ATHENS, Ga. – The way Nick Chubb sees it, he’s the normal one.
Georgia’s super sophomore tailback arguably was the surprise player of the Southeastern Conference last season. Expected to wait his turn behind Todd Gurley on the depth chart, Chubb took over when Gurley incurred a four-game NCAA suspension and wound up rushing for 1,547 yards, including an eye-popping 1,323 in the final eight games.
Chubb closed his freshman season by shredding Louisville for 266 yards in the Belk Bowl, and he has spent the ensuing months working out on campus or back at his alma mater, Cedartown High School. So much for spring break at the beach and other typical ventures college students enjoy.
“I don’t get tempted to do anything except what I’ve been doing my whole life,” Chubb said.
However, life admittedly is different for the 5-foot-10, 220-pounder. Chubb is appearing on Heisman Trophy watch lists, and naturally he is going to draw smiles wherever he goes in and around Athens after his amazing debut season.
There are good and bad days handling newfound attention, Chubb admitted, who has yet to experience a bad day playing for the Bulldogs.
“That’s definitely a part of it,” Chubb said. “You come here to be a football player, but things come with it. People who see me want to greet me, and I enjoy it, but sometimes I have to fall back in the shadows. I don’t want to deal with it sometimes.”
Chubb was enjoying relative peace and quiet through the first five games last season when he rushed 31 times for 224 yards and two touchdowns. His first score, a 47-yard run against Clemson in which he lost a shoe not far past the line of scrimmage, made for a unique highlight. But it was Gurley and his 8.82 yards per carry that were stealing the show.
That changed abruptly in mid-October when Georgia ruled Gurley was indefinitely suspended and inserted Chubb as the starter for a key SEC East game at Missouri. Chubb received 38 carries against the Tigers, seven more than he had all season, and ran for 143 yards and a touchdown as the Bulldogs rolled 34-0.
Chubb also got 30 carries in his second start, when he rushed for 202 yards and two scores in a 45-32 win at Arkansas, and he had 33 carries in the bowl game.
“I knew the kid was pretty good, but I didn’t realize the kind of stamina he had,” Bulldogs coach Mark Richt said. “I thought he would be mentally and physically tough because of the program he came out of. But to carry the ball as many times as he did more by need than by design, he was able to handle it. He was able to stay pretty healthy throughout.”
Chubb thinks he can go through another such year in terms of the volume of carries, but he’s hoping that’s not the case.
“If all goes well, we’ll have more backs carrying the load and a great passing game,” he said. “I don’t know how many carries I’ll get, but whatever I get, it will be the best for the team. The coaches will be in charge of that.”
When asked to name his favorite play from last season, Chubb said the 3-yard touchdown pass from Hutson Mason to Malcolm Mitchell with 18 seconds remaining against Georgia Tech. That appeared to be the game-winning score, but the Yellow Jackets tied the game on a 53-yard Harrison Butler field goal as regulation expired and prevailed 30-24 in overtime.
Chubb selected his 43-yard score against the Razorbacks when asked for his personal favorite, and all signs are pointing toward many more memories this season on the field.
Also perhaps, more quiet time away from it.
“I don’t know if he can run the ball a whole lot better than he’s been running it,” Richt said, “but the things we’ve been trying to focus on for him is the route running, ball protection, pass protection that can make a back even more complete. If he can become really good at that as well, he’ll be a better back for it.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.