Georgia football fans held their breath on Saturday when tight end Lawson Luckie went down with a scary-looking injury during the second quarter of the Dawgs’ 41-21 win over Mississippi State in Starkville.
Luckie, Georgia’s No. 2 tight end behind Oscar Delp, took a hit to the head, went down and stayed down before exiting the game for good in Week 11. Mississippi State defender Jahron Manning checked on Luckie before being ejected from the game thanks to a targeting penalty on the play.
Luckie had appeared on Georgia’s injury report ahead of its Week 12 matchup against No. 10 Texas on Saturday night in Athens.
On Wednesday, Luckie was listed as ‘probable’ on the report, but on Thursday, thankfully, the junior out of Norcross did not appear on the report.
“After being listed as ‘probable’ on Wednesday, Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie is not listed as all on Thursday. He’s ready to go Saturday night against Texas,” wrote Anthony Dasher of UGASports.com.
Following the game on Saturday, Smart was asked about Luckie’s status. His first words on the tight end were:
“He obviously got a shot to the head. But he’s fine, he’s moving,” said Smart. “He wanted to go back in the game. But the decision makers held him out.”
Entering the Week 11 MSU game, Luckie had 10 catches for 81 yards. The injury prevented him from recording a reception on Saturday. In his place, Elyiss Williams and Jaden Reddell saw increased snaps, while Delp finished with three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
Luckie’s big-time game this season came in October when the Dawgs hosted No. 5-ranked Ole Miss. UGA won the game 43-35 as Luckie caught 5 passes for 43 yards and 3 touchdowns. With that game, he became the first UGA player to catch three scores in a game since wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi did so against Georgia Tech in 2008, and is now one of five Georgia players in history to score three touchdowns in a single game.
