Chubb's road to recovery nearly complete for Georgia

An injured Nick Chubb watches the second half of Georgia's 38-31 loss last season at Tennessee. Chubb tore multiple ligaments on the first play against the Volunteers and is expected to make his return this Saturday when the Bulldogs face North Carolina in Atlanta.
An injured Nick Chubb watches the second half of Georgia's 38-31 loss last season at Tennessee. Chubb tore multiple ligaments on the first play against the Volunteers and is expected to make his return this Saturday when the Bulldogs face North Carolina in Atlanta.

Whether the days were positive or painful during Georgia tailback Nick Chubb's road to rehabilitation after last October's gruesome knee injury at Tennessee, there was always a progress gauge he could take simply by looking down.

The latest such gauge occurred this past week, when the 5-foot-10, 220-pound junior from Cedartown, Ga., practiced for the first time without a brace.

"It's a different kind of feel and another step forward, definitely," Chubb said in a news conference. "I started with a big black brace and then had a smaller brace. I went through like four or five different braces, and each new one was a little smaller and a little lighter."

Chubb isn't saying it and neither is first-year Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart, but the expectation is that Georgia's top tailback will suit up and compete in Saturday's opener against North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic. Smart said several days ago that it's "pointing in that direction," but that's the closest comment to a confirmation that the coach or the player has made.

The biggest concern with Chubb entering the preseason was how his knee would respond to contact, but no red flags emerged after either of the two scrimmages.

"I was limited on carries, but I was always around," Chubb said. "I may not have gotten a lot of carries, but I did a lot of pass protection."

Before tearing three ligaments (though not the ACL) on the first play from scrimmage in Knoxville, Chubb had a streak of 13 consecutive 100-yard games. He amassed 745 yards through the first five games last season, a staggering average of 149 per game, and was second behind LSU tailback Leonard Fournette on several unofficial Heisman Trophy polls at the time of his injury.

Chubb did get enough rushes a year ago to get credited for the school's new single-season record of 8.12 yards per carry.

Whether he can handle 20 or more carries, something he did seven times before the injury, remains an unknown, but he insists he will not be feeling hesitant inside the Georgia Dome. The potential for Chubb to feast is there, with the Tar Heels having ranked an abysmal 121st last season in rushing defense by allowing 247.4 yards per game and yielding 5.13 yards per carry.

"I feel great," Chubb said. "Maybe in the beginning I wasn't sure about myself - maybe that first day of camp - but after I got out there, I felt great. After I got tackled, I felt great."

So even though nothing has been officially declared, all signs point toward Chubb beginning to lean across the finish line of his recovery. He certainly seems mentally ready for Saturday, at least judging by his response to a question this past week about the Bulldogs opening at a neutral site.

"We're still in Georgia, so it will be ours," Chubb said.

Odds and ends

The Bulldogs continued preparing for their opener by traveling Saturday to the Georgia Dome and practicing. True freshman Jacob Eason and fifth-year senior Greyson Lambert took all the quarterback reps during Friday's portion of practice that was open to the media, leading to the assumption Brice Ramsey has finished third in the preseason race. Eason continued to get most of the first-team snaps. Freshman tailback Elijah Holyfield is practicing again after sustaining an ankle injury in last weekend's second scrimmage.

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

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