Dillon Bell makes impact for Georgia at alternative position
ATHENS, Ga. — Dillon Bell is no stranger to having the football in his hands. He does it every day at wide receiver, catching passes from quarterback Carson Beck – and last season as a freshman from Stetson Bennett. On Saturday though, Beck was handing him the ball instead of throwing him the ball with Bell lined up in the backfield a couple of times.
Averaging 9.3 yards per carry ain’t too shabby for the sophomore out of the Houston area. That’s largely propped up by a 21-yard touchdown run, plus a 10-yard first down pickup on the carry before, but still a reflection of the potential Bell brings to this Georgia offense adding another element to his game.
“I’m very excited. Anytime I’m on the field, no matter where, I’m in the stadium, Sanford Stadium, so I’m going to be happy regardless,” Bell told reporters after the game. “In the receiver room, you cannot let one man tackle you. I’m just bringing that to the running back room as well whenever they need me.”
Bell, who said this past week in an interview session that he had gotten some reps at running back as a result of Georgia’s recent battles with injuries, saw some action at the position in Saturday’s win over Ball State. A high school do-it-all player at The Kinkaid School in Houston, Bell provided another body with Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards both not quite 100% and Branson Robinson out for the season.
“No sir,” Bell responded when asked if he knew he was going to be playing running back against the Cardinals. “Whenever they said, ‘Dillon Bell, go in’ I was like, ‘Alright, bet!'”
“It’s my first love,” he added on being back in the backfield again. “Having a great offensive line, great receivers to block on the perimeter, that was a big plus for me.”
As for whether Bell at running back is something we should expect to see more often, Kirby Smart wouldn’t admit to that being in the plans. Bell was recruited by others including Michigan as a running back, but he chose Georgia as a receiver. That’s where Smart intends to keep him.
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“No, we didn’t sign him thinking that,” he said on if there was an idea of using Bell at running back when they recruited him. “He came to camp and worked out as a wide receiver. We liked him at wide receiver. He did some really good things. He played all wide receiver last year. There was never a thought of that. That’s only come up because of the situation at running back. He’s provided us some explosiveness and he showed that today.”
Bell is one of five Georgia players with a rushing touchdown so far this season. Others on the list are Roderick Robinson (2) and Kendall Milton (1), plus non-running backs Carson Beck (1) and Brock Bowers (1).
Bell now has eight touches for 76 yards this season. Last year as a freshman, he caught 20 passes for 180 yards and three scores, playing in all 15 games for Georgia on its way to a second straight National Championship.
Bell and the Bulldogs begin conference play this coming week by welcoming South Carolina to town. Kickoff time from Sanford Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS as the SEC Game of the Week.
