The suspension of running back Todd Gurley for an alleged violation of NCAA rules is a major blow to the Georgia Bulldogs.
Not only have the 13th-ranked Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 SEC) lost their top offensive weapon for an unknown amount of time but they've also lost arguably the best player in the country. This now means that Georgia must turn to fifth-year senior quarterback Hutson Mason and true freshman Nick Chubb to lead the Bulldogs against No. 23 Missouri (4-1, 1-0) on the road Saturday.
With fellow backs Keith Marshall (knee and ankle) and Sony Michel (shoulder) out this weekend, Chubb, who has a brace on his thumb from recent surgery, becomes the primary back for the Bulldogs in Columbia. He's the second-leading rusher for Georgia with 224 yards on 31 carries, and has already made a handful of quality plays for the Bulldogs this season. Chubb has been very impressive for the Bulldogs, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. He can hit the big run and can grind through lines for chunks of yards.
Certainly Chubb, who was just named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week after rushing for a career-high 78 yards and a touchdown on eight carries against Vanderbilt, isn't Gurley, who leads the SEC with 773 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. But Chubb should be able to make plays on a Missouri defensive line that has had a lot of issues stopping the run, especially through the middle of the field. He's a beast in his own right and has had some fantastic runs this season, but he isn't as experienced as Gurley and hasn't been the guy in a situation like this at this level, so it will be interesting to see what his mindset is early in such a big game on the road.
It'll also be interesting to see how he takes to gaining the bulk of the carries, and if that thumb bothers him with more work. You could argue that Chubb could start at a handful of other SEC schools, but the luxury Gurley had that he doesn't is that Gurley had a player like Chubb ready to come in and spare him from time to time. No Marshall and no Michel means Chubb is the bell cow with limited options behind him. Sophomore Brendan Douglas has shown flashes here and there, and is a tough runner himself, but he isn't exactly a No. 2 running back. He's sixth on the team with 47 rushing yards. He isn't a game-changer like Chubb was for Gurley, so Chubb will have to be ready to carry the load of the reps Saturday.
To help Chubb out this weekend -- and for however long he's thrust into this role -- the Bulldogs should try to get receiver Isaiah McKenzie more involved in the backfield with more sweeps. He has 71 rushing yards on four carries.
But when Chubb isn't carrying the rock, all eyes will be on Mason, who has had issues with chemistry and rhythm with his receivers. He has Malcolm Mitchell back, and Justin Scott-Wesley (suspension) should return for Mizzou, but there are still a lot of kinks that have to be worked out of the passing game, especially when it comes to throwing the ball deeper down field. Remember, Gurley's 50-yard pass last week against Vanderbilt is the longest for the Bulldogs this season.
Mason admitted after the Tennessee game that he didn't feel comfortable throwing the ball down field because of timing and communication issues with his set of younger receivers. Coach Mark Richt added that the reason the Bulldogs hadn't been trying to throw the ball as much (they are averaging just 170 yards per game) was because of how well they were running. Well, now the center of the offense is gone indefinitely, and the weight of the offense -- and the team -- now shift to the shoulders of Chubb and Mason.
