Nick Chubb, finally healthy, is the catalyst Georgia needs to win the SEC
Nick Chubb, finally healthy, has become as great as everyone expected him to be. Again. After fighting through a tough road to recovery, Chubb is proving to be the prevailing reason that the Georgia Bulldogs are legit SEC contenders in 2017.
It wasn’t going to be easy for Nick Chubb to get back in the saddle. When he tore his ACL in Knoxville in 2015, his life and career could’ve easily taken a sharp turn for the worst. We have seen how knee injuries can impact those who sustain them. Some have never been the same. Others provide glimpses, but never quite reach the stardom they had before.
The UGA tailback returned to the field in his junior season against all odds. He played a full season but didn’t quite look the same. His 5.0 yards per carry was a career-low. He racked up just 1,130 rushing yards in 2016. When you look at where he was prior to the knee injury in 2015, those numbers look paltry. Especially when you consider that Chubb was averaging 8.1 yards per carry and had already totaled seven touchdowns.
He could have easily jumped to the NFL after his junior year. Nobody would’ve blamed him if he did, especially with how things broke down for him. However, he shocked many when he, along with several other key players, chose to return for the 2017 season. Chubb looked to be a man on a mission in order to prove he still had it in his bones to be the dynamic runner he was in 2014.
Well, five weeks into 2017, and Nick Chubb is back to being Nick Chubb. The 2014 SEC Freshman of the Year is officially back in the saddle. Through five games, only Tennessee’s John Kelly is ahead of him in the SEC in rushing yards. He has amassed 480 yards on the ground thus far. While his pace isn’t quite where it was when he nearly hit 1,600 yards as a freshman, he’s still proving to be a force. Chubb ranks fifth in yards per carry (6.4) and ranks third in rushing touchdowns (6).
It is perhaps for that reason that Georgia has looked as good as they do. Georgia ranks in the Top 5 in the AP Top 25 and the Top 10 in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. Chubb’s contributions are a big reason. He and his running back mate Sony Michel have been the driving force for UGA’s ascension. Chubb and Michel have combined for 736 yards through the first five weeks. And, oh yeah: freshman D’Andre Swift hasn’t been so bad either. The youngster from Philadelphia has 232 yards in his first five games on just 32 carries.
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UGA has always succeeded when their ground game is on point. They needed Nick Chubb to be Nick Chubb in order to do that this year. After a long and tenuous road to recovery, Chubb is exactly who we thought he was. That can only mean good things going forward for the ‘Dawgs, who look primed and ready to take over the SEC East.