Members of the Georgia football team know how it feels to see a teammate go down with a torn ACL right before their eyes. Damian Swann, Ramik Wilson and John Theus all watched Aaron Murray execute his last drive with Georgia against Kentucky last year before the injury changed the trajectory of his final season in Athens.
“That’s just the nature of football,” Swann said.
On Saturday, Wilson was “shocked” to see it happen during one teammate’s highly anticipated return to the field.
This time the victim of the unfortunate season-ending knee injury is running back Todd Gurley, who previously missed four games for something entirely within his control. The same cannot be said for what happened toward the end of the fourth quarter Saturday against Auburn.
“It’s unfortunate that it had to happen the way it did,” Swann said. “I really think if it wouldn’t have happened he would’ve walked into the end zone.”
Bulldogs fans waited five weeks to watch Gurley rush for 138 yards and one touchdown on 29 carries against Auburn.
With Gurley out for the final two games of the regular season, the Bulldogs find themselves in a familiar position. Georgia will again look to freshman tailback Nick Chubb to carry the rushing game. Chubb, who is the SEC Freshman of the week for the fourth time this season, has proven himself as a reliable understudy to the once-Heisman favorite.
“One thing about this team is no matter what hand we’ve been dealt this season we’ve adjusted to it and been able to produce and play, especially at the running back position,” Theus said. “Todd’s a great player, great person, and I hate it for him. … But on the field I don’t think we’re too worried about it.”
Chubb’s 144 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the evening of Gurley’s return justifies such confidence in the transition. Because the Bulldogs can worry less about what Gurley’s absence means for their future, they can focus more on supporting their teammate who has a tough road ahead of himself.
“We’re not really worried about the team, we’re worried about Todd as a person,” Swann said. “You never want that to happen anybody, especially a guy who’s arguably the best player in college football right now. And when that happens, you don’t really want that to happen to him. We have other guys that are going to step up, touch the rock, make plays. We’re hurt that it had to happen to him.”
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