SPECIAL FORCE
Hardman could be difference for Bulldogs in SEC title game
Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship has multiple reasons to be thankful entering Saturday’s Southeastern Conference championship game against Auburn inside Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
One of them is that he doesn’t have to kick to Bulldogs return specialist Mecole Hardman.
“He’s someone else’s problem, not mine,” Blankenship said this week. “There are some very talented return men in the SEC and across the country, and Mecole is at the top of that list.”
Hardman had a costly fumble on a punt return during Georgia’s 40-17 loss at Auburn on Nov. 11, but the 5-foot-11, 183-pounder from Bowman, Ga., also had 203 all-purpose yards against the Tigers and could be key to Saturday’s outcome. After returning the opening kickoff 30 yards in Jordan-Hare Stadium, Hardman added a 47-yard kickoff return late in the first quarter and a 30-yard punt return late in the half.
So effective was Hardman that Auburn began attempting shorter kickoffs that resulted in fair catches.
“He’s a weapon, no doubt,” Tigers coach Gus Malzahn said. “He’s electric, and we didn’t do a very good job of containing him last time.”
Hardman enters Saturday leading the SEC in kickoff returns this season with a 27.3yard average and is second in the league behind LSU’s D.J. Chark in punt returns with an 11.2-yard clip.
As stout as Auburn has been this season offensively and defensively and in kicking and punting, the Tigers have been absolutely dreadful in special-teams coverage. They rank 115th out of 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in punt coverage, allowing an average of 13.0 yards a return, and they are dead last nationally in kickoff coverage, yielding a whopping 28.1 yards per return.
Chark torched the Tigers for a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter in Auburn’s 27-23 loss at LSU on Oct. 14, and Auburn yielded a 100-yard kickoff return for a score by DeVion Warren the following week in a 52-20 win at Arkansas. After taking a 20-14 lead over Alabama late in the third quarter last Saturday, Auburn gave up a 55-yard kickoff return to Trevon Diggs.
“That was one of the more negative things that happened in the game,” Malzahn said. “We kicked it to the right, and it was kind of a line drive. They bounced it back, and we’ve got to solve that. We’ve been talking about it for a few weeks now.”
Georgia coach Kirby Smart said after the 42-13 win over Kentucky on Nov. 18, a game in which Hardman had a 35-yard kickoff return and a 20-yard punt return, that Hardman was getting more and more aggressive. That aggression, he added this week, has to be held in check somewhat.
“You’ve just got to be smart,” said Smart. “We make a decision each game as far as how far we allow our returner to bring it out from. You’ve got to be careful in regards to that, because the laws of statistics say you’re better off a lot of times taking it at the 25 rather than return it because of the things that can happen. We’ll have a decision for our guy in terms of how far he can bring it out from, and that’s always the case.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if their guy doesn’t kick it out of the end zone every time in there. He’s got a really powerful leg.”
Auburn has 61 touchbacks this year out of 82 overall kickoffs behind the strength of senior kicker Daniel Carlson, which ranks third nationally behind Oklahoma and Florida Atlantic. While Saturday’s setting could benefit Georgia from a crowd standpoint, the lack of outdoor elements could benefit the Tigers if Carlson can place kickoffs through the end zone.
Which may not be as big of an issue for Blankenship, given that Hardman is on his side.
“As far as kicking off, the game plan is to get touchbacks at the highest rate you can,” Blankenship said. “You hit a ball good enough to a certain extent, and no one is going to be bringing it out. That’s the plan going out for every kickoff, but it doesn’t always happen like that.
“I don’t think there’s any extra pressure. If I strike the ball like I’m capable of, no one is going to be able to get to it.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.