How Zamir White, ground game gave Georgia a recipe for victory against Kentucky

Running backs Zamir White, Kendall Milton and James Cook must’ve played the scarecrow, tin man and Dorothy over the bye week. And perhaps Todd Monken became the Wizard of Oz.

Instead of having their own requests for courage and ability, Georgia’s playmakers had the same ask.

“If I only had a run game,” they would’ve said.

OK, maybe not, though that’s how head coach Kirby Smart sarcastically spoke of his team’s offensive performance a few weeks back.

On this Halloween, the running backs could’ve put on the costumes and played the part. They got their wish.

Georgia (4-1) topped Kentucky 14-3 Saturday in Lexington. In many ways, the Bulldogs’ were sluggish in a game that had lacked flash and earned the description of a “physical war.” When the running backs got their chance though, Georgia didn’t miss its chance.

The Bulldogs tallied 43 run plays in a style of contest where time flew by and the game finished in under three hours. Georgia ran 15 times to open the game, scoring on its first drive on a scramble by quarterback Stetson Bennett. Georgia recorded 215 yards on 43 carries.

Amid talk about offensive resurgence, Kroger Field hosted an old-school SEC tilt.

“You take what they give you,” Smart said. “If they can’t stop us from running the ball, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Saturday’s run-heavy performance came after Georgia had taken a different approach in past weeks. Monken, who favors explosive plays as Georgia’s offensive coordinator, frequently turned to the pass and gave Bennett plenty of opportunities. In the loss to Alabama, the Bulldogs threw 40 passes and 24 designed runs. Georgia went away from its ground-and-pound approach early against the Crimson Tide and did not score in the second half of a 41-24 loss.

Smart, as midnight hit on Oct. 18, said Georgia can’t “throw the ball that many times and hope to be effective.” Over the following off week, Smart said his team needed to return to Georgia’s “brand of football” in a SEC coaches’ teleconference. White echoed the same sentiment after the Bulldogs turned to the run game in the win over Auburn.

Smart sang a different tune on Saturday. He said the shift to running the ball wasn’t planned. Georgia took advantage of what the Wildcats offered. Whatever the adjustment was, it worked. Smart has said there’s “no magic potion” for his team’s performance. But this is the magic run game, apparently, and the Bulldogs look different when they lean on their strength.

“The backs ran hard and we got a hat on a hat,” Smart said. “If you block the right guy and do it legally, our backs are hard to tackle. It’s tough when you have a 215 or 220-pound back at you. When you can do that successfully and put a good run plan together, it allows you to have success.”

Fifteen consecutive runs. It deserves emphasis. The heavy use of the ground game made it feel like Saturday’s game was a throwback to the 1990s and the Bulldogs have been in an alternate dimension for a few weeks. But no, in fact, what we saw Saturday is what Smart has leaned on over his first five years as head coach.

Granted, Georgia usually scores more points. A 14-point total after only scoring on the first drives of each half isn’t pretty. It felt like Georgia football again, and those in the red-and-black know that a run-first approach can prosper.

“It’s super important to run the ball in the SEC and break guys’ will,” Bennett said. “It’s obviously a lot easier for me to hand the ball off and watch those guys work. It was working today and they couldn’t really stop us. You have to be able to run to win the football game.”

The yardage totals amassed are significant and tell how Georgia can have success with its run game. Still, the Bulldogs should’ve had more points and could’ve run even more to get those scores. Georgia had a second-quarter drive that featured a 46-yard completion to Cook, the team’s longest pass play of the day. The connection to Cook was set up by a handful of run plays on previous drives that opened up the passing threat.

After the completion, White had consecutive runs of 9 and 10 yards. The Bulldogs called a pass on first-and-goal. Bennett planned to do a check-down pass, but it was tipped by a Kentucky defensive lineman. The error came after at least four deflected passes by Alabama’s defensive front.

“We’ve worked on trying to move and find holes,” Bennett said. “I should’ve lofted it a bit more.”

After Georgia’s long drive, Kentucky followed with a 19-play drive that took 10:28 off of the clock and resulted in a field goal, the lone score for the Wildcats. Otherwise, Georgia was able to hold its opponent in check. That could be attributed to ample rest between drives. The defense had plenty of chances to watch the running game work.

“A long offensive drive allows us to sit over there and make adjustments,” said safety Richard LeCounte, who recorded a fumble recovery. “Our guys can get off of their feet, so we can always be thankful for those situations. It gives us a quick blow.”

The rushing attack was led by a breakout game from White. He knew it was coming, he said earlier in the week. The sophomore recorded 136 yards and a touchdown — a 22-yard scamper — on 26 carries. For comparison, White had 408 yards and 78 carries in 13 games throughout the entire 2019 season.

White has overcome two torn ACL injuries to emerge in the starring role as Georgia’s running back. He had a slow start with a few performances around 50-to-80 yards on a lighter amount of carries. But Saturday became his day.

“He ran with toughness and there’s so much pride in Zamir,” Smart said. “He cares so much about his teammates and does everything the right way. He never gripes about touches and plays hard when he gets the ball.”

Georgia’s offense hasn’t peaked yet. There are a lot of questions ahead of the rivalry game with Florida next Saturday, but the Bulldogs showed another element. The element, or so-called “brand of football” that Smart is accustomed to.

Now Georgia has to put it together.

“I do not (think it is a struggling offense). I hope, one day, we get an opportunity to show it,” Smart said. “We go against a good defense everyday [in practice] and I see them work.”

Next Georgia game

Who: Georgia vs. Florida

Where: TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida

When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7

TV: CBS

This story was originally published November 1, 2020 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How Zamir White, ground game gave Georgia a recipe for victory against Kentucky."