Two weeks ago, D’Andre Swift said that he wanted to do more.

That was coming off a game in which the Georgia tailback racked up 149 rushing yards on 16 carries in a 24-point victory. His carry total was 1 short of tying a career high, and he was 37 rushing yards from a personal best there, too.

Against the likes of Murray State and Arkansas State, Swift wasn’t going to get a chance to do more. With the Dawgs’ loaded backfield and predictably lopsided results, it didn’t make much sense for Swift to get an increased or even an average workload.

Against Notre Dame, though, Swift has a chance to do it all.

Legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate? Yup.

True workhorse back? No doubt.

First-round pick? Absolutely.

Everything is in front of the explosive back. That angst that he felt a couple weeks ago could and should fade on Saturday night.

Despite the fact that he only has 31 carries through his first 3 games, Swift still has 33/1 Heisman odds. Maybe part of that is because he’s averaging 9.4 yards per carry. Or perhaps the thought is that because of that offensive line and the handful of premier games ahead for Georgia, Swift still has the opportunity to put up monster numbers.

Will he come anywhere close to sniffing the 395 carries that Derrick Henry got during his 2015 Heisman season? No way. Even if Swift averaged 20 carries per game and Georgia made it to a national championship (12 more games), he’d finish with 271 carries. The fewest amount of carries for a Heisman Trophy winning back in the past 40 years was … Mark Ingram … who had 271 carries.

As much as Swift wants to do more, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which he averages 20 carries the rest of the season. His career high is 17, which could easily be surpassed this weekend against Notre Dame.

Well, on the other hand, maybe it won’t be. It might be a blowout thanks to some big Swift runs in the first half. After all, Notre Dame is No. 121 in the country against the run. Call me crazy, but I don’t think Louisville or New Mexico has a dude who does this:

I know the double cut is coming, but every time I watch that I still go “Oh … OHHH!!!!!!!!”

Swift is all sorts of capable of having a viral moment to announce his Heisman candidacy to the world. It could be like when Saquon Barkley returned the opening kickoff in that 2017 game against Ohio State. I’m not sure what the odds of Swift ripping a 50-yard touchdown in this game are, but I’d have to say they’re favorable.

I know what you’re thinking. Barkley didn’t win the Heisman or even get to New York, despite the fact that he had such a Heisman moment on a big stage. Timing matters. We have 2.5 more months of football after this game to determine the Heisman.

Here’s what I’ll say on that. I believe that in order to win the Heisman as a tailback in this pass-heavy era, a few things have to happen:

  • Be nearing 2,000 scrimmage yards before bowl season
  • Need viral, break-the-internet runs
  • In the Playoff hunt heading into championship weekend

Swift, in my opinion, is capable of doing that. His incredible efficiency will taper a bit, but hitting 2,000 scrimmage yards doesn’t seem that far-fetched considering his passing game involvement. He averaged 121 total yards in the first 3 games with an average of 11.3 touches per game. As the competition improves, touches will increase, likely beginning this weekend.

If we’re talking about a 10-game stretch beginning with Notre Dame and going through a potential SEC Championship, Swift averaging 150 scrimmage yards per game would bring him to 1,864 scrimmage yards.

And to those who say it can’t be done, Texas A&M tailback Trayveon Williams racked up 157 scrimmage yards per game in Jimbo Fisher’s offense last year. With all due respect to Williams’ underrated season, Swift is the better overall player with the better offensive line in front of him.

If Georgia offensive coordinator James Coley does give Swift more work, that type of year is on the table. Swift has to stay healthy, too. That’s what he couldn’t do during the first part of last season. But since that Florida game last year, Swift’s averages are rock solid:

  • 8 yards per carry
  • 122 scrimmage yards
  • 1 TD per 13.3 touches

If Swift continues to build on that, his first-round draft odds will continue to increase. It probably doesn’t hurt that the likes of Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb and Sony Michel are all feature backs on playoff-caliber teams. Swift might be more explosive than all of them. He has some work to do to show that he can be just as valuable as those backs were.

Would I bet against him doing that? Absolutely not. This weekend is a perfect chance for Swift to show the world that he’s worthy of all of those preseason accolades that were thrown his way. He’s no longer sharing a backfield with Chubb, Michel or Elijah Holyfield.

Swift and the Dawgs won’t even have to share the big stage with any other marquee games on Saturday night. It’s the only game involving a pair of ranked teams in the night slot, though that probably doesn’t matter for a game of this magnitude. It’s the first time since 1966 that Georgia will host a nonconference home game involving a pair of top 10 teams. The college football world will be locked in on Athens.

What a perfect time for Swift to do more.