Georgia: King in waiting

ATHENS, Ga. — Caleb King believes he and Richard Samuel can hold their own next season should they supplant Knowshon Moreno in Georgia’s running game.

King just hopes Bulldogs fans can keep things in perspective.

“It’s going to be hard to live up to the hype,” he said. “If Richard and I have 100 yards apiece but don’t jump over anybody, it probably isn’t going to measure up. We’ll just have to see what happens.”

The dazzling Moreno has rushed for 1,338 yards this season after amassing 1,334 a year ago, becoming the only tailback in Georgia history other than Herschel Walker to have multiple 1,000-yard seasons. Walker compiled three straight from 1980 to ’82 before skipping his senior season, and Moreno is expected to forgo his final two college years after the Capital One Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Bulldogs running backs coach Tony Ball has envisioned his backfield without Moreno, the school’s first Doak Walker Award finalist since Garrison Hearst in 1992.

“You know that day is going to come at some point,” Ball said, “and you prepare each guy to be ready to play, because I always tell them they’re one play away from being the starter. If that decision is made and he decides to leave, then we’ll start a new era.

“These young men have trained and prepared themselves, and it’s really amazing how once you know it’s your time, how well they’ll adjust, so we’ll adjust and start a new era and keep plugging along. Going into spring, Caleb and Richard will get the bulk of it, and Carlton Thomas will get a great deal of it.”

King, a 5-foot-11, 212-pound redshirt freshman from Norcross, has rushed for 247 yards and a touchdown this season on 61 carries. Samuel, a 6-2, 222-pound freshman from Cartersville, has 133 yards and a score on 26 carries.

Both tailbacks have shown glimpses, yet they’ve also had their confidence rattled.

King missed a block against Florida that resulted in a sack of Matthew Stafford. He didn’t play the next two weeks against Kentucky and Auburn. Samuel, who doesn’t turn 18 until February, had only eight carries in Georgia’s last nine games and fumbled a kickoff return in the disastrous third quarter against Georgia Tech.

“I’ve been pleased with some things, but probably the most disappointing thing is that we’ve been too inconsistent,” Ball said. “One week Richard’s mind might not be in the right place, and the next week it might be Caleb’s mind wandering. You end up having to play musical chairs. ‘This guy had a better week this week,’ and you don’t like that.”

Said King: “I’m not going to say they stopped trusting me or didn’t play me because of a block. I guess they did what they thought was best for the team. Everything happens for a reason.”

Behind King and Samuel would be Thomas and Dontavious Jackson, who are redshirting this season, and sophomore walk-on Kalvin Daniels. The long shot in that bunch is Jackson, who has been plagued by injuries since high school and recently underwent knee surgery.

Georgia has a commitment from Washaun Ealey (5-11, 205) of Twin City, who is rated by Rivals.com as the No. 12 tailback nationally.

King’s season high of 95 yards came in the opener against Georgia Southern, while Samuel notched his top output the following week with 44 yards against Central Michigan. In the last three games, the two combined on just five carries for 9 yards.

That’s not Moreno material.

“It wasn’t what I dreamed,” King said. “I thought I was going to be all this and all that, but it’s a learning process. I am blessed to have learned this year from one of the best backs in the nation, so I think I’ll do well next year.

“I believe I have the confidence and Richard has the confidence. We just have to get in a groove.”

University of Georgia photo

Georgia redshirt freshman tailback Caleb King could be the starter next season despite having just two carries in the past four games.