UGA Football RB Kendall Milton Playing His Best At The Perfect Time
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ATHENS - Is there another UGA football player playing better than Kendall Milton right now?
Amarius Mims? Kamari Lassiter? Carson Beck? Hell, let’s throw Peyton Woodring in there. Anyway, the list is pretty short.
Georgia’s veteran running back has powered through injury after injury throughout his four-year Bulldog career. But now, Milton is playing the best football of his career, and it’s coming at the perfect time.
Milton has made an impact dating back to his freshman season in 2020, but heading into the 2023 season, still battling through injuries, Milton knew he veteran Daijun Edwards needed to carry the load at running back. Not only have they carried the load with 246 combined carries this year, but they’ve made it look easy at times.
Right now, it’s coming real easy for Kendall Milton. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was asked about the senior back during his Monday press conference this week.
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“(Milton’s play) has come from good run scheme, being in the right runs at the right time, understanding the leverages, a really good run plan and perimeter blocking, but he certainly is healthier than he's been. He's running with confidence. I feel like he's hitting the hole a lot harder because he's more confident, and being explosive is getting to the secondary. You're not going to be an explosive run offense if you don't get your backs to the secondary. And that's one thing we've been able to do is get him past that first level, and he's running through a lot of arm tackles, too, which is really important to be an explosive run team.”
Milton’s always been able to run through tackles. The big 6-foot-1 220-pounder from Fresno, California is a bruising back with good speed and deceptive burst. And now that he’s healthy, he’s been one of the more effective running backs in college football over the last three weeks.
It started with Ole Miss. On just nine carries, Milton ran for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He powered his way through tackles and showed off some speed, taking one carry 51 yards.
Against Tennessee, Milton rushed for 66 yards and one touchdown. And last weekend, Milton had a career game against Georgia Tech, taking off for 156 yards and two more touchdowns. He’s now rushed for at least one touchdown in 8 of his 11 games this season.
As hard as Milton is running right now, you have to give credit to the offensive line. They’re winning battles up front, and Milton is taking full advantage of it. He’s been given room to run, and when he starts getting some speed, he becomes a bowling ball at the second level. He fights through tackles and consistently falls forward on his way down to the ground.
But will the holes be there against Alabama?
The Crimson Tide gave up 224 yards on the ground to Auburn and 206 yards to LSU. Other than that, the Tide have done a great job shutting down the opponent’s rushing attack.
Both quarterbacks will have to make plays with their arm, and both defenses will need to make a big play or two, but in the end, this game could, and probably should, come down to the line of scrimmage. And if Georgia can get some push up front, Kendall Milton could see some big holes on Saturday. And if that’s the case, it could be a long night for the Crimson Tide.