UGA Football: Ground Game Leads The Way Against Auburn

At the end of a first-quarter second-and-1 run by Georgia running back Daijun Edwards, center Sedrick Van Pran got up from the pile, 28 yards downfield, and emphatically pumped his fists. It was that kind of day for the Bulldogs’ backs and the big men up front that pave the way for them.

“I got a big pancake block,” Van Pran said when asked why he was so excited after that play. “You know, getting a pancake block is fun, but when you score off of it, it’s even more fun.

“I was hyped up, I was super excited, and I couldn’t control my emotions.”

The No. 2-ranked Bulldogs didn’t get any points on that drive, but they did end their 42-10 thumping of Auburn on Saturday at Sanford Stadium with six rushing touchdowns. In an old-school clash of longtime opponents — this was their 126th meeting — the Bulldogs controlled both lines of scrimmage and ran their way to an easy win.

Leading the way on the ground was freshman Branson Robinson, who ran 12 times for 98 yards, and with 4:45 reminding in the game he took a toss from quarterback Stetson Bennett — more on his running later — scooted up the left side and plowed through some Tigers to score a 15-yard touchdown. It was the first TD of the 5-foot-10 and 220-pound back’s career.

“I think as an offensive lineman, you definitely enjoy running the ball. I’m not sure how many times we ran the ball, but I can tell you, we definitely enjoyed it,” Van Pran said. “Something we talked about all week was striking and attacking, so that’s something we wanted to go out and show the whole game.”

Not counting two kneel downs by backup quarterback Carson Beck and one 9-yard sack of Bennett, Georgia ran the ball 36 times for 304 yards. Edwards had 12 carries for 83 yards and three touchdowns, Bennett scored on a 64-yard run, and Kenny McIntosh ran eight times for 37 yards and a touchdown. McIntosh also had four receptions during a busy day for the backs.

There were few fireworks Saturday, few plays of more than 20 yards, well, until Bennett, on the first play of the fourth quarter, tucked the ball and ran up the left hash 64 yards for a touchdown and a 28-3 lead.

“Tate (Ratledge) and I had one of the key blocks and just seeing him zip past me,” Van Pran said with a laugh. “I’m usually running to try to figure out where the ball is going to be on the next hash, and I kind of saw nobody was around him. For me, I realized that he was going to go on and score, so I started celebrating with my teammates.

“It was a fun experience.”

Said Bennett: “That was just a draw play. It’s just a quarterback run; I had an RPO on both sides, read it, like the numbers, and just took off.”

Kendall Milton, who came in as Georgia’s leading rusher with 271 yards on 44 carries, only ran the ball twice Saturday before leaving the game early with a groin injury. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they’re as loaded as ever with running backs and didn’t skip a beat.

Saturday’s game was Robinson’s coming out party, and in many ways it was Edwards’ as well.

“It’s RBU like I’ve been saying, man,” McIntosh said, referring to Georgia’s longtime moniker as Running Back University. “We’ve got a lot of backs for a reason. All of them can go in there and do what they need to do. When one goes down, another one will step up. We’ve got a standard at UGA, so if you play at that standard, you should be fine.”

As a freshman last season, Edwards was productive when he got the ball, mostly in mop-up duty during lopsided wins. He ended his first season with 215 yards and three touchdowns on 49 carries. On Saturday, the 5-foot-10 and 201-pound Edwards ran 12 times for 83 yards, and scored on runs of 1, 2 and 7 yards, and averaged 6.9 yards per carry.

“I’ve always seen it in him since the first time he touched the ball at the University of Georgia,” McIntosh said of Edwards. “Watching him run, he’s just real explosive, low to the ground, and he’s quick. I just love his style of play.”

Edwards is now Georgia’s leading rusher with 285 yards on 49 carries. That’s one more yard than Milton has gained, and both players share the team lead with four rushing touchdowns.

For Robinson, who came into Saturday with a total of 14 carries, for 67 yards, the Auburn game showed what he can do when he’s out there with the first-team offense. Like Edwards, Robinson runs like his life depends on every extra yard he can gain. He runs with might and determination.

Georgia’s official rushing total of 292 yards (including the sack and kneel downs) was its highest of the season, besting the 257 the Bulldogs ran for against Kent State. After struggling a bit early, Bennett found his groove in the passing game, as well, finishing 22 of 32 for 208 yards.

The Bulldogs were hot from the start on the ground, averaging 9.8 yards per carry after their first six attempts. And they just kept running and running, back after back, touchdown after touchdown.

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He’s also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.