Milton's ready to take on a bigger role in year three as a Bulldog
Milton's ready to take on a bigger role in year three as a Bulldog
Georgia running back Kendall Milton is primed to have a breakout season in 2022.
The junior has battled several injuries throughout the past two years. However, he has also waited his turn behind former Bulldogs Zamir White and James Cook the last few seasons.
Now, it’s Milton and senior Kenny McIntosh on the top of the depth chart as the top tailbacks.
"Even coming up as a freshman, as a sophomore, I knew it was all about trusting the process," Milton said last week. "At a school like this, we’re always going to have five-star, four-star running backs coming in back-to-back-to-back. At a certain point, you’ve kind of just got to wait your turn. At the end of the day, everybody’s going to get their turn."
Milton arrived at Georgia as a freshman in 2020 during the COVID season. Despite battling an injury, he saw action in seven of 10 games, totaling 193 rushing yards on 35 attempts while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Milton was also a Freshman All-SEC team selection.
He was the team’s fourth-leading rusher in 2021 after battling a hamstring injury towards the start of the season. Milton ran for 264 yards on 56 attempts with a touchdown. He also rushed for a career-high 66 yards in the win over South Carolina last year.
Milton’s been waiting for his chance to be the guy on top of the depth chart. He’s put in the work in the offseason and is still grinding to earn the bulk of the load at running back.
"You kind of have to look yourself in the mirror and decide, like, okay, are you ready to be the number one or ready to have that main role? I kind of just took my opportunities and tried to do the best I could with them,” Milton said. “At the end of the day, I still knew I had things to work on to be able to become the back I wanted to be."
Milton is currently Georgia’s leading rusher through its first two games. He’s racked up 135 yards on 18 attempts and a touchdown. Milton is averaging 7.5 yards per carry. He’s also hauled in two pass completions for a total of 25 yards and a score so far in 2022.
The California native has already shown his ability to break tackles and run well in space. The only problem Milton faces is if he can stay healthy through an entire season.
“Kendall's done a great job,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said on Monday. “He did what he did in the spring. He's run the ball with toughness. He's very smart in terms of his pickup. He's improved as a pass receiver out of the backfield as well. He's done everything we've asked him to do to this point. He's hard to tackle. He's physical.”
Milton’s teammates, especially the ones who block for him upfront, have noticed a change in his running style. They’ve seen him become more of a versatile running back.
“I think when Kendall first came in he was very downhill. Just hit the hole and do what he’s supposed to do,” Georgia offensive line Sedrick Van Pran said on Monday. “I think Kendall is becoming more comfortable. I think he’s starting to see things better, and you know, generally starting to feel into his own. You know, I’m proud of him for it.”
Milton rushed for a new career-high (85 yards) against Samford on Saturday. He averaged 8.5 yards per attempt. Milton also had a career-long carry of 19 yards versus the FCS Bulldogs. In the season opener, he rushed for 50 yards on eight attempts in the win over Oregon.
Georgia’s been a pass-heavy offense through the first two games of 2022. The Bulldogs are averaging 395.0 passing yards per game compared to 129.5 rushing yards per contest.
The standard at Georgia is being able to run the ball effectively. The Bulldogs haven’t been able to do that thus far, despite averaging 4.5 yards per rush attempt combined as a team.
They are hoping to accomplish their goals and improve against South Carolina this Saturday. The Gamecocks are currently allowing opponents to rush for 4.7 yards per attempt.
“There is still a lot to improve on if we want to reach the goals we want to reach,” Milton said of Georgia’s combined rushing performance against Samford this past Saturday. “We know that as a team. We know that as brothers. We just have to go back and continue to work, continuing to fix the little things to improve our game as a team.”