Georgia Bulldogsrunning backNick Chubbwas named SEC offensive player of the week after his performance in last Saturday’s game. More recently, head coachKirby Smarthas made a striking comparison involving the star running back.
Is there a better college football story than the miraculous comeback ofNick Chubb? Less than 11 months after sustaining a gruesome, career-threatening knee injury,Chubbmade his return, looking as if the injury had never even occurred. He rushed for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener last Saturday, aiding the Georgia Bulldogs in a 33-24 win over North Carolina.
After rushing for over 200 yards for the third time in his career on Saturday,Chubbwas named the Southeastern Conference offensive player of the week on Tuesday. He last received the award in 2014. He was also named the Capitol One Impact Performer of the Week.
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But it just keeps getting better for the Bulldogs star running back. On Monday,Coach Smartcompared him to Alabama’s Derrick Henry, who won the Heisman last season. The most notable similarities between the two are power and work ethic.
"Smart, who saw Derrick Henry perform up close and personal the for the last three years at Alabama, was asked to compare the two backs.“Well, they’re both powerful; that’s the number one similarity,” Smart said. “They’re a very different style in my opinion. Derrick was a long slasher that could run with power downhill. But Derrick got a lot of his long runs bouncing things out. Nick is a very patient runner that churns the hard extra yards. He can run outside but he runs through a lot of arm tackles, kind of like Derrick did.“They’ve got a lot of similarities but they’re also built completely different. They’re two different-type kids. But they’re both common in that they work extremely hard and are both very humble and loyal to their teammate.”"
Chubb listed as top Heisman contender
Chubbhas found his way back to the height of Heisman conversation, appearing as a serious top contender after week one.
"Less than a year after going down with a serious knee injury, Chubb opened the season looking like his previous dominant self. On 32 carries, Chubb plowed his way through the North Carolina defense for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also clinched Georgia’s 33-24 win with a 55-yard dash late in the game. The 222 yards were the second-highest FBS total of the week and the third-most ever by a Georgia player against a ranked opponent."
Is he the next Derrick Henry…or better? Henry, who now plays for the Tennessee Titans, hasChubbbeat when it comes to physical statistics. He’s 6 foot 3, 247 pounds, compared toChubb‘s 5 foot 10, 220 pounds. But so far,Chubbhas Henry beat when it comes to yards per carry. He’s also trailing right behind in touchdowns. In his three-seasons at Alabama, Henry rushed for a total of 42 touchdowns.Chubb, on the other hand, is already at 23, even though he missed several games last season.
Next: Georgia State falls to Ball State in season opener, 31-21
Chubbwill have even more opportunity to increase his stats when the Georgia Bulldogs take on the Nichols State Colonels this Saturday, Sept. 10 at 12 PM in Athens.
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