Will Georgia Get the Running Game Back on Track?
Several Georgia players took the podium ahead of Saturday's game against South Carolina, and they talked about where the running game currently stands.
Georgia was expected to have one of the best rushing attacks in the country this season, and there have certainly been glimpses of that so far. They got out to a slow start against Clemson, but the Tiger front-seven is very stout. They capped that Clemson game off with four consecutive first downs on the ground, proving that they could push that front around. Though they struggled against UAB.
Running back James Cook talked about how Georgia's ground attack could continue to improve moving forward.
"You know we just mentally prepared ourselves this week. Continue running in practice this week. Just reading out reads and hitting the hole and just things like that. We worked on it a lot. We should be pretty efficient this year."
Guard Jamaree Salyer, who got the start at tackle in both games, had this to say about their approach to running the ball:
"Here at university of Georgia, running the ball is--we always have a sense of urgency about that, whether it's good or bad. We always take things with the week. You know for us, I think the run game is kind of a detailed thing. I don't think it is effort thing, I don't even think it's a personnel thing, I think it is just the details, you know, the fine details, the finishing this block, but going this direction. So yeah, it's always a sense of urgency here because that is what this program is being founded on to stay at. But yeah, we take great pride in our offensive line and defensive line of play and being able to run the ball and stop the run. So yeah, we really want to get those things corrected and you know, get back to being the team that we want."
Georgia has a host of talented backs that bring different things to the table. Zamir White and Kendall Milton are the downhill backs that can control the early-down runs, and both took a step forward over the offseason.
White looks notably more comfortable running the ball this year and consistently finds his way off first contact.
Milton is the modern three-down running back. He reads his keys at the line of scrimmage well, has a low center of gravity, and can make physical plays in pass protection. He is viewed as the future of the running back position for Georgia.
Georgia has several other dynamic backs that can make plays out of the backfield. James Cook and Kenny McIntosh both can catch passes out of the backfield, and Daijuan Edwards is one of the most reliable backs that isn't seeing time in the SEC.
The offensive line has had its ups and downs through the first two games but should see a return to form against South Carolina. They are still trying to establish a consistent starting five, and the search will likely continue for weeks.
Multiple young offensive linemen will see playing time against the Gamecocks on Saturday. They have a chance to earn playing time, and playing physical in the run game is one way to do that.
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