If the Georgia Bulldogs offense misses Todd Gurley, it's not showing up on Saturdays very much.
Freshman running back Nick Chubb rushed for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns to lead Georgia to a 45-32 win at Arkansas that was more of a rout than the score indicated. Chubb broke his longest run of the day, a 43-yard touchdown, through the heart of the Arkansas defense before veering left to outrun the Razorbacks secondary.
Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has been fearless about putting the Bulldogs offense in Chubb's hands the last two weeks, rather than letting first-year starting quarterback, Hutson Mason, take on a larger role in the passing game. The result has been a whopping 68 carries for Chubb in just two games since Gurley was indefinitely suspended for allegedly profiting from autographed memorabilia. And for Mason (10-of-17, 179 yards, two TDs), another steady performance without the pressure of moving the chains too many times himself.
For the second consecutive week without its superstar junior rusher, Georgia handily won an SEC road game to stay in command of the SEC East. While the Georgia backfield awaits the return of Gurley from suspension, it also awaits the return of running backs Keith Marshall and Sony Michel from injury. Marshall is expected to return to the lineup before Michel, whom coach Mark Richt said could see action when UGA plays rival Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., on Nov. 1.
Until then, the Georgia rushing attack figures to be Chubb's show.
Key performances from some of Georgia's other top prospects:
» Georgia WR Chris Conley, who is regarded as a mid-round draft prospect, caught five passes for 128 yards and a 36-yard score.
» Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd made 10 tackles and recorded his fifth sack of the season for a loss of 13 yards.
» Bulldogs linebacker Ramik Wilson made a game-high 14 stops with two quarterback hurries.
» UGA cornerback Damian Swann played his best games of the season with 11 tackles, two forced fumbles, an interception, a sack, and a pass breakup.
» Arkansas defensive end Trey Flowers was relatively quiet with three tackles, an assisted TFL and two quarterback hurries.
» Arkansas running back Jonathan Williams ran for 108 yards on 18 carries.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
