With tailbacks Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb serving as Georgia's primary offensive weapons last football season, there were some Bulldogs receivers who endured a drop in productivity.
Reggie Davis was not immune to that.
After making 11 receptions for 257 yards as a true freshman in 2013, including a 98-yard touchdown catch against North Texas, the 6-foot, 170-pound junior from Tallahassee, Fla., caught just six passes for 63 yards in 2014. His average last season of 10.5 yards per catch wasn't half of his 23.4-yard clip from the year before.
"Running the ball more last season definitely played a part in that," Davis said by phone Thursday night. "Other teams weren't stopping our run, so we stayed with it. I learned that I can't control how many times I get the ball, but I can be ready when the opportunity presents itself."
Davis, who also has 26 punt returns for 141 yards through two seasons with the Bulldogs, is part of a receiving group that has promise but has lacked consistency. Malcolm Mitchell and Justin Scott-Wesley have experienced ACL tears during their time in Athens, and sophomore Isaiah McKenzie had his receiving talents overshadowed last year when he had two punt returns and one kickoff return for touchdowns.
McKenzie had a 36-yard reception early in the game at South Carolina but had just five catches for 36 yards the rest of the season.
"This year is definitely a big year for us receivers," Davis said. "We have a new offensive coordinator, and I think it's going to be a great group."
The Bulldogs practiced Thursday for two hours in their final workout before Saturday's G-Day game.
"It was really kind of a sloppy day for the offense," coach Mark Richt said. "We had a lot of penalties. I thought the defense practiced harder today, quite frankly. When the offense did it right, it was beautiful, but there were too many mistakes, too many penalties and too many decisions by the quarterbacks that put the ball in harm's way.
"The last two Thursdays have been like this, too, and they came around on Saturday in the scrimmage and did a pretty good job. Hopefully, they'll do that again."
How quarterbacks Brice Ramsey, Faton Bauta and Jacob Park fare should be the most intriguing aspect to G-Day. Davis has caught passes from all three this spring, which has added to his challenge given that Aaron Murray was the unquestioned starter two years ago, as was Hutson Mason last year.
"Sometimes it can be tough adjusting to three quarterbacks," Davis said, "but at the end of the day it's just football and throwing and catching. When they throw it to us, it's our job to catch the football."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.