Chubb within one game of tying Herschel

THENS, Ga. - Georgia sophomore tailback Nick Chubb notched his 12th consecutive 100-yard rushing game in Saturday's 48-6 spanking of Southern, but the streak was in jeopardy at halftime.

The Bulldogs had just 35 yards on 14 carries in the first half, with Chubb collecting 31 on nine. Chubb opened the second half with gains of 11, 13 and 11 yards, and he added a 49-yard touchdown run that made it 41-6 with 5:44 remaining in the third quarter.

That was his final carry of the afternoon, as the 5-foot-10, 220-pounder finished with 131 yards on 15 rushes.

"We just struggled offensively in the first half, and all of us weren't on the same page," Chubb said. "Going back out in the second half, we got our energy up and intensity up. We knew what we needed to do and got to it.

"We started stretching the ball a lot more in the second half."

Chubb's 12 straight 100-yard games are one short of the school record set by Herschel Walker during the 1980-81 seasons.

Georgia coach Mark Richt said there was no fire-and-brimstone speech at halftime. He simply pointed out his team was getting beat up front, which was quickly remedied in the third quarter.

Chubb has 599 yards through three games but no longer leads the SEC in rushing. LSU sophomore Leonard Fournette had 244 yards in Saturday's win at Syracuse and now has 631 yards in three games.

When asked if he's been keeping up with Fournette's fantastic play, Chubb said, "I see it, but I don't really care."

Historic Richt win

Richt registered his 140th victory as Georgia's coach Saturday, pulling him into a second-place tie with Wally Butts, who guided the Bulldogs from 1939 to 1960. Vince Dooley is the program's all-time wins leader, going 201-77-10 from 1964 to 1988.

"It's awesome just to think that I've been here for 15 seasons and to have that many victories," Richt said. "It's an honor to be on the same page as Coach Butts."

Mitchell just misses

Bulldogs fifth-year senior receiver Malcolm Mitchell earned his second career 100-yard receiving game last week against South Carolina and his first since 2011. He just missed a third against the Jaguars, amassing five catches for 96 yards and a touchdown.

So much for starting a streak like the one Chubb has going.

"That's OK," Mitchell said. "I don't want to take his shine."

Mitchell caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Greyson Lambert midway through the third quarter after having a 39-yard score scratched moments earlier when right tackle Kolton Houston was lined up behind the line of scrimmage. Georgia also had an offside infraction on outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins nullify a Sterling Bailey interception early in the second quarter.

"We only had two penalties for 10 yards, but they did cost us," Richt said.

Odds and ends

Redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Davin Bellamy sat out Saturday's game due to a concussion. Freshman defensive lineman Trent Thompson had five tackles, tying sophomore safety Quincy Mauger and junior inside linebacker Tim Kimbrough for the team high. Defensive end Michael Barnett played for the first time, giving Georgia a nation-leading 22 true freshmen who have played this season. Marshall Morgan made two field-goal attempts and is 4-of-6 this season. Redshirt junior quarterback Faton Bauta got his first action of the season with less than four minutes to play. Southern receiver Devon Gales suffered a spinal injury in the third quarter.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.