A phase of football that Georgia will look to have advantage in against Alabama

Mecole Hardman has been close to breaking a big return many times this season.

The kickoff and return units have done a great job of getting Hardman to the second level of defenders, with Hardman showcasing great vision to get himself there too. But Hardman has yet to break one past the coverage units for a touchdown.

In what could be a close national championship game between Georgia and Alabama, Hardman could have a golden opportunity to get some points on the board for his team. Hardman has averaged 27.4 yards per kickoff return and 11.3 yards per punt return. As a team, Georgia has averaged an SEC-best 24.9 yards per kickoff return and a seventh-best mark in the conference in punt returns at 9.6 yards per attempt.

Earlier this season, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said he was hopeful that Hardman could break a return wide open for his team.

“We’ve got to do a good job because Mecole is a weapon,” Smart said. “And he’s got to do a better job. I have been proud of him for his decision making and his ball security, but he’s got to do better of when we get him an opening, making people pay.”

Alabama, however, has done a good job at limiting kickoff returns. The Crimson Tide are second in the SEC in this statistic by allowing only 19 yards per return. But Hardman could have a chance to return a few. Alabama has notched 43 touchbacks this season, which checks in at sixth in the conference. But that number is inflated a tad due to its margins of victory. The Crimson Tide rank 10th in the SEC in touchback percentage by only knocking 45.7 percent of their kickoffs into the end zone.

Hardman will certainly hope to have the opportunity to return some kickoffs in the national championship. And given the success Hardman has had without a score, he will hope to finally notch a touchdown in this department Monday night.

This story was originally published January 8, 2018 at 3:40 PM with the headline "A phase of football that Georgia will look to have advantage in against Alabama."