As ground games go, Georgia opponents haven’t been running into anything earth-moving in 2009.

In the wake left by Knowshon Moreno’s departure, the Georgia backfield, composed mostly of sophomores Richard Samuel and Caleb King, has yet to make its mark this season, averaging just 112.2 yards per game.

That’s 11th-best in the 12-team Southeastern Conference.

“I don’t think it’s been established,” said quarterback Joe Cox.

“I think we have guys that can establish it, but we’ve kind of had some hit-or-miss plays, we’ve had some good long runs, and then we’ve had some plays that got just stuffed. Which is going to happen, we’re aware of that, but we want to have a consistent run game that really can throw a defense off. Because you get a good running game going, it opens up everything else.”

Cox, aided by spectacular play from receiver A.J. Green, has managed to open up the passing game fairly well with pretty pedestrian run support thus far. And though the Bulldogs have been battle-tested with a tough early season-schedule, the true SEC gauntlet starts this week with LSU at home and continues with Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Florida, all away from Athens.

The thought with some is that establishing a clear No. 1 back would help better those numbers. But Georgia isn’t doing that – and it’s not a sentiment offensive coordinator Mike Bobo necessarily agrees with anyway, at least with anyone short of Moreno.

“You can sit here and say if one guy had it this many times – if you turn it over three times, that limits possessions and carries,” Bobo said.

“If you ask any running back, they’d like to have it 25 carries themselves a game, but what’s going to give us the best chance to win the game? We’re not going to give it 25 times a game if we’re not getting but a yard or two yards every time we run it.”

The Bulldogs have been better than that – but not by much.

Remove an 80-yard run by Samuel against Arkansas (where the line opened a hole so big Bobo himself could have run through it), and he’s averaging barely over 50 yards a game, and just 3.2 yards per carry.

In his two games back after a hamstring injury, King has looked better in the limited number of chances he’s had, averaging 5.2 yards per carry on 22 attempts.

What’s worse is if you take out 80 yards compiled by cornerback Branden Smith, the Bulldogs, and mostly King and Samuel, would be averaging an abysmal 92.2 yards per game on the ground.

Earth-shattering numbers they’re not, but both backs are young, lending reason to believe the running game will get progressively better.

“Both of those guys, they’re sophomores, and that’s what you have to constantly remind yourself,” said first-year running backs coach Bryan McClendon. “It’s nothing but just keep getting better, keep getting better. And that’s my focus for them, just keep getting them better. They can tap into all the potential that they have, and it’s my job to get it out of them. I can’t leave it in there.”

Neither King nor Samuel have set themselves apart, either from opposing defenses or from each other. Both say they’re fine with sharing the load.

But Cox, Green and the rest of the passing game can only sustain the Georgia offense for so long – something the Bulldogs could learn the hard way Saturday against an LSU defense that has already created seven interceptions this season.

“It just looks a little more spread out but I do think it’s coming along,” McClendon said. “Both those guys are coming in there and they’re competing real hard and they’re running the ball harder, which is making me feel good, and actually doing a good job as far as pass protection and everything. There’s a constant of things you check up on, but overall I think they’re doing good.”

Added Samuel: “I feel like it’s up and down. Instead of hitting a plateau and going down we need to just continue getting better.”