Let’s see, Georgia beat Auburn by 32 points and covered the spread. Why did the game feel much closer?

I’m blaming the “feel” of the game on the relatively slow start. Auburn came to Athens ready to make the rivalry meaningful once again. The combination of Auburn’s aggressive play and an ineffective passing game by the Dawgs cast a here-we-go-again pall over the crowd after Georgia struggled in the passing game, and the masses never regained the spirit that trouncing Auburn usually brings out.

Daijun Edwards continued showcasing his running style gaining 83 yards on 12 tough carries. Edwards may look undersized, but when he breaks up field and contact is imminent, linebackers and defensive backs had better be ready for a violent collision. Daijun doesn’t blink.

However, I want to talk about another running back today, Branson Robinson. Robinson comes from the Elijah Holyfield school of running back conditioning; with massive arms and legs, he must be a nightmare for would-be tacklers. He ended the day as Georgia’s leading rusher with 98 yards on 12 carries, and Kirby Smart noted in his postgame interview:

“The addition of Branson was really big for us; he’s a guy we felt like all week we had to get more opportunities for him because he’s run the ball well in practice. He’s got a bit of a burst, and was able to get some carries with Kendall being banged up and I thought he did a good job.”

Robinson’s power and speed will propel him to a more significant role in the offense. Remember, he is a freshman who enrolled in the summer and did not have the advantage of spring practice to get him up to speed on Todd Monken’s offense.

Quality depth at running back is critical in the SEC wars, and the meat of the 2022 schedule is still ahead of the Dawgs. Edwards and Robinson have shown they are ready for the challenge.