Kirby Smart ready to see full extent of Georgia running backs down the stretch
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia running back Kendall Milton made his return to the field on Saturday after missing the previous two games versus Vanderbilt and Florida. Milton, the Bulldogs’ third leading rusher on the season, carried three times for eight yards, but based on what head coach Kirby Smart had to say, those numbers could go up in the coming weeks with Georgia needing its full stable of running backs down the stretch of the season.
“Kendall Milton has worked his tail off. He practiced much better last week, although I wouldn’t say he was 100 percent last week. He practiced much better. He got better as the week went along,” Smart said. “We felt more comfortable. Going into the game, we felt like he was going to be able to help us if we needed him to. And Daijun (Edwards) was a little dinged up. Kenny (McIntosh) was a little dinged up in the game. So it gave us an opportunity to play Kendall, and he stepped up and did a nice job. I’m hoping that Kendall can get back to 100 percent this week because we need him and the others for the stretch we’re on.”
Edwards and McIntosh have carried the burden for Georgia running backs in the absence of Milton, and even some before. Edwards is first on the team with 87 attempts for 486 yards and seven rushing touchdowns while McIntosh is not far behind with 79 carries, 384 yards and six scores. Meanwhile, Milton had 49 carries for 292 yards and four touchdowns with Branson Robinson right on his heels at 48 carries, 240 yards and a single score this season.
“Kenny always does a great job as a runner,” Smart said about one of those other backs, McIntosh. “He had some elusive runs last week. He breaks tackles downfield. He had a lot of those against Florida. He’s running the ball really well this year. Sometimes it’s not there, and he makes the most of it. And sometimes it is there, and he makes more of it. And I’m pleased with all those guys’ performances.”
Top 10
- 1New
Kiffin Bama-UGA pick
Lane Kiffin's prediction is in
- 2
Quinn Ewers likely out
Pete Thamel: Texas QB unlikely to play
- 3Trending
Warm Saban welcome
Alabama fans chant for Saban
- 4
Mykel Williams report
Georgia star 'true gametime decision'
- 5
VT WR blasts ACC
'I wanna see consequences'
McIntosh led the team in rushing on Saturday with 52 yards on 10 attempts while Edwards had the high for attempts (16). He turned that into 46 yards.
Having four running backs is far from a bad thing, and getting a guy like Milton back certainly should be welcomed. It doesn’t even mean that carries are going to be coming away from Edwards and McIntosh. Those two have established themselves as of late as the top backs, but Smart even said that Georgia is going to need all of them for the stretch run. The Bulldogs take on Mississippi State this coming week with a chance to clinch the SEC East and their spot in the SEC Championship Game on December 3rd. If they were to lose in Starkville, the opportunity is still out there the following week at Kentucky, and of course Georgia closes the regular season with its rivalry game against Georgia Tech. Kickoff time for Georgia’s game this Saturday against Mississippi State is set for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.
