TAMPA — At this point, Georgia coach Mark Richt has really modest expectations for the Bulldogs’ tailbacks.
Asked Tuesday what he hoped to see out of his running backs in the Outback Bowl on Monday against Michigan State, he said, “Ball security, number one. Just, you know, play physical and finish runs, pick up the blitz.”
That’s where it has gotten for the Bulldogs at the end of the 2011 season. At times this year they were one of the better running teams in the SEC, with freshman Isaiah Crowell rushing for 81 or more yards on six different occasions and Georgia as a team gaining 185 or more six times.
But the Bulldogs had trouble running in the past three games. They averaged only 103.6 yards against Kentucky, Georgia Tech and LSU and had a season-low 78 yards against the Tigers in the SEC Championship game.
It’s not going to get any easier against Michigan State. The Spartans enter Monday’s game ranked No. 5 in the nation in total defense (272.69 yards) and No. 12 against the run (104.31).
Injuries haven’t helped the cause. Junior Richard Samuel went down with an ankle injury on the last play of the Florida game Oct. 29 after a dominant 41-yard performance in the fourth quarter as Georgia salted away the game. He underwent surgery and has not played since. He’ll return against the Spartans.
Crowell sprained his left ankle on his second carry of the Kentucky game Nov. 19 and hasn’t been close to 100 percent since. Junior Carlton Thomas injured a knee late in the LSU game Dec. 3. The lone bright spot late in the year has been Ken Malcome, who led the Bulldogs in rushing in the past two games, albeit with just 39 and 37 yards, respectively.
So getting the running game back on track is the first priority for the Bulldogs. Richt pronounced an open competition at the outset of bowl practices.
“Ken’s No. 1 going into this practice,” Richt said before Tuesday’s workout at the University of Tampa. “But it’s highly competitive. We’ll see where it ends up. I hope he holds on to it. That’d be a good thing. But Richard’s back into the fold, and he’ll have something to say about that this week, as well as Isaiah.”
It’s quite an accomplishment for Malcome to sit atop the depth chart heading into the final game. At one point in the middle of the season he actually left the team. But his departure lasted one day, and he came back and rededicated himself to competing for playing time.
“Going into every game, going into every week, I didn’t know what to expect from anybody, not even myself during one period of time,” said Malcome, a 6-foot, 226-pound redshirt freshman from Decatur. “I felt like toward the end of the season I started doing better. Things started slowing down, and I started getting more comfortable. From almost leaving to having a good game versus LSU to starting for the bowl game, that’s a big thing.”
Of course, Crowell continues to be the wild card. The Bulldogs’ leading rusher with 847 yards, he played well enough to be named SEC freshman of the year. But his inability to stay on the field or in the games has cast doubts about his durability and toughness.
Once again, he was sidelined Tuesday with an undisclosed illness. “He’s under the weather a tad” is how Richt described it. But the Bulldogs haven’t given up on Crowell.
“I think Isaiah has done real well,” Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “I mean, he’s a freshman. He’s done a lot of things and made a lot of mistakes that freshmen make. But he’s also showed he can be one of the best backs in this league. He’s going to continue to push and strive to become a better and a more consistent player. ... He’s a kid with a lot of talent and he showed it at times this year. We’ve just got to get him to be more consistent, and he’s got to become more consistent.”
That goes for the Bulldogs’ running game as a whole.
