ATHENS, Ga. - Sony Michel doesn't mind being the featured tailback at Georgia.
He just liked things better the way they were.
"I can't wait until Nick Chubb gets back," Michel said after rushing for 132 yards and the winning touchdown in Saturday night's 23-17 overtime win over Georgia Southern. "When Nick Chubb gets back healthy next season, we're going to get back to rolling and looking how we're supposed to be looking."
The Bulldogs (8-3) began preparations Monday for their regular-season finale at Georgia Tech (3-8), working out for 90 minutes.
SEC players of the week
OFFENSE: Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott, who became the first in SEC history with 550 yards of offense and seven accounted touchdowns in the same game. DEFENSE: Ole Miss linebacker DeMarquis Gates, who in his second career start had 14 tackles, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in the 38-17 victory over LSU. CO-SPECIAL TEAMS: Alabama cornerback and return specialist Cyrus Jones, who had punt-return touchdowns of 43 and 72 yards in a 56-6 rout of Charleston Southern. CO-SPECIAL TEAMS: Texas A&M kicker Taylor Bertolet, who tied a conference record with six field goals in a 25-0 win at Vanderbilt. Bertolet also kicked off seven times. FRESHMAN: Kentucky safety Mike Edwards, who had three tackles, one tackle for loss and a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown as the Wildcats beat Charlotte. OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: Tennessee sophomore center Coleman Thomas, who anchored a front that helped produce 248 rushing yards at Missouri and didn't allow a sack. DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: Ole Miss defensive end Marquis Haynes, who had four tackles, a tackle for loss, a fumble recovery and a quarterback pressure in defeating LSU.
Michel became the primary tailback after the first play at Tennessee on Oct. 10, when Chubb tore knee ligaments and was shelved for the season. He rushed 22 times for 145 yards in the 38-31 loss to the Volunteers and has averaged 108.5 yards in the six games since his battlefield promotion.
The only time the 5-foot-11, 212-pound sophomore hasn't been a factor in recent weeks was his 13-carry, 45-yard performance against Florida in Jacksonville on Oct. 31, when he broke a bone in his hand on the first play from scrimmage.
"I think Sony has stepped in and done a very nice job," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. "He's had to start carrying the ball in his left hand instead of his right hand, which is his dominant hand. That has changed us wanting to throw a lot of balls to him out of the backfield, but his cast has been trimmed down pretty good, so we might feel a little more comfortable doing that.
"It hasn't changed an awful lot as far as what we've been calling offensively, except that in the past Nick was our primary ball carrier and Sony was doing more things out of the backfield, even as a receiver split out. That's probably the thing that's changed the most for us."
Michel was Georgia's leading receiver through the first two games this season, when he had four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown in wins over Louisiana-Monroe and Vanderbilt. He has just 84 receiving yards since taking over for Chubb but has been admirable as the main rusher, needing 73 yards to reach 1,000 for the season.
"We're just glad that we've been able to get some of these victories out of the way, because we would really like to send these seniors out with a 10-win season," Michel said.
Michel has three 100-yard games this year, topped by a career-best 165 against Kentucky on Nov. 7, and he's had little support in recent weeks. Backup Keith Marshall suffered an ankle injury against the Wildcats and has missed the past two games.
Richt has seen his share of tailbacks get sidelined but knows better days could be ahead at that position.
"Before we played Auburn, we watched last year's tape, and I'm seeing Todd Gurley and Nick Chubb in our backfield," Richt said. "It's almost unfair to have Gurley and Chubb doing their thing. We miss Nick for a lot of reasons, but it's just part of football, and you have to move on throughout a season.
"The good news is that he's rehabbing well, and he's got a great spirit about him. He's really looking forward to getting back and helping Georgia win and finishing out his career."
Odds and ends
Junior linebacker Leonard Floyd, who has 67 tackles and a team-high 11 tackles for loss, was named Monday one of the five finalists for the Butkus Award. Michel and guard Kolton Houston are the offensive captains for Saturday, with Jake Ganus the defensive captain and Kenneth Towns the special teams captain. Marshall, whose younger brother (Marcus) is a freshman running back at Georgia Tech, told reporters Monday night that his parents were wearing split jerseys to Saturday's game. Richt said Monday night that sophomore receiver and return specialist Isaiah McKenzie (foot) did not practice and is questionable for Saturday.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.