Georgia RBs Branson and Roderick Robinson 'did some good things' in Tuesday practice
What has been a really shaky situation for Georgia at running back the past few weeks is on the cusp of getting a lot better. After giving an optimistic update on injured tailbacks Branson Robinson (knee) and Roderick Robinson (toe) on Monday, Kirby Smart told reporters after Tuesday’s practice that both of the tailbacks have gotten work the past two days, even live reps.
“Rod has done practice, contact, has taken reps,” Smart said of what seems to be an improving situation. “He’s looked good out there. Branson has too. Branson’s taken some. I didn’t get to see the last part of practice to know how much Branson and Rod did early in practice. They did take some reps with the twos and rolled through there, just seeing where they are confidence level and where they are mentally. They’ve been kind of out of contact for a while, but both of them did practice and did some good things.”
Getting either one of those guys back would be big for a Bulldog backfield that is leaning heavily on a freshman and a walk-on right now. Nate Frazier is Georgia’s unquestioned feature back at the moment while Cash Jones, who is also nursing a minor injury, has handled the third-down duties.
Roderick Robinson has missed the entire season to this point after turf toe surgery in August. The early buzz was that he would have a chance to return in November but as the month got closer, it appeared as if he was done for the rest of the regular season.
Now it sounds like a return for Georgia Tech isn’t out of the question, even if it’s only for a few snaps. The redshirt freshman from San Diego native was also dinged up much of last season, dealing with a high ankle sprain that robbed him of most of the regular season. He finished the year with 24 carries for 196 yards and a pair of scores.
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The prognosis for Branson Robinson sounds a little more iffy and that’s how it played out prior to Georgia taking on UMass on Saturday. When the two running backs were conditioning on the field together before the game, Roderick Robinson moved better than did Branson.
The Mississippi native has missed the past five games with a sprained MCL suffered in the win over Mississippi State. He missed all of last season with a ruptured patellar tendon and struggled early this year, carrying the football 25 times for 74 yards. He did, however, score three touchdowns in the first six games.
Trevor Etienne is running, but out for Georgia Tech…
Smart also confirmed a multiple reports from DawgsHQ that Etienne hasn’t yet returned to practice and is expected to miss the next two weeks. Etienne is dealing with a rib injury and has missed the past two and a half games. He is, however, able to keep his legs in shape to some extent.
“Trevor has been able to run,” Smart said. “He was running well. He hit 20, 21 miles an hour yesterday, which is really good for him. He looks good, but he hasn’t been able to do anything with us.
