UGA’S NAUTA, TECH’S MILLS ARE MAJOR COGS

This spring, Georgia Tech B-back Dedrick Mills said he’s under instructions to share practice repetitions with his backups. Mills said this week that coach Paul Johnson has told him that for every two snaps he takes, he should take one off to give reserves KirVonte Benson and Quaide Weimerskirch more practice time.

“I respect what he’s doing, but to me, I like to take all my reps,” Mills said. “Even when he tells me not to get in, I still get in anyways.”

Not following Johnson’s instructions generally is not a wise course for a Tech player. Still, Mills’ desire to not miss a turn speaks to his zeal to compete and part of the reason why Johnson is so optimistic about him going into his sophomore season.

“He’s a worker,” Johnson said last week. “He’s always striving to get better, and he wants to be as good as he can be, I think.”

In his first season on campus, Mills was a difference-making player at the position that drives Tech’s option offense. A starter from the season opener, Mills ran 152 times for 771 yards, 5.1 yards per carry and 85.7 yards per game. He ran for 12 touchdowns, tied for third most in the country among freshmen. The preponderance of scoring runs showed a nose for the end zone and the willingness to create and withstand collisions to obtain the toughest yards on the field.

“Last year, I had that wideeyed (feeling), like, wow, this is really happening,” Mills said. “Now it’s like, I’m here, I’m in the game, focused. I pretty much know a whole lot more than I knew last year. So when coach calls plays, I just go down and run it, and I can run it faster probably than what I did last year.”

Mills’ value to the offense can be stated by considering how Johnson has used other B-backs previously. The 12 rushing touchdowns tied with Jonathan Dwyer in 2008 for the second most by a B-back in a season; Dwyer scored 14 rushing touchdowns in 2009. His 16.9 carries per game were the second most for a B-back in a season behind Anthony Allen in 2010.

Mills’ importance figures to increase this season. Last season, he was playing with a dynamic three-year starter at quarterback in Justin Thomas and had the 2015 leading rusher, Marcus Marshall, backing him up. This fall, the quarterback, most likely Matthew Jordan, will be a new starter.

With Marshall having transferred to James Madison, Benson and Weimerskirch, who have one career carry between them, are competing this spring for the No. 2 job.