ATHENS, Ga. - Mecole Hardman and Kirby Smart couldn't agree on Hardman's best play during Georgia's 24-10 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.
At least the sophomore receiver keeps providing opportunities to debate.
The 5-foot-11, 183-pounder from Bowman, Ga., had three catches for 41 yards against the Gamecocks, including a 20-yard touchdown reception from Jake Fromm at the 9:28 mark of the third quarter. That capped Georgia's opening possession of the second half and gave the Bulldogs their first double-digit lead at 21-7.
With 1:05 remaining in the third quarter, Hardman downed a Cameron Nizialek punt at South Carolina's 1-yard line.
"I think downing the ball at the 1 was my favorite, because that was a key moment in the game," a smiling Hardman said. "We flipped the field, and Cameron gave me a great punt to down. It's hard to drive 99 yards to score."
South Carolina did get one first down after Hardman's downing but then had to punt.
Smart was partial to Hardman's touchdown, which occurred on a third-and-4 play. It was Hardman's third receiving score this season - he also had a 35-yard rushing touchdown in the 53-28 win over Missouri on Oct. 14.
"I thought his touchdown was actually the play of the game," Smart said. "That was going to be a field goal, and to cash that in from three (points) to seven was a huge momentum swing. That's a guy who has been working on those kind of catches for a long time.
"He was well-covered, but he made a big-time play and a big-time catch."
Not that the Bulldogs' coach didn't appreciate Hardman's special-teams heroics.
"He practices that a lot, too, and takes a lot of pride in that," Smart said. "Those were very impactful plays."
Hardman has been a part of Georgia's offense all year but got in on even more action Saturday due to Terry Godwin missing some time with a hand injury. Godwin went to the locker room in the first half but came back and played.
Whether it's on offense or special teams, Hardman is ecstatic simply to be out on the field making plays.
"It tells me that the team needs me out there," he said. "I'm happy to help this team anyway I can, and I'm going to make use of every opportunity I have."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.