Senior running back Brian Herrien has had to bide his time as a member of Georgia’s running back corps, but he is beginning to reap the rewards.

Herrien set a career high in rushing yards against Tennessee on Saturday, rushing for 88 on 11 carries. Capped off by his 40-yard tote, Herrien’s night was a culmination of hard work and sacrifice for the Douglasville, Georgia native.

Let’s face it. Herrien hasn’t had the easiest route to carries on this team. He has had to battle with the likes of Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, Elijah Holyfield and D’Andre Swift. That’s three running backs in the NFL and a likely first-round pick when Swift decides to leave. According to head coach Kirby Smart, the talent above in front of Herrien was significant.

“The Brian that I'm seeing now is the Brian I've always seen. The difference is you guys are seeing him. You say, ‘Why didn't he play?’ The guys that are in the NFL is the reason he didn't play. Brian has been perfectly capable...He's just getting more opportunity now.”

So who is the Herrien that Smart has known and we are now seeing?

“I kind of like to bruise. I kind of just want to hit the defense as much as I can,” said Herrien. “So as the game goes on, the defense doesn’t want to come back and keep making the same tackles. They’ll kind of get to the side or hesitate a little bit, and at that point, I can just run by.”

With the talent that Herrien has displayed this season, one might wonder why he chose to stay at Georgia rather than be the lead back elsewhere. According to Smart, Herrien stayed because he exemplifies what a Georgia running back should be.

“He works hard, Smart said. “You can say he's been patient, but he's been a contributor in every way. I mean, the guy has played almost every role on every special teams. He's first in line when we do stuff for special teams. I've seen him carry the ball plenty in practices and know that he's talented enough.”

Smart continued:

“I don't think you look for greener pastures at Georgia. You continue to work and get better because the green pasture is what the O-line opens up. I mean, they open up green pastures for you to have the ability to run, and you're not looking to run away from here and run away from a good physical O-line where you get the opportunity to carry the ball.”

Herrien’s persistence has resulted in a leadership role for him, much like his teammate Tyler Simmons. The two go back much farther than when they arrived in Athens four years ago.

“Me and Tyler, we’ve been going to school together since kindergarten,” said Herrien. “Most people didn’t know that. We went to the same middle school, high school. He transferred my junior year of high school and went to McEachern. In elementary school, we played against each other in rec ball. In middle school, we played together. In high school, we played together. I didn’t know and he didn’t know we were both coming here. It’s just crazy that we always went to school together.”

Simmons isn’t surprised by the recent outburst from Herrien seeing as how he’s played with him his entire life.

“I’ve always seen it. Like I said, we came up together. He’s always left his heart out on the field. That’s his biggest thing. He’s a hard runner at all times. He never lets up on anybody.”