What It Would Take for a 2,000 Yard Season From Nick Chubb

Last year, Freshman TB Nick Chubb had the second best season ever for a Georgia running back behind only Herschel Walker’s 1982 Heisman Trophy winning season.  In 13 games for the Dawgs, Chubb ran for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns.  He also contributed wonderfully receiving out of the back field: 18 catches, 213 yards, 2 touchdowns. What makes these season totals even more astounding is that he was Todd Gurley’s backup in the season’s first six games.  The five-star recruit out of Cedartown, GA seized this enormous opportunity and ran with it all over the SEC and into our hearts.

More from UGA Football

• Georgia Football: Past, Present and Future on Display in Win
• Georgia Football: Road Game Becomes a Home Game for Bulldogs
• Georgia Football: 2nd Half Dominance By Young Defense Brings Hope
• Georgia Football: Bulldogs Smartly Cruise Versus Vanderbilt
• Georgia Bulldogs 10 Days From Opening Game With Vanderbilt

In his sophomore season with UGA, there are lofty expectations for Nick Chubb.  He looks to lead an impressive Dawgs backfield to an SEC Championship and a College Football Playoff berth.  While he won’t have to do it alone as Sony Michel, Keith Marshall, Brendan Douglas, and AJ Turman are all capable backs, how Nick Chubb performs in 2015 will go a long way in determining the outcome of Georgia’s season.  As a preseason Heisman candidate, can Chubb rush for 2,000 yards in 2015?

For Chubb to hit 2,000 yards in 13 games (regular season and bowl game), he would have to average 153.85 yards per game.  If he were to average 5.0 yards per carry in 2015, Chubb would have to run the ball 400 times!  I do not believe Nick will have to carry the rock that much in Brian Schottenheimer’s offense.  But in his true freshman season, Chubb did average 7.1 yards per carry.  If he averages that in 2015, he will only need the rock fed to him 282 times. That’s not an impossible total as Chubb rushed 219 times last year despite limited action in the Dawgs first six games.

The reason I am harping on the 2,000 yard benchmark is that I believe if Chubb is on pace to eclipse this threshold, he will be the first Georgia Bulldog to receive an invitation to attend Heisman Trophy ceremony since Garrison Hearst in 1992.  If UGA were to win the SEC and earn a Playoff berth, Chubb could easily hit 2,000 yards in 14-15 games.

Having expectations as a Georgia Alum usually comes back to haunt me.  But there’s something special about Nick Chubb that I can’t even begin to describe.  Here’s to two more years of making Dawg Nation proud on Saturdays.

As is UGA tradition, hope for the best, prepare for the worst: The Georgia Way.  Georgia kicks off against the ULM Warhawks, Saturday, September 5th.  Only 129 days and counting! Go Dawgs!