Running back Kenny McIntosh was asked to put on his “analyst hat” during Tuesday’s post-practice Zoom session with reporters.
His task: to offer up a quick assessment of each of his teammates in the Bulldog backfield, and what each brings to the team.
“All the backs have a different running style,” said McIntosh, who had the following to say about each one.
• James Cook: “Very explosive; he can get skinny whenever he wants to.”
• Zamir White: “Zeus is downhill. He can make a guy miss as well, but he’s going to put his head down and get those tough yards.”
• Kendall Milton: “He can definitely break tackles; he’s explosive.”
• Daijun Edwards: “He’s really quick. He’s shifty. I feel he can get in and out of his cuts really easy. “
As for McIntosh himself.
“I feel like my vision is great,” he said. “I can get in and out of cuts, too. I can catch the ball as well.”
As a group, Georgia’s overall numbers certainly qualify as impressive.
Between White (144 carries for 779 yards), Cook (45-303), McIntosh (47-251), Edwards (37-218), and Milton (35-193), the quintet combined for 1,744 rushing yards last year. With two extra games in 2021, those numbers should increase, despite the fact that finding enough carries for everyone may ultimately be offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s biggest problem.
But before anyone thinks for a second this might present a problem in a room full of competitive backs, McIntosh swears that's not the case.
“It’s a blessing to have this much talent, on the field at one time,” McIntosh said. “It takes a lot of wear and tear off of our bodies. All of us are getting opportunities to go out there and perform. We love it.”
That does not mean the competitive nature that dwells within each of Georgia’s five scholarship backs does not interject itself onto the practice field.
“Every day we come on the field, we do it realizing this is our job. We need to come out and do it every single day,” McIntosh said. “Having that mindset is what we do all the time.”
With the opener against Clemson less than two weeks away, one might believe these backs are starting to focus on the Tigers and what they will do defensively to try and slow the Bulldog running game. Although it’s a safe bet that Georgia coaches are putting those plans into focus, for McIntosh, it’s still all about the Bulldogs on the practice field.
“We’re really focused on Georgia and what we can do,” McIntosh said. “We’re not really focused on Clemson right now. We’re focused on what we can and cannot do, and what we need to work on.”
One thing McIntosh did say, however: the running backs will be a big part of that plan.
“We have a plan on using the backs as much as we can,” McIntosh said. “(Offensive coordinator Todd Monken) is going to put the ball in the playmakers’ hands, whether it’s lining up and running a route, or special teams, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to go out and do what we have to do.”
