Without question, the Georgia Bulldogs were not going to show much of anything offensively in their penultimate game of the season. Georgia entered play at No. 4 in the country with a 9-1 record and a 7-1 mark in SEC play. They were going up against a 1-9 Charlotte 49ers team, one that has some serious work to do moving forward, as Tim Albin actually left the Ohio Bobcats to lead this program...
Regardless of how you feel about the level of competition, Georgia was still up 28-3 entering halftime on a Group of Five program out of The American. Perhaps most importantly, nobody of significance got hurt during the first half. While Gunner Stockton and Nate Frazier looked the part at their respective positions, Bo Walker really made the most of his extended opportunities in the backfield.
Walker had three carries for 30 yards and two rushing touchdowns serving as Frazier's primary backup in the backfield. This came about because Chauncey Bowens was held out of the game and Dwight Phillips Jr. was not as effective early on. Walker may only be a true freshman, but he is easily having his best game of the season so far. Perhaps we will see him get even more run after halftime?
For what Georgia has to navigate in the playoff, having another running back in Walker will help a lot.
Bo Walker emerges as viable rotational running back for Georgia Bulldogs
No matter what Walker does in the second half vs. Charlotte, he was able to put some interesting stuff on tape for the Dawgs. At minimum, he may see more playing time moving forward. Whether that is vs. Georgia Tech in Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate on Friday afternoon or in any postseason game for that matter remains to be seen. In a best-case scenario, other teams will have to account for him now.
The reason that is so important is it could take away from the other teams' scouting resources. Opponents that Georgia could conceivably face know all about what Stockton, Frazier and Bowens can do with the ball in their hands. Since Walker is only a freshman, he is still a relatively new commodity within the context of Mike Bobo's offense. We know that he likes to distribute the football.
For now, Georgia is proving to everyone once again how important depth matters, especially when it comes to potentially making a deep run in the playoff. Teams that are well-coached and offer some firepower can win two, maybe three games. The problem with that is if you do not recruit well year over year over year, you are almost certainly going to wear down within the context of an playoff run.
The fact Georgia may now have three or even four running backs it can trust in big spots is massive.