The list of concerns about Georgia’s football team back in the summer was a short one, but there were still issues to be worried about, even for a team ready to contend again for a national title.

Up fairly high on that list was the wide receiving corps. Would they be good enough to compete, and good enough to win the battles week after week?

It didn’t take long to cross that one off. With a Sharpie. They’ve been that good all year, much to our surprise, and they’re not done making plenty of noise.

Loud noise.

This group, led by Mecole Hardman and Riley Ridley, has been making big plays every week. It’s a deep group, too, with Jeremiah Holloman, Terry Godwin and Tyler Simmons also being key contributors.

You play them one-on-one, any of them, and you’re asking for trouble. They’ve been that good.

“I feel very comfortable with our guys anytime they are manned up on anybody,” Georgia sophomore quarterback Jake Fromm said earlier this week. “From all the work we do throughout the summer, throughout fall camp, throughout the season, our guys are making plays. Right now, they’re doing an awesome job creating separation against man coverage.”

They are sure to see plenty of man coverage Saturday against No. 1-ranked Alabama. It’s a Crimson Tide trademark. It’s also risk/reward, and the Tide defenders have been burned often in postseason games the past few years, including last year when Hardman torched them for an 80-yard score in the National Championship Game, won 26-23 by Alabama in overtime.

Those chances for big plays will come again, and Georgia has proven all season that it can make defenses pay.

“You definitely have to take advantage of the opportunities you get,” Fromm said. “We’ve got to be able to run the football effectively, and then when we take our shot plays — we line up with the coverage we want — we have to be able to execute.

“I definitely think we’ve got to get out in space, make them make tackles. And really execute. Their defense is kind of set up — they’re physical, they’re downhill, they want to stop the run. So we have to take advantage of things in the passing game and run the ball effectively.”

Hardman has turned into the biggest weapon, and has replaced Javon Wims as the Bulldogs’ go-to guy. He has world-class speed and often simply runs past defenders. He leads the Bulldogs with 519 yards receiving and also has six touchdowns. Five of the six were from 42 yards out or longer. He’s a definite big-time threat.

And he’s not alone.

“It’s a testament to how deep our receivers room is. There are a lot of guys who can make big plays like that,” Hardman said a few weeks ago. “We feel like we’re going to score every time we’ve been touching the ball. Our confidence level has grown. We’ve just kept moving forward.”

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1066397834285641729

Hardman’s growth has been exceptional. He was with the defense his freshman year but hardly played and  “was real down,” his father, Mecole Hardman Sr., said. He thought about transferring, but his dad convinced him to stick it out.

He was moved to receiver in the spring of 2017, and has been getting better ever since. He’s such a hard cover when he lines up in the slot, and he’s taken advantages of mismatches all year. For instance, on his 44-yard touchdown score last week against Georgia Tech, he was lined up on a linebacker, who had no chance. It was an easy pitch-and-catch for Fromm and Hardman, and an easy score.

“I feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be at,” Hardman said. “Definitely, being at a set position, you can put your mind on just receiver and do what you’re supposed to do.”

It’s Ridley who actually leads the team in catches (34 to Hardman’s 32) and touchdowns (8 to Hardman’s 6) and he’s been consistent all year as well after emerging in the title game a year ago. He’s a crisp route-runner and it always seems like he’s open. He’s been a favorite of Fromm’s in the red zone, scoring 8 touchdowns, including three in the past two weeks.

Godwin, the lone senior in the group, started slow but has been coming on lately. He had a big 75-yard score in the win over Vanderbilt. Holloman (65 yards vs Middle Tennessee, 61 yards against Missouri) and Simmons (71 yards vs. UMass and two jet-sweep touchdown runs of 49 and 56 yards) also have big-strike capabilities.

It doesn’t just end with the receivers either. Tight end Isaac Nauta is a big threat — he’s had 25 catches this year and three games with four catches or more — and D’Andre Swift is still very dangerous out of the backfield.

That’s a lot of weapons, and what’s especially good for Georgia is that Fromm, who’s now a veteran after 20-plus starts, has been patient enough to find his open receivers all year. He can get through his progressions, and that’s what has made Georgia’s passing so dangerous all season.

“I am extremely confident in the guys around me,” Fromm said. “Those guys know what they are doing, and they play great. At the end of the day, they have my back.”

And he has their backs as well.