Sony Michel's return appreciated by Kirby Smart, Bulldogs

Georgia junior tailback Sony Michel celebrates after scoring the first touchdown of last Saturday's eventual 34-31 loss to Tennessee.
Georgia junior tailback Sony Michel celebrates after scoring the first touchdown of last Saturday's eventual 34-31 loss to Tennessee.

BULLDOGS TO PLAY SUNDAY

South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp said Thursday night on his weekly call-in show that Saturday night’s game against visiting Georgia would be pushed back to Sunday afternoon due to Hurricane Matthew.Muschamp made the announcement after speaking with Gamecocks athletic director Ray Tanner.“We’re going to play on Sunday afternoon, but the game time has not been decided yet,” Muschamp said. “We’re working with the University of Georgia and the Southeastern Conference on this, as well as the SEC Network for a kick time, but it will definitely be Sunday.”— David Paschall

ATHENS, Ga. - In the minutes after Georgia's stunning loss to Tennessee last Saturday, first-year Bulldogs football coach Kirby Smart fielded numerous questions about the "Hail Mary" the Volunteers converted and the excessive-celebration penalty that helped provide Tennessee with workable field position.

It was during a question about Georgia's running game that Smart quickly singled out junior tailback Sony Michel.

"Sony runs so hard," Smart said. "I was so sick for that kid because of the way he competed as leader. That's what breaks your heart - when you see guys compete that way."

Given Tennessee's dramatic heave in its 34-31 triumph and the 47-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Eason to Riley Ridley with 10 seconds remaining that provided the Bulldogs a brief 31-28 advantage, Michel's performance was lost in the shuffle. The 5-foot-11, 222-pounder wasn't even the biggest story in his own backfield, with that going to fellow junior Nick Chubb and his ankle injury that limited him to one carry against the Vols.

Michel was the game's leading rusher, carrying 16 times for 91 yards (5.7 per carry), including a 14-yard touchdown late in the first quarter, and it's very evident that he has won his coach over.

"He's a passionate, fiery leader, and we as a coaching staff and an organization have been craving guys who are willing to speak and show their emotion," Smart said this week. "He's one of the few guys who has done that. He has taken on that leadership role. We've got some leaders on the team who aren't as vocal as others, and they kind of lead by example, but he has been willing to speak up, and I think it helps when you have a guy that is willing to do that.

"I see it in his play. He fights so hard and wants to play well and wants to do well for Georgia that you ache for people like that if the end result is not good for him."

Michel expected to be among the leaders on Smart's first team after rushing for 1,161 yards on Mark Richt's 15th and final team. His junior season was sidetracked and almost completely derailed in early July, when he suffered an open fracture on his forearm while riding an ATV.

Preseason camp was out of the question, and Michel sat out the opening win over North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. He had just three carries for 3 yards in the second game against Nicholls State and rushed nine times for 37 yards in the third game at Missouri.

The Michel of last season has returned the past two weeks - he rushed 11 times for 66 yards at Ole Miss before Saturday's showing against the Volunteers - and the Bulldogs have looked better at running the ball as a result.

"I think the coaches have done a great job of rotating the running backs, and I think that all the running backs are doing a great job," Michel said. "Everybody is playing his part, whether it's blocking or running the ball. We all seem to be doing our assignments really well.

"Running the football in this league takes time. Sometimes you have to be patient with it, because it's not going to be how you always want it to be, but eventually it's going to come."

Michel's involvement the past two weeks has helped enable Georgia rush for 411 yards after the Bulldogs ran for just 268 in their two preceding games. Yet his coaches and teammates seem even more excited to have him back because of what he brings from a morale standpoint.

"Sony has been a pretty vocal guy and a great leader for us," senior center Brandon Kublanow said. "It's fun to have him back there. It's fun to have him since his arm thing. He ran the ball well last weekend, and I expect to see the same thing this weekend."

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.

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