Georgia Football's Weapon Is No Longer A Secret

One of Georgia football's biggest weapons is emerging out of the backfield

Dwight Phillips | Dawg Post

ATHENS - Georgia football's secret weapon is no longer a secret. After patiently waiting his turn and climbing up the depth chart, third-year running back Dwight Phillips Jr. is emerging as one of Georgia's biggest playmakers on the offensive side of the football.

One of the fastest backs across the league, Dwight Phillips Jr. was a track star at Pebblebrook High School who had the potential to turn into a game-changing weapon out of the backfield. The junior running back had shown flashes of big-play ability in the past, but on Saturday we saw what Kirby Smart has been seeing all year.

The ability to score from anywhere on the field. In the 4th quarter and the Bulldogs hoping to deliver the final knockout punch to Oklahoma, Phillips took off down the sideline for a big 54-yard touchdown that sent the crowd home happy. He ended the day with his most productive game as a Bulldog, rushing for 84 yards and one touchdown on just eight carries.

To Kirby Smart, is was just another day at the office for the speedy Phillips.

"Last year he flashed and had some really good plays and he's gotten some opportunities when guys have been dinged up. But he's one of the consistent guys in the room in terms of work ethic. But the run, we've seen those things before. We've seen those at scrimmages. We've seen those against our defense and we know the caliber of player and even better person that Dwight is.”

They call him "Peanut" off the field, and it's clear Peanut needs to the football. This is a young man who didn't make a giant impact early on but has found a way to make an impact now not only out of the backfield, but also on special teams. His speed, toughness, and team-first attitude has allowed him to find the field in other ways outside of the offense.

“He has an elite trait, which is speed. He works really hard at special teams. I was more proud of the tackle than even the run because he's worked really hard on that. He got opportunities in the past on special teams that he wasn't maybe ready for or he didn't capitalize on and it bothered him, and he worked really hard.”

With Nate Frazier's availability for the Vanderbilt game this weekend still up in the air, look for Phillips, coming off the biggest game of his career, to continue seeing the ball come his way on offense. His explosive potential is something Georgia needs to capitalize on, and that needs to happen for the Georgia offense to be at his best. However, he's no secret anymore. The Sooners found out on Saturday, and now it's Vanderbilt's turn to try and slow down Georgia's speedy running back.