury against Florida and Arian Smith’s injury from before camp, and this is a receiving corps not ready to compete for titles in the SEC.

Other players get open

Looking at Pickens’ stats, it would appear as if he is having a bad season. In four games, Pickens has just 13 grabs for 140 yards with a pair of touchdowns. But the stat sheet doesn’t reflect the double teams and the attention from safeties that have created opportunities for other receivers. The lack of attention on Jackson has allowed him to haul in 27 catches for 396 yards this year. Burton also started benefiting from double-teams on Pickens when Georgia played Alabama.

Wide open playbook

When Georgia met Alabama, offensive coordinator Todd Monken used a few more pages in his playbook. These new plays were designed to get Pickens open by moving him around the formation and running routes to avoid double teams. The result was a five-catch, 53-yard night for the sophomore. Even though Georgia lost, mainly due to the offense breaking down in the second half, there was reason to be excited about Georgia’s offense.

Pickens could have his season statistically back on the right track against inferior defenses with Monken calling more plays to get him open. Unfortunately, Pickens succumbed to his injury before the Kentucky game and he still hadn’t recovered in time to play Florida. Expect Monken to re-emphasize getting the ball to Pickens with him coming back Saturday.

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