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Georgia tailback Kendall Milton ‘gaining steam’ into postseason
System
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Georgia tailback Kendall Milton ‘gaining steam’ into postseason
ATHENS — Kendall Milton is breaking loose in the Georgia football backfield, and just in time.
Comments
Really happy to see him shine. It’s been a tough road but looks like he finally got healthy and the light came on. Running with power and swag…. Give him the rock baby!
I liked Kendall when he was first recruited. He burst through log jams against defenses. His first downs as a Dawg saw him carry multiple players with him down field...Chubb-,like. Then,injury, and he faded into relative obscurity on the RB roster. It is so good to see him gashing defenses again and hitting/creating solid holes for long yardage. He will be needed in top form against OSU. I assure you of that. OSU cannot handle physicality....Michigan proved it. Kenny Mac needs to play with the abandon he has shown of late. This is for the crown....UGA needs to get hungry.......EAT!
Meanwhile, Bennett throws for four TD passes in the first half before the coaches shut down the passing game in order to chew up the clock. That is the real story of the SECCG and the difference in the game. Glad our running game is coming along, but it was shut down by LSU until garbage time.
Managing Milton's touches throughout the season to try and maximize his game day availability was a smart coaching strategy. As expected, he was not able to run up any significant regular season stat's. But he is now in position to help the team achieve its #1 goal.
Milton missed extensive playing time in previous seasons due to injury resulting from his pounding running style. His track record for durability was never going to allow Milton to approach the stat's of a bell cow RB like Zamir White.
If Milton can last 2 more games he could play a pivotal role in bringing home another championship.
Other schools are expressing interest in Milton, but he's not in the portal. How is that?
Kendall is just coming into his own imo. Should be the lead TB next year if he can stay healthy, not fumble, and continues to work hard. In the last three games, he has looked better than he has ever in Athens.
@Hemingwey
For various reasons, in the offense that Smart and Monken designed around Stetson Bennett IV the RBs are complementary at best. UGA calling twice as many passing plays as running plays - Bennett has nearly 400 passing attempts in 13 games where Jake Fromm had less than 300 passing attempts in 15 games in 2017 and barely 300 attemnpts in 14 games in 2018. Of course if you look at the total # of carries it looks more balanced - technically UGA has 487 rushes to 430 passes on the season - but a lot of those carries are UGA milking the clock. But consider 2018: UGA had 567 rushes to 356 passes. In 2017: 305 passes to 670 rushes.
So, it wasn't that LSU stopped UGA's rushing offense in the first half. Instead, it was UGA preferred throwing the ball to Bowers, McConkey etc. and was making no real attempt to run the football.
@PerroGrande
That is assuming that UGA ever returns to the "lead back" concept. They haven't used it since hiring Monken. And Smart has never at any point stated "we need have a guy run it 20 times a game at 6-7 yards per carry" since hiring Monken either.
Yep, I can’t wait to see the 2023 version of Kendall Milton. I’m not sure why this article mentions him for the portal, but as you have rightly mentioned in your comment he is poised to be a stand out tailback for the Dawgs, and take the SEC by storm in the 2023 season. If someone is trying to lure him into the portal CKS needs to extinguish that immediately.
GO DAWGS!
Kendell Milton is a real paradox. On one hand he has talent. But he can't stay healthy. Does he have enough on tape to be drafted this year? Does he risk another injury by coming back next season? Have the injuries already taken their toll? On his breakaway run vs LSU he was easily caught from behind. Does he even have the skills to play at the next level or would he be better served completing his education and having a good life outside football?
UGA may be the best place for him vs transferring. As lead RB by committee, Milton can be showcased w/o overuse and risking further injuries. All bets are off for him returning to school if he should somehow run a sub 4.5/40 at any work outs.
I think they use the talent at hand as they see best. White was clearly the lead TB last year. I also think you are confusing strategy and philosophy. Smart's philosophy has been, and will always be, to have a dominant running game. UGA's past during his tenure has certainly shown that, as you pointed out, but the hiring of Monken was designed to create more offensive production.
Monken is pretty balanced and has shown he can win with the passing game if you move too many hats into the box, and he can pound the rock (like we have done in the last few games) if you try to stop the pass. If you take UGA's run production in the last three games and average just those games, the numbers would put us in the top 5% for CFB (vs. season numbers), both for YPC and total YPG. The running game has really picked up. UGA can and will do both. I think Monken's strategy has been designed to make life tougher for opposing DCs--establish the pass, and then use the run more effectively.
The portal mention was puzzling. IMHO, it would make even less sense than Jermaine Burton's move. With 20/20 hindsight, that one has become one of the worst decisions ever! Due to AD's injury, Jermaine would have have been the undisputed alpha Dawg. He probably would have had a big year. He would also be showcasing his NFL skills in the SECCG and CFPs. The decision could end up costing him millions, but maybe he can get to the NFL and make a big splash. I wish him the best.