ATHENS — Georgia football handed off the ball nine times to an injured Kendall Milton on Saturday night, the team’s most elite and explosive tailback.

It was a move that wouldn’t have seemed to have made much sense, until Kirby Smart explained that it was Milton’s decision.

“He played because he wanted to play, and he wanted to help,” Smart said after Milton carried for a team-high 54 yards.

“He didn’t want us to have to go out and play with two backs that had never played college football before. He would probably tell you he was about 90 percent.”

Smart said Daijun Edwards, the team’s leading returning rusher, was held out because he was even less healthy (sprained knee) than Milton.

Redshirt sophomore walk-on Cash Jones had seven touches with 3 carries for 5 yards and 4 catches for 25 yards.

Two of the Bulldogs’ other backs got the first carries of their careers working behind Milton.

Freshman Roderick Robinson had 8 carries for 50 yards and a touchdown, and redshirt freshman Andrew Paul had 4 carries for 18 yards.

The first clues that Milton wasn’t himself was that he didn’t break tackles or move the pile like he has in past seasons.

But it wasn’t until Milton broke into the open — and was tracked down from behind on a 37-yard run - that it became painfully obvious the Bulldogs would-be bell cow back was not at full speed.

“As the game wore on, he tightened up some,” Smart said. “It was starting to bother him on his hamstring. He has not done much all camp. He hasn’t been able to. He’s just now getting back to where he can do some things.”

Milton didn’t let on or complain, however, choosing to speak from a team-first perspective like one might expect from a leader.

“It definitely felt good, especially with the path the offense was going,” Milton said. “Once you break a run, it’s like you are pushing through that wall, and it’s like you can open up so many things for the offense.”

Smart said much of the same thing, and it’s clear the Bulldogs will continue to work on their run game as they look for improvement before next Saturday’s home game with Ball State.