‘We’ve got to get both those guys more touches,’ Smart says of Georgia’s running backs

Georgia running back Elijah Holyfield quickly brought fans flashbacks of Bulldogs great Herschel Walker during one of Holyfield’s first-quarter runs against LSU Saturday.

Holyfield took an up-the-middle hand off and soon found himself plowing over LSU linebacker John Battle for a 17-yard gain, giving Georgia a pulse on its second offensive drive. Without hesitation, the CBS broadcast showed Walker’s infamous carry against Tennessee in 1980.

The two were nearly the same.

“If you look at the film, I’m jumping up-and-down,” Georgia offensive guard Solomon Kindley said. “If you zoom in, you’ll see me smiling. It got me ready to play, more enthusiastic and ready to go after it.”

Added tight end Charlie Woerner: “He had some really explosive runs and was running over dudes.”

While Holyfield used a physical build to run over defenders, D’Andre Swift was bouncing away from tackles and recording runs of 12 to 18 yards. On nine consecutive run plays, Georgia averaged 7.9 yards per carry — not including a 28-yard run from Holyfield that was removed by a holding penalty.

Then the momentum vanished.

Once the Bulldogs got in the red zone, Georgia opted to throw on consecutive plays, and a botched fake field goal was the result. It would be a testament to Georgia’s offensive approach (and result) for the remainder of its 36-16 loss to LSU.

Nearly one-third of Georgia’s rushing attempts came on the first-quarter drive (nine of 30), then the Bulldogs went away from it, and quarterback Jake Fromm finished the game with 34 pass attempts — the highest total of his career.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said after the game that the Bulldogs tried to return to the run game on a later drive, but it didn’t have success. But in essence, Georgia went away from its run-first identity that it has preached throughout the season.

“That’s really what our strength is,” Smart said. “When you see Solomon and Andrew (Thomas) come off the ball on a double team and move through, then Cade (Mays) and Lamont (Gaillard) come off and double team people, that’s our strength.”

Georgia has had success with its run game throughout the season at an average of 226.3 yards per game. It ranks as the best mark in the SEC. Usually, however, Georgia finds rushing success in the second half after winning the line-of-scrimmage with physicality.

It was a reversal against the Tigers as Georgia found its first-quarter success and was seemingly moving the LSU defense at will. It’s not known if it’ll continue as Georgia’s two feature backs received only 19 carries combined and nine after the successful drive — opposed to 51 attempts for 275 yards by LSU.

Smart, after Georgia’s win over Tennessee that involved Georgia sticking to its run game, said of the Bulldogs’ usual philosophy: “All of us, including me, think, ‘Oh, we’re just going to run it down their throat. We’re Georgia.’ It is hard to run the ball. You must chop wood and continue to wear people down. … You have to commit to it and believe in it.”

Georgia will try to rediscover its run game during the off week and against Florida on Oct. 27, and Holyfield’s workload could be a factor in that. After the highlight play Saturday, Holyfield received five more carries and only three of those came after the 65-yard drive.

Holyfield received his third consecutive start and recorded 56 yards on a staggering average of eight yards per carry. He has received a total of 13 carries in Georgia’s last two contests with Vanderbilt and LSU. In the two games prior, against Missouri and Tennessee, he combined for 30 attempts.

The suddenly-decreased workload remains a bit of a mystery as it isn’t due to injury or lack of conditioning. Georgia has attempted replication of a two-back system as it has in years prior, but Holyfield has 116 yards on five fewer carries.

“He’s in really good condition,” Smart said. “I think giving him opportunities and touches to the the ball are really important, especially when we’re able to get positive yardage. He’s being productive, and that’s really important to our offense.”

Smart knows, however, that the continued production by Swift and Holyfield can only show if one thing occurs.

“We’ve got to get both those guys more touches,” he said.