Georgia prepares for another premier running back in John Kelly

Tennessee ranks in the bottom half nationally in every offensive statistic.

For a Georgia defense that ranks within the top 30 in every category, it may seem like a true mismatch for the Volunteers.

But there is one Tennessee playmaker Georgia has circled to focus on in running back John Kelly, who already has totaled 450 rushing yards and six touchdowns in four games.

“He’s one of the best backs I’ve seen, really in a long time,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. “The guy runs hard, and he doesn’t seem to get tired. The more carries he gets, the more physical he runs.”

Smart complimented Kelly’s attributes, ranging from his leg drive to violent stiff-arms. Kelly burst onto the scene in 2016 after Alvin Kamara suffered an injury and Jalen Hurd opted to transfer.

Smart recruited Kamara at Alabama and faced Hurd multiple times in the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry. With Kelly, Smart sees a little bit of both of Kamara and Hurd.

“This year, he’s just like Alvin and Hurd all in one,” Smart said.

Kelly and sophomore receiver Marquez Callaway are a part of a select group of surefire offensive weapons for the Volunteers. Georgia, however, has a run defense that ranks 17th in the nation (97.5 yards per game).

From its front seven to the secondary, Georgia’s run defense has been sound throughout the season’s early stages. With 10 starting upperclassmen, it is something the Bulldogs pride themselves on. But if one mistake occurs, they are aware that Kelly can make it costly.

In an attempt to emulate Kelly, Georgia has used walk-on running back Prather Hudson on the scout team due to his physicality and ability to catch passes in the backfield.

“It’s a gap responsibility game,” Georgia nose tackle John Atkins said. “You have to stay in your gap, and you can’t get out. If you do, he can make you pay for it. We also have to focus on gang tackling, population to the football.”

It marks the second time this season that Georgia will face a top-20 running back nationally. Notre Dame’s Josh Adams — 14th nationally with 124.8 yards per game — was held to 53 yards on 19 carries by the Bulldogs.

Georgia outside linebacker Davin Bellamy watched Kelly record 128 yards and four touchdowns against Georgia Tech in its season opener and realized how important he is to the Tennessee offense.

“He reminds us a lot of our backs,” Bellamy said. “He has a low center to the ground but runs very hard. He’s going to take advantage when you’re out of position. This defense is so gap sound, but a back like that can really expose you.”

On its own sideline, Georgia features a deep, formidable backfield. In addition to its starting duo of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, the Bulldogs have steadily increased the workload of freshman D’Andre Swift.

Tennessee’s run defense ranks 118th in the nation as it allows 236.5 yards per game. Therefore, the script in the run game may flip and the Bulldogs could have another advantage against a stymied unit.

While Georgia has options at the position, the challenge lies in getting consistent touches to each athlete.

“Some of them are better in some ways than others, and we leave that to the opponents and (the media) to figure out what that is,” Smart said. “But each one of our guys is probably a little better at something than the other one.”

This story was originally published September 28, 2017 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Georgia prepares for another premier running back in John Kelly."