Dwight Phillips Jr. made the kind of run that turns heads, but the play that really lit him up Saturday came in a different phase of the game.
Georgia’s junior back ripped off a 54-yard touchdown against Oklahoma in the Bulldogs’ 41-13 win, yet the moment he seemed happiest about was the one on special teams. Phillips got downfield and tackled Sooners punt returner Isaiah Sategna late in the game, a finish that clearly meant something extra to the player known as “Peanut.”
“It felt good. As a gunner, I've been wanting to tackle, too.
Just ran down there, Landon [Roldan] took a shot, and I was ready to just wrap him up and get him to the ground,” Phillips said. “When I was little, in youth football, I used to play linebacker.
I used to be real physical, so that tackle meant a lot to me.”
That mindset has helped make Phillips a favorite in the Georgia locker room. The effort has always been there, even if the early workload was limited.
He played in six games as a freshman in 2024, with a 4-yard touchdown run against Florida standing out as his top moment. The next season, he got into 12 games and finished with 35 carries, 210 rushing yards and one touchdown.
This offseason, Phillips looked more like a player ready for a bigger role. He’s listed as 10 pounds heavier than he was as a freshman, and Georgia strength coach Scott Sinclair pointed to that growth in August.
“I just showed Dwight the other day a picture when he first got here until now,” Sinclair said in August. “I think he's bought into the program.
He's bought into what we do, not only from the strength part, but the nutritional side and taking care of his body. Definitely gotten stronger, and I think for Dwight, just putting some extra pounds, some extra padding, some extra muscle on him, I think is going to help him this year.”
Phillips opened his junior year with modest numbers, carrying the ball seven times for 49 yards before the Oklahoma game. Against the Sooners, though, he broke through with eight carries for 84 yards and a touchdown while Georgia’s backfield worked without Nate Frazier.
His scoring run was the longest play of his Georgia career. Phillips took a handoff from Gunner Stockton to the right, found the edge, and outran the defense to the end zone. By the time he crossed the goal line, Georgia’s lead had stretched to 31 points.
“It felt crazy. My teammates blocked it up very good, and it was just time for me to make a play,” Phillips said of his touchdown. “I've never been caught from behind before, so I was just running.”
Kirby Smart described Phillips’ game as built on explosiveness and said Georgia needs to get him the ball more. He also praised the way Phillips has waited for his chance, and that patience looks like it may finally be paying off.
Smart said he was just as pleased with the special teams tackle as he was with the long touchdown, a fitting reflection of a player who’s willing to do the unglamorous work if it helps Georgia win.
“Anything I can do to help this team win I'm willing to do, whether that's at running back or special teams,” Phillips said.
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