Georgia got a tailback back Tuesday, but it wasn’t the one most fans wanted.
J.J. Green, who was the Bulldogs’ second-leading rusher as a freshman last season, moved back to offense after playing defensive back since the spring. The sophomore moves into the rotation as the No. 3 tailback heading into Saturday’s game against unranked Arkansas in Little Rock.
“Yeah, it’s good to have a guy with a little bit of experience that played there last year that’s going to be able to fill in for us,” Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said. “He’s going to help out at that position while we’re missing guys with injuries and other situations.”
That “other situation” is a rather significant one. Todd Gurley, considered the top tailback in America, remains sidelined with an eligibility issue. He practiced for the second conseuctive day Tuesday, but most of his work came with the backup units. Nick Chubb and Brendan Douglas got the majority of the snaps with the No. 1 offense.
Gurley remains under indefinite suspension while UGA investigates his relationship with memorabilia dealers. One of those dealers alleges that Gurley has been paid “significant” amounts of money to autograph merchandise that is then sold to collectors.
Georgia coach Mark Richt, addressing reporters at his weekly news conference Tuesday, did not say if or when the one-time Heisman Trophy winner might return to the field for the Bulldogs. Gurley did not travel with the team to Columbia, Mo., for last week’s 34-0 win over No. 23 Missouri, and he remains in limbo heading into Saturday’s game.
“I just don’t have any answer for that,” Richt said. “If there’s something worthy of reporting we’ll report it. Other than that, we’re just focusing on the things we can control right now.”
Georgia Athletic Director Greg McGarity, who was in meetings with UGA compliance officials Tuesday, also said he was “not sure” when a resolution can be expected. Generally in-season eligibility issues are addressed with urgency by the NCAA’s eligibility committee, which will decide Gurley’s fate.
Gurley is a junior who is expected to enter the NFL draft after the season. His suspension could range from the one game already served to having to sit out for the rest of the season.
UGA has continued to sequester Gurley from the media, and he has remained silent on social-media platforms.
“He’s handling it well,” said senior tackle Kolton Houston, who battled an eligibility issue his first three years in Athens. “He’s been quiet about it, just like I was quiet about my situation. We don’t really talk about it or anything. We don’t know anymore than anybody else. Our job is just to go out there and block for whomever is running the ball.”
With Gurley out of the mix Saturday, Chubb and Douglas combined for 208 yards on 51 carries. Bobo said he was happy with the frequency with which Georgia ran the ball, but would like to re-distribute the load.
Enter Green. The 5-foot-9, 183-pound sophomore came through for the Bulldogs last season when they lost Gurley and Marshall to injuries. He had 129 yards on 17 carries in an overtime win at Tennessee and finished second to Gurley on the season with 384 yards on a 5.6 yards-per-carry average and three touchdowns.
But Green moved to defensive back in the spring to shore up depth there. He started one game at safety, but recorded only four tackles while appearing in five of the Bulldogs’ six games.
Bobo was asked if Green’s move to offense was permanent. “It is right now,” he said. “We’ve still got Keith (Marshall) banged up and Sony (Michel) banged up. A lot will depend on those two guys.”
Michel, another freshman sensation, has been out since suffering a broken shoulder blade against Tennessee on Sept. 27. He’s expected to return in November.
Georgia also holds out hope it can get back Marshall for Saturday’s game. He has been sidelined since Sept. 20 with right ankle and knee sprains. Bobo reported Marshall was able to get some carries Tuesday.
“It was good to see him jump in there and take some reps,” Bobo said. “He felt a little bit better. I think he has a little more confidence. We’ll see how he feels (Wednesday) when it’s not flooding and see if he can go full speed.”
With Gurley’s situation still in limbo, Chubb remains the Bulldogs’ main man. His 38 carries Saturday were the sixth most by a single back in UGA history. But he reportedly recovered quite nicely.
“Nick looked great,” Bobo said. “He looked full speed. To be honest, we had to tell him to slow down.”
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