A week before Georgia’s G-Day Game, split end Malcolm Mitchell went down in a scrimmage with a torn meniscus that led to surgery at St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens.
That was the bad news for Georgia coach Mark Richt and wide receivers coach Tony Ball.
The good news would come a week after Mitchell’s injury before a Saturday afternoon crowd of 45,113 fans in Sanford Stadium for the Bulldogs annual G-Day Game.
That where junior wide receiver Jonathon Rumph did his best to fill Mitchell’s shoes as he led the Black team to a 23-17 win over Aaron Murray’s Red team. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder transfer from Holmes (Miss.) Community College caught four passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
He caught a 20-yard scoring pass from Hutson Mason and a 37-yard touchdown pass from Parker Welch. Rumph’s 98 receiving yards led all Georgia wideouts. Only fellow receiver Michael Erdman had more catches (six for 41 yards).
Rumph enrolled at Georgia in January after his sophomore season at Holmes, where he caught 45 passes for 569 yards and three touchdowns.
“It was his best day no doubt,” Richt said. “It was good for him to have that kind of day. Today is the kind of day that helps give a guy confidence and helps him feel like he belongs. When the fans get a chance to see that kind of performance they get excited about it.”
Despite his outstanding game, Richt pointed out that Rumph has just been on campus for three months and still has a way to go.
“To be fair to him, he’s still got a way to go. He’s got a lot to learn, but he’s getting there,” Richt said. “I’d like to see him be a little more physical in jump ball situations, and take advantage of the height and strength that he has. I did like the way he finished that one touchdown run where he got hit on the three-yard line and was big enough and physical enough to knock it in the end zone.
“I can’t tell you the number of times guys come up short in that situation and you end up kicking a field goal or you fumble the snap on the goal line. Even if you get a first-and-goal at the one it’s no guarantee that you are going to get that touchdown. So it’s nice to have a receiver finish like that.
“(He’s) doing a lot of good things but certainly got a lot to learn still,” said Richt of Rumph’s performance.
“I thought it was a great day,” the Georgia coach said. “The guys played hard. I thought we looked like a really well-conditioned football team. Overall, I really like how things are going this spring.”
Rumph was not the only player who had a good day for the Bulldogs.
Mason led the Black team by completing 16 of 27 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown. Tailback Kyle Karempelis led the Black with 13 carries for 89 yards.
Aaron Murray completed12 of 18 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns for the Red team. Receiver Rhett McGowan led the Red with 55 yards on three catches, including a touchdown. Justin Scott-Wesley had the other touchdown among his two catches for 53 yards.
Linebacker Ramik Wilson had eight tackles to lead the Black. Linebackers Amarlo Herrera and James DeLoach added six stops each.
Linebacker Kosta Vavlas had 12 tackles to spark the Red. Defensive back Quincy Mauger added eight stops, and linebacker Reggie Carter and defensive lineman John Taylor each had seven.
“It was fun, but it’s always fun,”Murraysaid. “Anytime you get to come out and play in front of all these fans is really special. I’m really proud with how we played. It’s always tough going into the games when you’re not fully healthy or you’re not game-planning for anyone, but I thought we played well offensively.”
“I think the score really sums up how even things are on both sides of the ball,” said linebacker Jordan Jenkins. “We are just a really evenly balanced team right now.”