By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

 

          Central Georgians played a role in Georgia’s 2022 national championship, and they’ll have something to say in whether the Bulldogs can repeat on Monday night in Los Angeles.

          They certainly had an impact in Georgia’s 42-41 semifinal win over Ohio State, but Bleckley County’s Amarius Mims, Baldwin’s Javon Bullard, and Peach County’s Kearis Jackson – along with scout-teamer George Vining of Tattnall -are huge parts of the Bulldogs’ success this year.

          Mims County made his first start, in the biggest game of the season, replacing his teammate big brother Warren McClendon at tackle.

          He stepped up.

          Mims, a sophomore, had the highest grade of the offensive linemen, according to website Pro Football Focus, with an 81.2. It was the site’s second-best grade on the team, behind Arian Smith’s 88.6. His 61 snaps tied for second on the line, and he earned a top mark of 83.8 in pass blocking and 76.6 in run blocking.

          Considering the importance of the offensive line in every game, that was impressive. A year ago, according to PFF, Mims played 121 snaps.

          "With Warren being out, he and I had talked about it for four weeks straight, man, just about you know, when we are not new to it, man,” he told reporters. “We are not new to this moment, you know, I'm saying the way we prepare, man, it just, you just got to seize the moment, you know.

          “I'm saying I'm just glad I was able to get out there and you know, contribute to the team."

          Georgia’s offense struggled for three quarters and took over in the fourth, racking up 532 yards of offense in the comeback win. The Bulldogs enter the championship averaging 494.9 yards of total offense, and have given up only nine sacks.

          The only game this year he didn’t play in was against Tennessee because of injury. He’s almost tripled his workload, with 349 snaps, including occasional work at left tackle.

          “Amarius has gotten to play a ton this year,” head coach Kirby Smart said early last week. “He’s been a rotational player.”

          And one who almost left Georgia in April, entering the transfer portal for less than a week, squeezing in a visit to Florida State.

          McClendon has been Mims’ tutor, and is proud of his pupil.

          “Amarius - especially with me being one of the older players - I’ve really gotten to see him grow up and mature,” McClendon said recently to reporters. “So, just watching him become a student of the game, and watching him get better every day and every week; I’m very proud of him.”

          Bullard has played in every game but one – Missouri, after a September arrest for underage DUI and other charges – and started nine. He’s fifth on the team with 45 tackles, with eight against Florida and seven against Tennessee, and with seven tackles for loss. He’s also tied for second with 3.5 sacks.

          The outgoing sophomore turned in what became the big play of the semifinal when he leveled standout receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in the end zone with a physical hit that ended Harrison’s day with less than a minute left in the third quarter.

          Harrison went into concussion protocol, and the initial targeting call was overturned. Ohio State’s field goal on the next play put the Buckeyes up 38-24 with 31 seconds left in the quarter.

          The physical play is what Smart has come to expect from Bullard, who worked his way into Georgia’s recruiting view as a senior and progressed to being the defensive MVP of that semifinal win.

          “He’s a tough kid,” Smart said back in November. We thought he was a good fit for our program and a good football player, and he’s been that.

          “You could tell people who run through tackles, don’t fear contact. He was a fearless player.”

          Jackson has been one of Georgia’s most dependable and respected players since he showed up from Peach County for the 2018 season.

          Jackson was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works team this season and was on the watch list for the Weurffel Trophy for community service activity. He was also a student representative on the UGA Athletics Board of Directors and Georgia’s representative on the SEC Football Leadership Council.

          He got his undergrad degree in Housing Management and Policy in the fall of 2021, and is working on a master’s in Sports Management.

          He’ll leave Georgia without dazzling stats. He has played in 54 games, including every one the past two seasons after only 25 in his first three seasons.

          Jackson has 77 catches for 1,087 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 1.4 catches a game. He was the Bulldogs’ co-leading pass-catcher in 2020 with 36 receptions for 514 yards

          He has been a steady returner for four years, averaging 22.9 yards per kickoff return and 8 yards per punt return, focusing more on kickoff returns.

          All that is fine, because Jackson – who had a huge 35-yard catch on the fourth-quarter drive that put Georgia ahead of Ohio State - isn’t about any of that.

          “I’m here to win games,” he said in November. “If I wanted 1,000 yards and 20 touchdowns, I probably would've gone somewhere else,” Jackson said. “I’m trying to put numbers on those walls, be a national champion, an SEC champion.”

          He’ll leave as both, maybe one of them twice. His impact isn’t big to outsiders, but Smart know what he’s had all these years.

          “Kearis is a leader,” Smart said before the season. “He represents our university the right way. He’s on part of so many committees and boards. And it seems like he’s been here forever.

          “So I really appreciate what he’s done in that regard. He’s been a team player. …  “He creates value in the way he plays, whether it’s special teams or at wide receiver.”