McKenzie catches game-winner, further establishes himself as No. 1 receiving option

Before the snap, Isaiah McKenzie saw Missouri wanted to blitz freshman quarterback Jacob Eason.

A linebacker showed the blitz, even though the Tigers had mostly relied on four-man pressures the entire drive – which began on Georgia’s 20. But Eason had helped Georgia travel 60 yards down the field before misfiring on three consecutive passes.

With it being fourth-and-10 and the game on the line with less than two minutes to go, McKenzie wanted to make sure he could come through if the ball went in his direction.

After the snap, Missouri brought the blitz and Eason recognized where to go immediately. He lofted the ball to McKenzie, all 5-foot-9 of him, and McKenzie had cornerback Aaron Penton running to cover him.

But Penton was late and McKenzie jumped up to grab Eason’s pass in the end zone. Touchdown, Georgia.

“I had a visual before the play started,” McKenzie said. “The linebacker came up, and I knew I had to beat the corner before he beat me to the middle. Jacob threw a great ball, I adjusted to it and came down with the catch.”

The score would ultimately give the Bulldogs a 28-27 win in their first SEC game of the season. 

McKenzie once again led Georgia in receiving yards, this time going for 10 catches, 122 yards and two touchdowns. McKenzie added 19 rushing yards, which included a 13-yard score.

McKenzie has proven to be Georgia’s best receiving option. Whether it’s getting behind defenders or taking a quick pass up the field, McKenzie has been the player Eason – and Greyson Lambert – has turned to most often.

Through three games, McKenzie has 305 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He has scored in every game this season.

“I tell the rest of the guys, ‘If you all practice like him, we wouldn’t lose a game,’ ” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “He practices hard.”

Smart said the final play could have gone to three or four receivers and was actually something Missouri ran against the Bulldogs earlier in the game.

With Missouri deciding to send pressure, it opened up the route for McKenzie.

“They took a chance on that play,” Smart said. “They had not blitzed us much on that drive. You guys sit here and criticize coaches and people for the decisions they make under pressure. Hey, the only decision that’s right is the one that works. I probably would’ve blitzed there, too. And they got stung on it.”

This story was originally published September 18, 2016 at 1:31 AM with the headline "McKenzie catches game-winner, further establishes himself as No. 1 receiving option."