Georgia Tech Football: Running Back Mid-Season Report Card
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Georgia Tech came into the season wanting to be a running football team but was going to be tasked with replacing Jahmyr Gibbs, who transferred to Alabama in the offseason. With Dontae Smith being the only running back returning, the team needed some ball carriers and got two via the transfer portal, Hassan Hall from Louisville and Dylan McDuffie from Buffalo. Those three guys have made up the backfield this season and there have been some good things and some surprising things from the running backs midway through the year
So how has the running back room performed so far this season?
Running Back Grade: B-
Hassan Hall has been the leading rusher for Georgia Tech this season
The thought at the beginning of the year was that these guys would all be splitting carries and have an equal share of the workload for the year. That was true for the first few games of the season, but Georgia Tech might have found their lead back for the rest of the season. Hall has taken over in these last two games and he was one of the big reasons that Tech was able to pull off the big upset against Pitt. He had over 150 yards rushing and was then named the ACC's running back of the week.
For the season, Hall has 330 yards on 61 attempts and is averaging over five yards per carry. What's crazy is that Hall has not scored a touchdown in any game this season, but I think that changes in the coming weeks. Hall has been a good addition to the team and also contributes in the passing game as well with 13 catches for 52 yards. His 13 catches are the second most on the team. He is the 10th-ranked rusher in the ACC and I think there is a chance that Hall could be moving up that list as the season goes on.
Dontae Smith has seen his carries go down in the past two games
Smith was the guy I thought would take over at some point this season, but that has not been correct. After carrying the ball 11 times for over 100 yards and three touchdowns in the game against Western Carolina, Smith has seen his workload decrease, which surprised me. For the year, Smith has 208 yards on 35 carries and has a team-high 5.9 yards per carry. In the two games since Brent Key took over as head coach, Smith has only seen three carries combined and that will be something to follow in the weeks to come.
Dylan McDuffie has not made the impact he had hoped to have at this point in the season
The guy that has perhaps been the most disappointing has been McDuffie. Many (including myself) thought that he was just scratching the surface of his potential after rushing for over 1,000 yards last season at Buffalo. On the season, he has only 45 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown. McDuffie has not made the kind of impact that I thought he would and his opportunities are going down as well. There is still another half of the season to go, but there is no doubt that McDuffie has not made an impact on the field this season.
Overall, I think this group has shown talent and explosion when the ball is in their hands. The numbers compared to other teams running backs might not compare but one thing that has not worked in their favor is how poor the offensive line has been and that can hide how talented these guys are. Hall has come on strong in the last two games and is going to play a pivotal part in helping this team try to reach a bowl game. It will be interesting to see what kind of role Smith and McDuffie have in the backfield for the rest of the season as well.
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