Georgia football’s running back room has definitely seen better days. The amount of injuries this group specifically has had to deal with is shocking. And that amount hit an all time high this past weekend against Tennessee.
Three running backs were out which really put into question what Kirby Smart would do at this position throughout the game. Thankfully Georgia was able to figure it out and shift guys like Dillon Bell over to running back for a few plays, but it goes without saying that Georgia needs to get some of these guys back.
One of those guys is Branson Robinson, who has been out since the Mississippi State game back in mid-October. Robinson wasn’t expected to be the lead back this year, but he was having a very solid season before getting injured after finding the end zone three times in his six games.
Smart hasn’t specifically discussed Robinson’s injury in quite some time, that is until Tuesday when he provided an update when speaking with the media.
"Yeah, he's (Robinson) running. I think I'm saying this right," Smart said via 247sports.com. "He started to cut yesterday, and he's cutting. He did not do anything with us, but he did do a lot of running. He hit good speeds. He's getting his confidence back, planting and cutting. He's in meetings. He's in game plan stuff. He's showing progress, but he is not taking reps with us."
Robinson is inching towards a return
There are definitely some positives from what Smart shared here. It is nice to hear that Robinson is working out and able to cut laterally. At the same time however it does sound like he still has some significant work to do before he returns to the field.
According to Smart, Robinson still hasn’t even taken any reps with the team in practice. Until that happens for at least a few practices there is likely no chance he plays in a game.
Thankfully Georgia has two easier games coming up to finish their regular season, so Robinson will continue to be able to rehab. The hope then is that he’ll make a return for the start of the postseason, which would be a huge addition to Georgia’s offense.