EMERGING STAR
In the past five games, Georgia running back Nick Chubb has averaged 163.0 yards per game. The first of those games occurred while star tailback Todd Gurley was suspended. Now that Gurley’s season is over because of an injury suffered last weekend, Georgia will rely on Chubb to carry the running game the rest of the way this season.
A look at Chubb’s numbers the past five games:
Opponent; Carries-Yards; Avg.; TD
Missouri; 38-143; 3.8; 1
Arkansas; 30-202; 6.7; 2
Florida; 21-156; 7.4; 1
Kentucky; 13-170; 13.1; 1
Auburn; 19-144; 7.6; 2
Totals; 121-815; 6.7; 7
This time it’s different.
Six weeks ago, an eligibility earthquake struck Athens and people were still dealing with the aftershock of whether Georgia would be without Todd Gurley and, if so, for how long.
Then Nick Chubb came in and, like a soothing sedative, he calmed the Bulldog Nation. His play in the past five games assured one and all that, not only is Georgia’s future bright at tailback, it’s present is pretty doggone luminescent as well.
That has meant for a completely different twist to the latest Gurley exodus. The junior tailback suffered a season-ending knee injury in his first game back from a four-game suspension Saturday against Auburn. With plans to enter the next NFL draft, the injury effectively ended his Georgia career.
“You hate losing Todd,” senior center David Andrews said. “The kid gave his all for this university. For him to go out like that is kind of heartbreaking, to be honest with you. You hate to see it.
“But I think now a lot more people aren’t freaking out as much. The whole nation just freaked out when Todd got penalized, or whatever. But here we knew Chubb was very special. The whole country knows how good that kid is now. So we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing.”
All Chubb has done in the five games since he became the starter at tailback is rush for 815 yards — an average of 163 per game — and score seven touchdowns. He rushed for 202 yards in one game and hasn’t rushed for fewer than 143 since being designated the No. 1 tailback Oct. 11.
And it’s not like Chubb’s work has come against also-rans. The first four games all came against SEC teams away from Sanford Stadium. His last — 144 yards on 19 carries and two touchdowns — came against No. 9 Auburn in a nationally-televised 34-7 win.
It’s mind-boggling stuff, especially placed in the context of Chubb being a freshmen who began the season No. 4 on the depth chart and is starting only because circumstances dictated it. Based on the track of his progress, it’s hard to imagine what the ceiling for him might be.
“I don’t know if all of the sudden he’s going to become a better runner than he is,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said. “He’s a natural. He looks like he’s a natural because he’s been doing it his whole life. He used that quote one time. … I don’t think he has to become a better runner. I think he’s just got to continue to get better in the little things, the pass protection, the route-running, all that kind of thing.”
Said Andrews: “Football-wise, I think there’s no doubt if he keeps going, he’s got a chance to win the Heisman, next year or the year after that.”
Chubb’s future is one thing. But it is Georgia’s present that is at issue.
There has been a lot of bar-stool debate on who might be the better back overall, Gurley or Chubb. But a point on which everyone can agree is the Bulldogs were better off with both of them. And now Gurley, and his 4,322 all-purpose yards in only 30 games, is gone.
And now No. 10 Georgia (10-2, 6-2 SEC) enters into the season’s stretch run. There’s Saturday’s tune-up against FCS-guest Charleston Southern (8-3, 4-2 Big South) at noon. But there remains a top-20 matchup against archrival Georgia Tech the next week, and — depending on what happens to Missouri at Tennessee on Saturday or against Arkansas the next week — there could be a date with top-4 team in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta.
Chubb, for one, would feel a lot better about the Bulldogs’ prospects with Gurley still in the fold.
“I’d rather have Todd,” Chubb said. “He’s a great player, a game-changer; he’s a great player. He’s liable to break one at any moment. Todd would make things a lot easier.”
With fellow freshman Sony Michel also sidelined for most of the past six weeks, Chubb averaged 24 rushes and twice had more than 30 touches as the starter. He has proved he’s quite capable to carrying such a load, but that’s not what the Bulldogs want or expect out of their featured tailback.
Michel, who missed four games with a broken shoulder blade and last week because of an ankle sprain, practiced all week and is expected to be available Saturday. How much he might play is uncertain.
But mainly it’s Chubb’s thick, strong legs that Georgia will rely upon the rest of the way.
“We hate it for Todd; we really do,” senior receiver Michael Bennett. “But we’ve got such great backs, we’ll be fine. We really believe that.”
