Entering last weekend, the Georgia running back room looked to be in a tricky spot. Kendall Milton had suffered an MCL injury that was going to keep him out for a couple weeks. Kenny McIntosh was dealing with a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the previous two games.

The depth in Georgia’s running back room looked like it was going to be tested. But the off week seemed to do the group some good.

Senior James Cook stated that McIntosh would be back playing this week. That’ll help ease the load Cook and junior Zamir White have to carry.

Cook also praised sophomore Daijun Edwards, who gained some extra reps the past week with the injuries and the open date.

“Daijun, he got better over the break,” Cook said. “Just getting extra reps, taking advantage of those reps.”

Of course, much of the load on Saturday will fall on the shoulders of White and Cook. They’re still Georgia’s leading ball carriers on the season. White has 400 yards and 7 touchdowns while Cook has 296 rushing yards and 56 receiving yards. He’s found the endzone four times on the year.

Cook could be off helping some NFL offense right now but he made the decision to return to Georgia for his senior season.

So far, Cook loves the decision he made. It helps that the team is 7-0 this year and holds the No. 1 ranking in the country. But for Cook, it goes deeper than that.

“Going undefeated, that is the goal. Trying to lead my team the best way I can,” Cook said. “I really came back for my brothers and try to accomplish something with them. Trying to be better every day with my team so we don’t have the same feeling that we had last year.”

Cook feels he has boosted his draft stock so far this season. A win on Saturday will further validate his decision, as he hasn’t forgotten the feeling from last season’s loss to Florida. His friends that are Gators won’t let him forget the 44-28 loss.

But Florida’s run defense could enable a big game for Cook. The Gators gave up 321 rushing yards against LSU the last time it played, showing there might be some cracks in the Florida defense.

While there’s much curiosity around the quarterback decision this week, Cook and his teammates, the one’s he came back for, are focusing on Saturday and earning a different result from last year’s game.

“Going out there each and every day, being ready to beat them and come prepared to play,” Cook said. “That feeling coming off the field last year, that we had, knowing what we could have done and that is what we have been holding onto this week.”

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