Nauta said it 'felt good to finally get in' the end zone

Isaac Nauta broke off the line of scrimmage and no one followed him.

It was yet another play in Georgia’s 31-3 win over Mississippi State that the opposition thought would be a run. Quarterback Jake Fromm, however, faked a handoff and set up for what would be a deep throw to a wide-open Nauta down the field.

A Mississippi State defender was barreling down on Fromm, who got the pass off just in time. Despite taking a hard shot, Fromm lofted a perfect pass to Nauta, who then fought off a defender to score a 41-yard touchdown. It was Nauta's only reception of the game, which came in the third quarter.

For Nauta, it was a big moment since he hadn’t been targeted too much through the first third of the season until this game.

“It felt good. I’ve been working for it. It felt good to finally get in there,” Nauta said. “I was just happy to get points on the board and further that lead for us and give us a little more of a security blanket.”

For Nauta, this game with a touchdown came after head coach Kirby Smart told SEC Network announcers, prior to last week's game against Samford, that he wasn’t involved in the passing game much because he hadn't been practicing well.

After the Mississippi State game, Smart didn’t want to talk about that particular comment but did say that he hopes Nauta can continue to improve in all facets.

“I’m glad he was able to make the play he made,” Smart said.

Nauta said he believes he practices hard each day but that there have been some inconsistent moments that possibly led to Smart saying that to the SEC Network announcers.

“I’d like to think of myself as a hard worker,” Nauta said. “It’s just a matter of being more consistent in practice. I come out every day with my work hat on and go to work. Coaches want to see more consistency out there in practice. I know that as well. I was having some plays where I could do better. But that’s just going to be my focus every week, to go as hard as I can and be more consistent in practice. Then the opportunities will come.”

And one of those opportunities came against Mississippi State, which saw the preseason first-team All-SEC tight end wide open for a touchdown.

When Nauta broke free, he knew he had a good chance at scoring a touchdown.

“A little play-action game and I got cut loose. That’s always a good feeling, right?” Nauta said. “But at the same time that ball always feels like it’s up there forever.”

This story was originally published September 24, 2017 at 12:09 AM with the headline "Nauta said it 'felt good to finally get in' the end zone."