Georgia running backs ready for pass-catching role in offense

Coming into the 2022 season, Georgia’s offense was receiving national attention due to the amount of production that they returning. With multiple offensive lineman, wide receivers and tight ends set to come back, in addition to quarterback Stetson Bennett, the Bulldogs were expected by many to have an explosive passing attack.

The one question mark for the Bulldogs on offense though was at running back where Georgia lost both Zamir White and James Cook to the NFL Draft. White, selected in the fourth round by the Las Vegas Raiders, led the team in rushing the last two seasons with a combined 304 carries for 1,635 yards and 22 touchdowns. Cook, taken by the Buffalo Bills in the third round, was a weapon for Georgia in the passing game with 27 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns.

That kind of one-two punch, especially one as dynamic as the White-Cook duo, was going to be hard to replace. Kenny McIntosh had proven to be an asset in the passing game but had yet to do so as the No. 1 back. Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards both brought power to the table as runners but also did the majority of their work in mop-up duty.

Georgia would have recruited these guys if they weren’t capable of carrying the rock. After all, running is in their position’s name. But receiving, that’s where Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken was a little bit more concerned there might be a drop off in production.

“Kenny (McIntosh) is gonna take more of that slack,” Monken said in the preseason. “It was nice having both of those guys (Cook and McIntosh) a year ago for their versatility. I think our other guys have improved dramatically in terms of their all skills and route running ability getting the ball to them downfield and their ability to track it. As much anything, James can really track it. You can put him out there and feel good if we threw it 40 yards down the field. That’s completely different than most of the balls the running backs catch, which is right in front of them, intermediate and short. Kenny and Daijun (Edwards) really improved, but that is an area where we don’t have as much depth. When you had James, you didn’t have to worry about him in a given game plan. If one guy went down, that would be Kenny. Now, you know the other guys have gotten better at it but you’ve shrunk the margin for error. You hate to go into a game with all kinds of things you like for Kenny, and then all of a sudden something happens and you’re stuck. So, before, when Kenny was healthy, we would have the luxury of having both of them.”

In Georgia’s game against the Oregon Ducks last Saturday, McIntosh showed off his receiving skills, pulling in 9 catches for 117 yards, both team-highs. In the post game press conference for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, the senior running back from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. talked about how fun it was to play such a big role in the passing game.

“It’s real fun because I love catching the ball, not only running but I love catching the ball out of the backfield,” McIntosh explained. “So, I don’t think I ever had a game like that. But back to your question, it was real fun out there just to be able to run with the ball in my hand like a receiver and stuff like that so it’s real fun.”

While McIntosh looked healthy and explosive throughout the game, that did not prevent the other running backs from getting in on the action. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Milton pulled in an 18-yard receiving touchdown to extend Georgia’s big lead. Edwards also put up two receptions for a total of 34 yards.

On Wednesday, Milton discussed what has changed about the Georgia running back room this offseason and what fans should expect to see from them in the future.

“We had a big offseason just working with the quarterbacks, all the running backs really just trying to put ourselves in position to, you know, just get comfortable with the game,” Milton said. “So, at the end of the day, we want to be a force on multiple different aspects of the game. So you know I’m super comfortable with the offense and I’m super excited that you know we can open the offense in multiple dimensions.”

While the running back room has put in the work this offseason to make sure they’re able to be threats in the pass game, Milton emphasized the importance of his teammates helping him out.

“At the end of the day, if you look back on the plays, it was really key blocks made especially, on the pass. Arik Gilbert and Marcus Rosemy, you know, players like that, they kind of set it up and opened up the holes that allowed me to be able to get in the end zone. So, you know after the end zone I made sure I got right back to my teammates and you know slapped them on a helmet and thank them. Because you know at the end of the day, especially as a running back, we really can’t do anything unless everything else works itself out.”

Georgia’s running back room is set to take the field again as the Bulldogs take on Samford in its home-opener at Sanford Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.