In the wake of Todd Gurley’s season-ending knee injury against Auburn on Saturday, many Georgia fans expressed concerns about Nick Chubb or another of the Bulldogs’ backs suffering a similar fate. In blog commentaries and on social media, they suggested Chubb should sit out Saturday’s game against Charleston Southern to ensure that he’ll be rested and ready for Georgia Tech in the regular-season finale the next week.
That’s the way fans think. But that’s not the way coaches think.
“That’s why people get beat,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “They start thinking something different other than get your tail ready for a war. That’s how we’re thinking; that’s how we’re preparing. The players, they’re going to feed off of us as coaches. And I promise you we are working our tails off to get the best plan possible and implement it and be ready to execute it.”
In other words, you can fully expect to see Chubb not only start the game at tailback, but to play as long and as much as it takes for the No. 10-ranked Bulldogs (8-2, 6-2 SEC) to secure victory.
“We’ve got to get ready to go and prepare and play like we do every week,” Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “That’s been a trademark of this team; we’ve gotten better every week. Nothing really has changed.”
And there is a very good chance you’ll see Sony Michel in action, too.
Michel, who missed four games with a shoulder injury and the last one with an ankle sprain, practiced Monday and Tuesday. However, because of weather constraints the Bulldogs have yet to hold a full-speed, total-contact workout this week.
“He’s out there practicing,” Bobo said. “It was bitterly cold (Monday), too, but he seemed to move around really well to me. Today he was in there splitting the reps with Nick and (Brendan) Douglas and looked good on his assignments. I feel like he’s going to be ready to go and the trainers do, too. I think he’s excited about playing. I can’t say for sure, but unless there’s a major setback, I see him playing.”
If Michel is indeed ready to go, that gives the Bulldogs a pretty formidable backfield rotation for the final two regular-season games, against Charleston Southern and Georgia Tech. Richt was less decisive about what Georgia might do with regard to Keith Marshall.
The junior tailback did not play Saturday for the seventh consecutive game. After suffering a season-ending knee injury last season, Marshall suffered knee and ankle sprains of his right leg against Troy on Sept. 20. At the time he had 24 yards on 12 carries for the season.
Marshall’s situation falls within the parameters of possibly getting a medical redshirt for this season. Richt still won’t fully admit that’s the team’s hope.
“I don’t think we need to make that decision,” Richt said Tuesday. “It’s just like when (quarterback) Hutson (Mason) was going to redshirt (in 2012). That was the year we played for the SEC championship, and he knew that if something … would have happened to (Aaron) Murray the last game of the year or whatever, he would have played, no doubt about it. So I’m not going to sit here and say anything in regards to that right now.”
Gurley was lost for the season to a knee injury with just over five minutes remaining against Auburn. He missed the previous four games because of an NCAA suspension. He finished the season with 911 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.
Chubb will get his sixth start of the season Saturday. He leads the team with 1,039 yards and nine touchdowns. Michel, who has played in only five games, is the team’s third-leading rusher, with 307 yards and four touchdowns.
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