When Georgia receiver Isaiah McKenzie returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown last November for the deciding score in a 20-13 win at Auburn, he tied a pair of program records.
It was his fifth career return for a touchdown, equaling Brandon Boykin’s 2008-11 record, and it was his fourth career punt return for a score, matching Buzy Rosenberg’s 1970-72 total. McKenzie’s five career special-teams scores have been topped in Southeastern Conference history by only Kentucky’s Derek Abney (eight), Alabama’s Javier Arenas (seven) and Vanderbilt’s Lee Nalley (six).
The 5-foot-8, 170-pound junior from Miami is just halfway through his college career, so there is no telling how much more there is to accomplish. There are, however, deficiencies he must overcome.
“I think he’s a better punt returner than he is a kickoff returner, but he’s good at both,” Bulldogs first-year coach Kirby Smart said this week in a news conference. “It reminds me of when I was at Alabama and we had Javier. He was not a great kickoff returner but he did return them, and that’s a little bit how Isaiah is, but he’s got to have better ball security.”
Smart witnessed that concern up close last season as Alabama’s defensive coordinator, as McKenzie fell on his own fumble during the Crimson Tide’s 38-10 demolishing of Georgia in Athens. McKenzie was not as fortunate down the stretch, fumbling a short pass from Brice Ramsey against Kentucky that resulted in a field goal and fumbling an end-around run against Georgia Southern that was returned 62 yards for a touchdown.