UGA Player Profile: Running Back Kregg Blumpkin

If Georgia's offense has been sinking the past two weeks, then Kregg Blumpkin has been the Bulldogs' life preserver. The junior was elevated to starting tailback after helping Georgia to its comeback win over Colorado, and he responded with a career-high 101 rushing yards Saturday. He was one of the few bright spots offensively in the 14-9 victory at Ole Miss. "We're definitely struggling, but Blump's a great player," defensive tackle Ray Gant said. "He has a lot of heart. The running back situation, they've been going through a lot. I admire him for keeping his head up and persevering. Now, he's where he wants to be. It's giving us all a little boost. He's playing well, and we're going to stay behind him." Blumpkin seemed set on being a fixture in Georgia's starting backfield after getting his first collegiate start against Purdue in the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1, 2004. The Lithonia native capped his freshman season with 90 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. His promising career was put on hold for a year when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on the first day of practice in 2004. With Blumpkin gone, Thomas Brown and Danny Ware combined for 1,455 rushing yards. "It's a memory to me," said Blumpkin, third on the team last season with 338 yards on 66 carries in Georgia's three-man tailback rotation. "It motivated me to come back, to push harder and harder to come back here and compete with Danny and Thomas Brown, and make myself get better and help the team out." After leading Georgia in rushing for the third straight game, the 6-foot-1, 222-pound Blumpkin tops the team with 269 yards and is 10th in the SEC at 53.8 yards per game. He has earned another start for Saturday night's game against No. 13 Tennessee at Sanford Stadium. "I really like what he's done," Georgia coach Mark Richt said. "He looks better to me then pre-injury, because he was still a freshman back then, but you felt like he was coming on." Coming back strong Kregg Blumpkin rushed for 101 yards against Ole Miss on Saturday. His career stats: Year Att Yards YPC TDs 2003 112 523 4.7 6 2005 66 335 5.1 3 2006 48 269 5.6 2 - Missed 2004 with ACL injury Saturday: Tennessee at Georgia 7:45 p.m. (ESPN)