Arguably the most impressive thing about the Georgia Bulldogs in their victory against Alabama was how the backups shined when the stars were out. In Isiah Canion's absence, a host of Bulldogs stepped up at wide receiver and made huge plays, especially true freshman Craig Dandridge.
That however wasn't even the biggest storyline because their backup running backs took over against Alabama.
To understand how big their performance was against the Tide, this what their preseason depth chart for the running back position looked like.
1. Nate Frazier |
|---|
2. Chauncey Bowens |
3. Dante Dowdell |
4. Dwight Phillips, Jr. |
5. Bo Walker & Nick Peal |
The top three backs in that depth chart did not touch the ball against Alabama. Yet, the Bulldogs had 206 total rushing yards against the Crimson Tide. A large chunk of that total is thanks to fourth string back Dwight Phillips, Jr. who had 17 carries for 120 yards and played more physical than the Bulldogs fan base had ever seen the former four-star recruit play.
While a lot of that total can be thanks to an incredible showcase from Georgia's stacked offensive line creating holes in the defensive line, it is hard not to think that this backfield is one of the most loaded Kirby Smart has ever had at Georgia. In fact, it competes with the one that the Bulldogs had nearly a decade ago.
Georgia put the SEC on notice with deepest RB room since 2017
The Bulldogs in Smart's second year was a storybook season that led Georgia to an SEC Championship along with a Rose Bowl victory and National Championship appearance. Arguably the driving factor of that incredible season was Georgia's backfield.
Georgia's backfield in 2017 included Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, D'Andre Swift, Elijah Holyfield, and Brian Herrien. All five of those guys rushed for over 200 yards total that season, with Chubb, Michel, and Swift going for over 600 each. That backfield was able to take an immense amount of pressure off of then true freshman quarterback Jake Fromm. Now, this year tells a similar story about the running back room.
The fact that Georgia could run for that many yards with their top three backs out and against a defense that had previously allowed just 2.47 yards per attempt against their first five opponents is amazing. Georgia had 5.3 yards per attempt, over double what Alabama was giving up so far this season. In the absence of Georgia's leading rusher in Frazier and leader in rushing touchdowns in Bowens, Phillips had over 100 yards rushing and true sophomore Bo Walker had 10 carries go for 69 yards.
If they can do that against one of the most stout run defenses in the country, imagine when Georgia gets their stars back in the future.
That being said, do not think Smart will shy away from using Phillips and Walker after Saturday's win. Just like Herrien, Holyfield, and especially Swift did in 2017, these two will continue to rotate in future games to keep the backs fresh. It is a luxury hard to come by in college football today, and Georgia is the richest in the nation at running back. They made that clear, and it sent a bold statement to not just the SEC, but the country.
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