Wednesday Dawg Bites Is Saying Hello And Enjoying Receiving Running Backs

Happy hump day, Dawg fans! If you don’t recognize the name, don’t feel bad, I’m new around here. You may have come across some of my work on dawnofthedawg.com, but I couldn’t limit myself to a single platform to write about the Dawgs.

For a little about me, or as MaconDawg calls it, my Dawgography, I am a fresh graduate of Georgia Southern University with a degree in journalism. I have been to more games between the hedges than I can even begin to count, the first of which pitted David Greene against Jay Cutler’s Vanderbilt Commodores in 2002. Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to bare witness to a Hail Mary, a rain-soaked beatdown and an accidental catch with no timeouts left, among others. Naturally, a national championship was won the year I missed every game, but I was able to enjoy an Atlanta duck hunt to start the new season.

I also enjoyed the performance of wide recei... I mean, running back, Kenny McIntosh. After being peppered with targets on his way to nine catches for 117 yards, his official position should just be listed as “athlete.”

As Connor Riley at DawgNation noted recently, McIntosh is emblematic of a Georgia offense under Todd Monken that’s a whole different animal from those we’ve seen in the past.

McIntosh’s receiving abilities became more evident last year as he tallied 22 catches for 242 yards and two touchdowns. These numbers rivaled the 27 catches for 284 yards and four touchdowns accounted for by his backfield mate James Cook, whose receiving prowess was a defining trait in his NFL scouting report.

A jump in receiving production was expected from McIntosh as the lead back in 2022, but it came as a bit of a surprise to see him rack up 41% of his catch total from last year in just one game. Such a rate is likely unsustainable given the talent elsewhere on the offense, but that one game sample size was a coming out party for No. 6.

He served as the primary target on short and intermediate routes, and as a safety valve for Stetson Bennett to dump the ball to. He lined up and ran routes from the backfield, as well as splitting out as a wide receiver.

With such a versatile arsenal of skills at the running back position, it allows for more creativity from offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Two back sets can be utilized with the option to leave both in the backfield, or send McIntosh out as a receiver. Adding an extra element to the offense will only make the unit more difficult to contain.

He won’t be the leading receiver in every game this season, but it is entirely possible that McIntosh finishes the year in the top three on the team for yards and catches. As a senior, this is his money year in terms of staking his claim as a draft prospect. NFL teams are prioritizing pass catching running backs more and more, and McIntosh’s stock could skyrocket if he continues to produce as the season progresses.

Go ‘Dawgs!!!