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247Sports · Jordan D Hill

4d ago
Georgia ground game gets by without Nate Frazier
Summary
Pick/market: The Georgia run game faced a daunting task on Saturday: Take on a tough Oklahoma defensive front without starter Nate Frazier.
The Georgia run game faced a daunting task on Saturday: Take on a tough Oklahoma defensive front without starter Nate Frazier. While the Bulldogs didn't light the world on fire running the football, they did more than enough to get by while Frazier watched from the sideline. Georgia found enough success on the ground in the team's 41-13 victory over Oklahoma. The Bulldogs rushed for 130 yards and 5.0 yards per carry, a strong performance given Frazier's absence and given that the Sooners had only allowed 2.8 yards per carry prior to Saturday. "I thought the other backs did a great job," Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said. "We've got to hang on to the ball, got to get more yards after contact. We talk about Dawg yards. If we're going to be an elite team, they've got to turn 3-yard runs into 5-yard runs. They've got to turn 5-yard runs into 7-yard runs. They've got to get yards after contact. I don't know that we actually did that today.  "I think we played against a really good defense. We did not knock them out or blow-by-blow take them out of the game like we wanted to. They're talented, and they've got a good coach." Frazier dressed out for Saturday's game after suffering a rib injury a week ago, but it was apparent during warm-ups he would not be available. The attention then turned to Chauncey Bowens and the other backs, who did their part to move the ball when given the chance. Bowens was relatively quiet as the top ball carrier, as he ended the day with 29 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns and a longest run of 7 yards. That said, he came in clutch as a pass catcher by taking a pass for 24 yards early in the fourth quarter after the offense had struggled the quarter before.  Bowens' big catch was immediately followed by the most explosive play of the day. Dwight Phillips Jr. took a carry to his right, reached the sideline, and raced past the Oklahoma defense on his way to a 54-yard touchdown, which helped Georgia take a 38-6 lead. The touchdown capped off an excellent afternoon for Phillips, who ended the day with 84 yards and was responsible for both explosive runs for the Bulldogs.  "You've got to catch him if you can," Georgia linebacker Raylen Wilson said of Phillips. "You've got to catch him before he gets rolling." For Smart, Phillips can be summed up in one word: Explosiveness. "We've got to get Peanut more touches and find ways to get him the ball. I mean, that's what we saw all spring and fall," Smart said. "I was really proud of him today, his stick-to-itiveness, his ball security, his hitting the hole. But then he also had a special teams tackle on one of the best returners in the country, and that's what we challenged him to do this game." Georgia ended the game with 26 carries for 130 rushing yards with Bowens, Phillips, Bo Walker, Jaden Reddell, and Gunner Stockton helping the cause. Georgia center Drew Bobo characterized the rushing performance as "alright," noting that the standard at UGA is higher than how things shook out. That said, Bobo pointed out Georgia has no shortage of capable running backs to turn to. "It's great to block for them because I know no matter who's back there, it can be an explosive play no matter what," Bobo said. Smart didn't share much on Frazier after the game, only saying he didn't know how close Frazier was to playing. Getting their best ball carrier back on the field is imperative, but the Bulldogs proved they can make do with the others while he's out.

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Teams: Georgia

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