Georgia Football: Andrew Paul down; What now for UGA running backs?

Georgia’s running back room suffered a tough blow over the weekend as news broke on Sunday that freshman Andrew Paul had torn his ACL and will miss the entirety of the 2022 season. Paul, who signed with the Bulldogs in February after a late push to beat out the likes of Clemson, Michigan and others, had reportedly gotten off to a great start to his first season on campus. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, offensive coordinator Todd Monken and running backs coach Dell McGee had all said so on separate occasions. So, without Paul in the plans for the fall, what now for Georgia’s running back room? DawgsHQ has the answer for you.

Let’s start by taking a look at what Kirby Smart had to say about the running back room at the beginning of fall camp:

“We know enough about Kenny (McIntosh) and Kendall (Milton) to know their strengths. They’re both talented guys and played featured roles within drives within their careers here. But never the featured guy. They’re both talented and improved immensely. I think Dell’s done a great job developing those guys as pass protectors, route runners. I think the more unknown is Daijun (Edwards), who’s been able to get in a lot of games, mop up. And has really done a good job. He’s going to play a larger role this year. And then finding out the two freshmen. Both Branson (Robinson) and Andrew (Paul) have got to help us from a depth standpoint. So I’m excited to see what those guys can do.”

Kirby Smart – August 4, 2022

As Kirby Smart sort of points out, the good news is, the top of Georgia’s rotation is not impacted by Sunday’s blow. Andrew Paul was never expected to be a first option for the Bulldogs this season. He and Branson Robinson both were seen as depth pieces. Instead, the title of the top option goes to either Kenny McIntosh or Kendall Milton.

McIntosh is the oldest option in the room. A senior out of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., McIntosh has played in 34 career games in three seasons. He has 130 carries under his belt for a total of 753 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 33 receptions, 356 receiving yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Going into the season, he was expected to be one of the top backs for the Bulldogs. And from the sound of things this fall, McIntosh could be solidifying his starting spot. McIntosh, like Paul, has received plenty of praise this preseason. Kirby Smart even complimented him after the scrimmage, saying he’s had his best camp since being in Athens.

“It is work ethic. He has always been a worker. He was in the shadows of those other guys and now, he steps up and he leads,” Smart said. “He pushes guys. He’s got better stamina. There were times where he would get tired in practice in the past. He might be gassed and taking reps. Now, he might be the rush guy. He can go cover a punt. He can run routes out of the back field. He is elusive. He has to work really hard on his weight to maintain his weight. I think it is really important if he can stay above that 205 to 210 mark for bulk and protecting himself. He has had the best camp he has ever had by far in terms of no mental lapses and picking up pressures. He has done a tremendous job.”

Meanwhile, Milton – the other half of the KM^2 backfield – is considered to be Georgia’s other top option. However, in order for that to happen, he has to stay healthy. Through two seasons in the program, Milton has missed a combined 10 games. In 2020, he suffered a knee injury in early November that knocked him out of the lineup until bowl season. Last year, it was once again a knee injury that sidelined him from mid-October to New Year’s Eve and the College Football Playoffs.

When Milton has been on the field, he’s been productive. He’s averaging 5.02 yards per attempt with 457 yards on 91 carries. Milton has only crossed into the end zone once.

Milton is once again on the injury list, dealing with a hamstring injury during preseason camp. Kirby Smart said this past Saturday that while he was held out of the team’s second scrimmage, Milton is much closer to full speed and they hope to have him return to the field this week.

“Kendall (Milton) did not go today, but he is much better,” Smart said. “He is much closer to being full speed. Having not practiced, we didn’t want to put him back out there because he did not practice before the scrimmage. He should be back to full speed.”

Where Paul’s injury is probably felt most is on the back end of the running back rotation. Daijun Edwards, as Kirby Smart said, is a little bit of an unknown. Branson Robinson, albeit incredibly talented as the No. 2 running back coming out of the high school ranks in the Class of 2022, is still a freshman, and one that wasn’t on campus this spring to start learning the playbook and getting comfortable in a college setting. The pressure for those two to step up is turned up another notch now. And they’ll likely get more carries because of it.

Edwards has seen the majority of his work up to this point in his career at the end of games that Georgia’s up big in. Over the last two seasons, he’s totaled 86 carries for 428 yards and for touchdowns in 24 games. Playing his part in Georgia’s success has meant keeping the clock running and keeping the other running backs from taking unnecessary hits.

For every carry that Andrew Paul was going to get – whether that be at the end of games or in a tight contest – somebody else now has to carry the rock, and take that hit. Even if it’s at the end of a game and not deciding the outcome, those hits add up. And with just four healthy* scholarship running backs on the roster now – one of whom is actively dealing with a hamstring injury, the cause for the asterisk next to the word healthy – Kirby Smart is going to be looking for anybody other than those four – Kenny McIntosh, Kendall Milton, Daijun Edwards and Branson Robinson – to take the hits, knowing he’s got to do everything in his power to keep them all healthy.

So count on Daijun Edwards and Branson Robinson getting their fair share of carries as two of Georgia’s top four backs alongside Kenny McIntosh and Kendall Milton, but also keep an eye out for walk-ons like Sevaughn Clark, Cash Jones and Jacob Hardie. Maybe they consider trying something that seems crazy like putting a former high school running back Dillon Bell in the backfield or converting somebody from defense over to offense. They’ve done it before. Moral of the story: Georgia’s going to need somebody to carry the rock, put away games and maybe most importantly, keep the rest of the room healthy, and it can’t be Andrew Paul anymore.