Todd Gurley's Absence Continues to Be Non-Factor Due to Emergence of Nick Chubb

Except for a slight height differential, it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between Toddy Gurley and Nick Chubb as the Georgia Bulldogs continue to steamroll opponents on the ground.

Gurley, the Heisman favorite before his suspension, continues to sit on the shelf as the NCAA investigates its latest autograph scandal.

In his two-game absence, freshman Nick Chubb has stepped up as a workhorse who not only has the Bulldogs over the loss of Gurley, but of other injured players such as Keith Marshall and Sony Michel. No. 27 has only upped his level of play with more usage as the feature back too:

OPP	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD
@Missouri	38	143	3.8	1
@Arkansas	33	212	6.4	2

For a back who was lost in the shuffle and had taken a season-high 11 carries entering the contest against Missouri, it is hard to imagine that Chubb was not getting more work, not to mention the fact that this time last year he was bruising his way around the high-school level.

Forgetting 773 yards and eight scores on an 8.2 yards-per-carry average is quite difficult to do, but Chubb has made the task much simpler than most programs in the nation could ever hope for, even if most did not buy into it at first.

Those numbers Chubb posted in his first game as the starter were gaudy, but the per-carry digits were a tad questionable, and really, Missouri is not the most credible team this season on either side of the football.

So in a showdown with an Arkansas defense that had quietly flustered then-ranked No. 6 Texas A&M and then-ranked No. 7 Alabama, two losses by a combined eight points in which no opposing back gained more than 55 yards, Chubb ran wild and proved he was much more than a flash in the pan.

NFL.com's Bryan Fischer put it best:

Nobody is suggesting Gurley could not do the same thing, but it sure is nice to have a pair of dominant backs. Benjamin Allbright of 94.1 FM Denver captures the budding national feeling quite well:

Most important of all, though, is the fact Chubb's teammates have rallied around him in a time of adversity.

“He just fights for those extra yards,” said lineman Greg Pyke, per Fletcher Page of the Athens Banner-Herald. “It does fire us offensive linemen up when it takes four and five guys to tackle somebody. Knowing that a guy is willing to fight for those extra yards fires us up because it all adds up.”

In more ways than one, the Bulldogs have not skipped a beat despite the loss of a Heisman contender. This certainly bodes well for a team that continues to claw its way back up the top 10 and ever-so-slightly continues to improve its chances at being in the College Football Playoff discussion. 

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Florida is the opposition up next after a bye week, which will prove another tough test thanks to Will Muschamp's stingy defense. Kentucky follows that as owners of the 16th-best defense in the land. Arguably the biggest game of the season for the Bulldogs happens right after that thanks to a dance with No. 6 Auburn, owners of the No. 14 defense.

Now, Gurley may return at any given point the rest of the way. How the backfield shakes up is quite easy to see—one of the best players in the nation returns on fresh legs and leads the team in rushing.

Even if that is the case, Chubb did his job with efficient brutality by holding down the spot. Should Gurley remain shelved, the freshman has more than proven himself capable.

Chubb is in it for the long haul with the program, but right now his ability to step into the cleats of a Heisman contender and run away has the Bulldogs focused on an SEC East title.

Note: Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.