ATLANTA — Arian Smith gave Dominick Blaylock a simple look. The redshirt sophomore Georgia wide receiver could tell the Buckeyes were lined up in man coverage and that they were going to press to take away inside leverage.

As the speedy Georgia wide receiver fired out of his stance he saw the safety bite on the play action fake. From there, he knew he was singled up in coverage against Ohio State defensive back Lathan Ransom.

Smith’s 10.18 100-meter speed was then put on display for the whole world to see, as Ransom stumbled in trying to keep up. Smith created 10 yards of separation on the route, giving quarterback Stetson Bennett the easiest 76-yard touchdown he’ll ever throw.

“He made the dude fall. Dude can do things that people can’t do,” Bennett said. “He can run like people can’t run, and he can go get the ball, and I was just -- once I saw him, I think the whole sideline was standing up and saying he’s open. So I just tried to put it on him and let him do the rest.”

The moment was pretty gratifying for Smith, whose college career has been marred by injury every step of the way. He’s missed multiple games in each of his three seasons, including the first four of the 2022 season after a preseason ankle injury that required surgery. His 2021 season ended in November due to a leg fracture. He had meniscus surgery at the start of his Georgia career.

Injuries have been a huge part of Smith’s story until Saturday night. But now he’s got a new first paragraph in his Georgia career after finally showing the college football world what he had long shown his teammates and coaches in practice.

“He’s very explosive. He was a big part of this offensive win today,” running back Keny McIntosh said. “Being able to see him go out there and run and float, it’s amazing. He definitely helps this offense be explosive. He’s fought so hard to get back, you see him how we see him.”

Related: Georgia football shows championship heart in win over Ohio State: ‘Anybody else probably would’ve quit’

The touchdown was one of three receptions on the night for Smith. He was able to turn those into 129 yards, a career-best and game-high for the Bulldogs. Coming into the game, Smith had just three catches for 66 yards on the entire season.

And while many of his teammates were celebrating the win and huge moment for Smith, he made it clear that the job isn’t finished yet for the Bulldogs. He didn’t want to revel in the play as much as his fellow Bulldogs did.

He’s got his eyes still focused on the main ball for the Bulldogs, winning another national championship.

“I kind of just saw him disappear. I had my eyes on the ball. When the ball goes in the air, don’t worry about nothing else,” Smith said. “That’s what I did. I looked up, caught the ball and everyone was like ‘Oh my gosh’. Everyone was like ‘you made him fall’ and I didn’t even know. Ladd told me.”

Smith’s touchdown flipped the momentum in the game for Georgia. The Bulldogs were trailing 38-27 at that point in the fourth quarter. Georgia needed a big play and quick to get back into the game against the Buckeyes. After the score and Ladd McConkey’s two-point conversion, it was a 38-35 game.

The 76-yard touchdown was the longest of the night for Georgia, one in which seven different receivers caught a reception of 20-yards or more. But save for AD Mitchell’s game-winning touchdown catch to give the Bulldogs a 42-41 win, none were bigger than Smith’s highlight-reel grab.

“I knew I had to win so I just won,” Smith said.

Stetson Bennett praises Arian Smith for his play against Ohio State

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