Branson Robinson wins SEC Freshman of the Week
Georgia freshman Branson Robinson was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Monday in an announcement out of the league offices in Birmingham. Robinson rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown – the first of his career – on 12 carries in the Bulldogs’ 42-10 win over Auburn on Saturday.
“The addition of Branson was really big for us,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said on Robinson after the game. “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.”
“He was able to do it because of opportunity. And he was able to do it because a really good game plan in the run game and our offensive line moving their defensive line,” Smart added on Monday. “He was given the opportunity to do it and he seized that opportunity. He created that opportunity for himself through his work habits, how hard he’s worked since arriving. 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.”
Robinson provided an immediate spark with a nine yard carry on his first rush and a 23-yard scamper on his second. Later in the game, Robinson had a 15-yard score to put Georgia up 42-10 before capping the game off with a 30-yard run.
“I see it every day when we’re practicing with him. The way he runs the ball is physical,” Georgia running back Kenny McIntosh said on Robinson. “He’s fast, he’s quick, he makes decisions real fast and can make people miss. The way he runs the ball, him and Daijun are very strong. They can definitely between the lines and make cuts and stuff like that. He definitely brought that out today.”
Robinson is the fourth different Georgia player to bring home an SEC honor and fifth different weekly award this season. Christopher Smith won Defensive Player of the Week after the season-opener against Oregon followed up by Brock Bowers’ Offensive Player of the Week accolade for his big day at South Carolina. Kicker Jack Podlesny then won Special Teams Player of the Week each of the last two weeks for his performances against Kent State and Missouri. He is Georgia’s first SEC Freshman of the Week since two-time winner Bowers earned the accolade following the Kentucky game last year. Bowers ended up being the SEC and national Freshman of the Year.
Georgia takes on Vanderbilt this week for the homecoming game at Sanford Stadium. Kickoff time is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
