OXFORD, Miss. - Georgia junior tailback Nick Chubb was on pace to rejoin the 100-yard rushing club during Saturday's game at Ole Miss.
That was before he sat out the second half.
Chubb rushed for 57 yards on 12 carries during the first 30 minutes of Georgia's 45-14 loss to the Rebels but was held out of the second half due to an injury. Kirby Smart said it was a little too early to know the 5-foot-10, 228-pounder's availability for this week's game against visiting Tennessee.
"Nick has an ankle sprain, and I don't know the severity yet," Smart said. "He couldn't come back in the game. I know he wanted to, but we'll see how that goes in these next couple of days."
The 57 yards yards give Chubb 2,716 for his career, which ranks sixth in school history.
Chubb tore multiple knee ligaments on the first play of last year's game at Tennessee, which ended his streak of 13 straight 100-yard performances. He returned with a splash, rushing 32 times for 222 yards in the opening 33-24 victory over North Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game but was held to 80 yards by Nicholls State and 63 last week at Missouri.
The Bulldogs rushed 44 times for a respectable 230 yards Saturday, though 71 of that came in the fourth quarter against Rebels reserves. Freshman Brian Herrien led Georgia with 11 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns, while junior Sony Michel had 11 rushes for 66 yards.
Another freshman, Elijah Holyfield, got his first four carries of the season and totaled 27 yards.
"In the first half, we had 93 yards rushing," Smart said, "but there were two or three drives where we would be rushing for 4 or 5 yards but faced third-and-7 and third-and-8 because we were facing first-and-15 and second-and-15. Penalties put us behind the sticks, and we really never got into a rhythm in the first half."
Missed kicks continue
Rodrigo Blankenship earned the starting assignment for field goals and extra points on Saturday, but he missed a 36-yard field-goal attempt wide right with 13:30 remaining in the second quarter.
"I really think I just left a little bit off of it," Blankenship said. "I could have put more leg into it and didn't follow through like I should have. It was a great snap and a great hold. It's on me."
Blankenship replaced William Ham, who was 3-for-7 on field-goal tries through the first three games. Ham missed kicks of 23 and 38 yards last week at Mizzou.
"We're trying to have a good competition and be good friends at the same time," Blankenship said.
Staying positive
Several Georgia players said Smart was very supportive and upbeat in the locker room after the game, which marked the first loss of Smart's head-coaching career.
"That's who he is," Michel said. "He's a very encouraging coach, and he knows what the potential of our team is. He knows that there are greater things to come."
Odds and ends
Georgia's 31-0 halftime deficit was its largest since trailing Alabama by the same score in the infamous 2008 "Blackout" game. Redshirt junior quarterback Brice Ramsey did not make the trip due to a hand injury, which resulted in walk-on Sam Vaughn serving as the third-string quarterback. Georgia had its 10-game win streak over Ole Miss come to an end but still leads the series by a commanding 32-13-1. Freshman defensive end David Marshall made his first career start. The Bulldogs have trailed in all four games this season and have trailed by double digits in three.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.