Georgia heads into Saturday’s game against Auburn still sorting out its running back picture, and Kirby Smart isn’t sounding like a coach with many extra answers.
The Bulldogs were already short-handed against Alabama, and that same uncertainty hangs over this week. Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens both sat out in Tuscaloosa, and it’s still unclear whether either one will be ready to go when Auburn visits. If they’re not, Georgia appears prepared to lean again on Dwight Phillips Jr. and Bo Walker.
Smart made it clear Monday that shifting another player into the position is not part of the plan.
"We don't have anybody to move there. Tyriq Green?
He can't move there," Smart said on Monday. "We've got the guys we've got."
That reality forced Georgia to improvise against Alabama after Bowens was ruled out during the week and Frazier was scratched during warm-ups. Phillips ended up taking the lead role and handled it well, carrying 17 times for 120 yards as Georgia averaged 5.3 yards per carry in the win.
Phillips said Monday that the workload left him feeling a little worn down, though he also pointed out that plenty of players are dealing with that kind of wear and tear around this point in the season.
"Anything to help my team week in and week out, I'm willing to do," Phillips said.
Walker also gave Georgia valuable production. He finished with 10 carries for 69 yards and delivered the biggest run of his night at a key moment, breaking off a 37-yard gain on the Bulldogs’ go-ahead drive.
Phillips praised the sophomore’s effort and playmaking ability.
"He brings a lot. He's explosive as well," Phillips said.
The matchup ahead suggests Georgia may need that same kind of production again. Auburn has struggled to slow opposing ground games, allowing 149 rushing yards per game, and its recent SEC outings have been rough.
Tennessee piled up 237 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns against the Tigers, with DeSean Bishop accounting for 220 of those yards and all 3 scores. Two weeks before that, Florida ran for 243 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Gators back Jadan Baugh finished with 162 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Wednesday’s availability report should reveal more about Georgia’s backfield situation. If Frazier and Bowens are both unavailable again, the Bulldogs will be asking their offensive line - including left guard Dontrell Glover - to keep creating space for whoever gets the carries.
"[My mentality is] no matter who's in the backfield, block for them all and protect them," Glover said.
In Other News...
Gunner Stockton Is Giving Georgia Fans A New Ceiling To Debate
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What stood out in the moment was not just the result, but how composed Stockton looked against a familiar heavyweight. Alabama left with plenty of respect for his efficiency and his ability to keep drives alive when the game tightened, which only adds to the sense that Georgia may have found a quarterback whose ceiling is still being written. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Beat Alabama And Still Has A Disrespect Problem
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The bigger disconnect comes from the computers, and from one of the sports more familiar blue-blood comparisons. Georgia may have the rsum boost of beating Alabama in its own building, but the conversation has not fully lined up around the Bulldogs just yet. If the season keeps trending toward the playoff path many expect, the next meaningful chance for Georgia to settle another debate could come against Notre Dame, though that kind of matchup would require both teams to make it to the College Football Playoff first. [Read more 🡒]
Georgias Young Players Just Proved How Much Kirby Smart Trusts Them
Beating Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium usually comes with a few fingerprints all over it, and Georgias latest win had plenty of them from a younger group than many expected. Peyton Woodrings 23-yard field goal sealed the 20-17 victory, while Gunner Stockton steadied the offense with 249 passing yards, a touchdown through the air and another on the ground in a game Kirby Smart described as physical from start to finish.
What stood out afterward was how much the Bulldogs leaned on freshmen in a place where every mistake gets magnified. Smart pointed to the role those young players had in the outcome, a sign that Georgia is not merely surviving with youth but trusting it in one of the toughest road environments in college football. The bigger question now is how far that confidence goes as the schedule keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]