Georgia Football: Explosive Kenny McIntosh cannot be ignored

Kenny McIntosh is beginning to show just how much of a weapon he can be for Georgia Football.

The running back room in the Georgia football program is always ridiculous. This year is no different as Georgia has four, if not five, running backs that could start on any other FBS football team. However, there is just one football to go around.

That said, there are some that deserve a larger share of the pie. One such running back is Kenny McIntosh.

McIntosh is one of the most explosive athletes on Georgia football’s roster. In fact, his nickname in high school was “Blueprint” because he was basically a cheat code and could do everything in the playbook.

However, he is touching the football less than he should be. Over Georgia’s three games played, McIntosh has touched the ball a combined 25 times, four of those on kickoff returns. Todd Monken has got to find a way to get McIntosh more than eight touches per game.

The former 4-Star recruit out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida has the best overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus of all Georgia’s running backs with a 71.6. His 73.1 running grade is tied for the highest on the team with James Cook. His 72.8 receiving grade is also the highest on the team.

McIntosh is breaking off a ten-yard gain on 17.85% of his runs. This is tops on the team according to SEC Stat Cat. He is averaging 4.7 yards per carry (third on the team), 12.8 yards per reception (fourth on the team), and is averaging a team-high 6.2 yards per touch and he is third in the nation with a 42.8 average on kick returns.

Kenny McIntosh could be doing more for the Georgia football program

He’s also a shifty runner. McIntosh has also earned an elusive rating of 102.0 due to him eluding seven would-be tacklers on his 21 total touches. That rating is second on the team, as is his 35.29 broken tackle percentage, and 11.76 explosive run percentage.

Right now Georgia football is only using Kenny McIntosh in 15.45 percent of their offensive plays. That number should be around 18-20 percent or even more based on the stats and ratings shown.

Georgia really hasn’t attacked the edges of the defenses they have played this year. They have only run 14 outside runs in the three games they have played, an average of just four a game. McIntosh was used on just one of those play calls. This is a misuse of McIntosh’s speed and elusiveness. Getting McIntosh the ball on the edge would help Georgia reach another gear on offense.

Right now Georgia’s rushing offense is ranked No. 36 in the nation, imagine if they gave their more elusive backs the ball more on the edge. In total Georgia has only used their most elusive backs (McIntosh and Kendall Milton) on two outside runs. There needs to be more of a commitment to getting their best running backs matched up on the edge of the opposing defense.

That all said it is obvious that McIntosh needs to see the ball more. He has shown himself to be very productive and would only help Georgia’s offense evolve into a real force with more touches. It is time to unleash McIntosh’s full potential on the SEC. It may just help Georgia’s offense gain some ground on their elite defensive unit counterpart.