Branson Robinson earns, seizes major opportunity
ATHENS, Ga. — It’s hard to know when a young College Football player is going to hit his stride. It could be soon after arriving on campus or a few years down the road. For Georgia running back Branson Robinson, his time seems to have come at the midpoint of his first season.
Those who weren’t familiar with Branson Robinson before the Auburn game are well acquainted now. The Mississippi native ripped of 32 yards on his first two carries of the game, both in the first half, before finishing with a team-high 98 rushing yards on 12 carries. He also added a rushing touchdown.
“He created that opportunity for himself through his work habits, how hard he’s worked since arriving,” Smart said of Robinson. “But it’s not like he hadn’t been talented the whole time he’s here. He’s earned the opportunity through the work he’s done. And you gain confidence through what you do in practice. And I think he continues to grow, have attention to detail in terms of pickups on checks and protection, and protecting the ball and making good run reads. And he’s done a lot of those things. And we certainly felt strongly enough about him in the job he’s done in practice to get him some in-game carries.”
Branson Robinson’s breakout is something that we probably should have seen coming. It was approximately two weeks ago when Smart spoke with reporters and said that Robinson possesses a set of skills that the Bulldogs need.
The seventh-year head coach noted his desire to get Branson Robinson ready to play so that he could pitch in. The time is now.
Junior tailback Kendall Milton, Georgia’s leading rusher coming into the Auburn game, is now dealing with a groin injury. That injury likely lead to Robinson getting 12 carries in the game but it’s not what opened the door for the early carries. Milton was healthy when Branson Robinson got into the game and ripped off a nine-yard gain in the first quarter.
The fact of the matter is that we’re going to be seeing plenty of Branson Robinson going forward. You know the Bulldog faithful are fired up about him because they’re drawing comparisons. He is being likened to guys like Nick Chubb and Thomas Brown because of his ridiculous weight-room numbers and running style. But to no one’s surprise, Smart isn’t into that part of it.
I’ll let you guys do all the comparing,” Smart said. “I’m happy with who Branson is. Branson’s his own person. I think you — everybody tries to give everybody a style of running back. But I don’t know that you got a body of work large enough to know. We probably do because we get to see him each and every day. But I don’t think giving him comparisons is fair to him or the others. And I think he’s going to be a really good football player. He has great burst and acceleration. And he has great toughness.”
