Kirby Smart talked about how banged up the Georgia Bulldogs are after beating Alabama on Saturday night without its two starting running backs, multiple wide receivers and a couple of defenders.
Missing your top two running backs is not ideal, especially when RB1 Nate Frazier was a last-second scratch with a rib injury and you are going up against Alabama on the road in a gigantic matchup. Dwight Phillips Jr. stepped up in a major way, carrying the ball 17 times for 120 yards and a few explosive runs.
Phillips Jr. ended up suffering an injury late in the win, although he has been deemed as fine and made an appearance with the media on Monday, indicating that he is not injured in any serious way. Still, Georgia’s running back room is not even close to being at full strength right now with Frazier and Chauncey Bowens’ status for the Auburn game up in the air. Dante Dowdell may never play football again, and he was projected to be an important factor before the season started.
Smart and Mike Bobo turned to Bo Walker and true freshman three-star Nick Peal to play secondary roles against Alabama. Dante
So, what happens if disaster strikes? Smart didn’t say what they would do, but he did make a comment on Monday that tells you that true freshman defensive back Tyriq Green is one of the emergency running backs.
Someone asked him who they can move to running back with all of the injuries to that position. His response:
“We don't have anybody to move there. I mean, Tyriq Green, you can't move there. So we got the guys we got,” Smart said.
Green suffered an ankle injury toward the end of Georgia’s 70-20 win over Western Kentucky in September. He hasn’t played since. Green scored two touchdowns in that game - one a kick return and the other was a fumble that he recovered in the end zone.
Smart commonly recruits defensive backs that have or can play multiple positions. He says he wanted them to be the best athletes on the field. Malaki Starks was a running back and quarterback in addition to safety at Jefferson High School. KJ Bolden was a wide receiver as well as a safety at Buford High School.
Green was a running back and a kick returner at Buford High School, in addition to his defensive back duties. He was an integral three-phase player on Buford’s state championship run last year.
As a senior, he totaled 58 tackles, two pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble on defense. On offense, he carried the ball 117 times for 713 yards and 13 touchdowns and caught 16 passes for 177 yards and three scores. He also returned both a kick and a punt for a touchdown.
He was a three-star prospect for a long time, but rose up the ranks to becoming a four-star during his senior year as he led Burford to become Georgia’s state champion in the highest classification.
He is the type of athlete that can play offense in college in addition to being a top defensive back prospect. Apparently, he is one of Georgia's emergency running backs. Why else would Smart say what he said on Monday?
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