clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Nick Chubb, Another Addition to the 'Tailback U' Mantra for the Georgia Bulldogs

Pig Sooie battled back, but Chubb was way too much as he accounted for 202 of Georgia's 386 yards on 30 carries. He stepped up and ran over 200 yards the most of any freshman at Georgia since Rodney Hampton and -- you guessed it -- Herschel Walker.

By Alec Lewis
Wesley Hitt

I didn't look at Georgia's running back depth chart prior to the season. Even at SEC Media Days sitting with hours of available time, I didn't feel the need to go down the list. I knew Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall would be heading the depth chart and I knew Sony Michel -- the nation's thrd-best running back in high school -- would follow.

I didn't look at the depth chart and I didn't look far enough down to see Nick Chubb sitting at the fourth spot. You might have -- you and your good friend who have held a share in Georgia football by purchasing season tickets over the last 10 years -- but I didn't.

"We will absolutely give those guys (Chubb and Michel) a chance to show what they can do, and if they can be productive, we'll get them in the game," Mark Richt said, according to preseason quotes released by the University of Georgia.

Todd Gurley was the nation's best running back. He was going to be the workhorse, and then Keith Marshall and Sony Michel would pick up the rest of the snaps to give him a breather. Little did I know Keith Marshall would be on crutches due to a "right lower extremity" injury following the Troy win, and little did I know Sony Michel would be sitting on the sidelines due to a shoulder injury against Tennessee. Not to mention Todd Gurley's autograph scenario that led to him being indefinitely suspended.

That left Georgia with one option: Nick Chubb.

In the summer, it was reported Nick Chubb ran a 10.69, 100-yard-dash at a sectionals meet. Keep in mind, Nick Chubb weighs around 225 pounds and nears 6-foot-1.

Herschel Walker -- you've heard of him, right? Arguably college football's greatest player ever. Heisman Trophy winner and a man with an unbelievable build and an unrealistic burst of speed, Herschel Walker ran for Georgia. Ran them all the way to a national title in 1980. His build? Around 6 foot and 225 pounds. Hold your comments.

Head coach Mark Richt introduced Chubb to the world against Clemson in the season opener. On four carries, he ran for 70 yards and a touchdown. Averaging six carries a game, Chubb walked into Missouri a few weeks ago with 224 yards and 2 touchdowns. But then Gurley was suspended and if I had to guess, Chubb's world has since been flipped upside down.

Handoff, cut back, made a man miss. Chubb advanced 18 yards up the sideline. Next play, handoff to Chubb, a hard-nosed 5-yard gain. And then another run, and another, and another. Nick Chubb carried the ball 38 times against Missouri for 143 yards and was the heart and soul of the team. With Gurley out, a guy that stands as one of the vocal and play-driven leaders for the Bulldogs -- as well as a guy with the talent no other back in the country has -- Nick Chubb stepped up. He had to and he was always going to -- he's that good.

I hate to compare someone to Herschel Walker because that's unfair. Herschel was unbelievably skilled in his work ethic, not to mention his play, but in a sense, Chubb reminds me of him. He's big, strong, and can change gears with the best of them. The question for Georgia was, could he do the same against a peaking Arkansas team?

Well, Chubb sure answered that fast. With three minutes left in the first quarter, Georgia handed him the ball, again, and he tore up the sidelines for 18 more yards. Then, in the second, he added runs of 10, 43, 32, finding the end zone twice, giving Georgia a 38-6 lead at half.

Pig Sooie battled back, but Chubb was way too much as he accounted for 202 of Georgia's 386 yards on 30 carries. He did it again, stepped up, but this time he ran over 200, the most of any freshman at Georgia since Rodney Hampton and -- you guessed it -- Herschel Walker.

From fourth string to superstar and to the face of a program thriving on success in the past few weeks. That's Nick Chubb. He's great, possibly the greatest running back we've seen in the past few weeks, and one that has a chance to become an option for the Heisman.

His name is Nick Chubb. I know him now and so do you. He's not quite Herschel Walker -- yet -- but has made his own mark at "Tailback U."

More From Team Speed Kills