The Georgia Bulldogs are coming off what would be a great year for most college football programs, but what was a down year for their program. Despite winning the SEC Championship, Georgia did not perform well in the postseason, losing in the College Football Playoff Semifinal game to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
There are plenty of reasons, like injuries, coaching changes and more, that led to Georgia not being as dominant as in previous seasons. But one analyst says the Bulldogs’ running game was the biggest problem in 2024.
How Can Georgia Fix Its Running Game in 2025?
On the surface, it may not seem like Georgia’s running game was bad last season. By Georgia standards though, it was not up to par. Georgia analyst Ryan Kerley broke down how the Georgia running game faltered in 2024 on the Dawg Post YouTube channel.
“Georgia ended up rushing for a whopping 1,742 yards. They ran for 4.1 yards per carry, they ran for 24 touchdowns, and 124.4 yards per game. Those numbers suck when you compare them to previous Georgia football seasons and recent Georgia football seasons,” Kerley said.
Those numbers may not seem bad, but it was the first time Georgia rushed for under 2,000 yards in a season since 2020.
On top of the rushing offense being below the standard in 2024, the Bulldogs lost their leading rusher, Trevor Etienne, to the NFL Draft. So heading into 2025, who is going to be relied on to get the Georgia run game back to the top of college football? Kerley believes it’s quarterback Gunner Stockton.
“He’s not Cam Newton, he’s not Lamar Jackson, he’s not RGIII, he’s not that kind of quarterback. He is the type of quarterback that is a scrappy runner, a strong runner, he’s faster than he looks, he’s not a blazer, but he’s just a good runner of the football,” Kerley said.
For fans who watched Stockton in the College Football Playoff last season, this may come as a surprise. Tthe young signal-caller didn’t wow in the game against an elite Fighting Irish defense, but he was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the 2022 recruiting class.
In his four-year career at Rabun County High School, Stockton ran for 4,327 yards and 77 touchdowns. His ability to use his legs is something Georgia hasn’t had at the quarterback position in a while and should help the team’s overall run game in 2025.
While Stockton may not solve all of the rushing issues Georgia was plagued with last season, Kerley is right that he will definitely contribute to the Bulldogs’ rushing offense in 2025.
