Nick Chubb vs. Derrick Henry: The SEC's 1st Big Running Back Showdown

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — It has that feel of a showdown, worthy of an old-style poster promotion.

When Alabama visits Georgia on Saturday afternoon, the year of the running back in the Southeastern Conference will see its first marquee matchup. Although it’ll really be the offenses squaring off against two physically imposing defenses, Derrick Henry vs. Nick Chubb is what all the talk will be about.

This is like college football’s version of the golden era of heavyweight boxing, when names likes Ali, Frazier, Norton, Spinks, Holmes and Foreman were not just dominating, but competing for headlines in the 1970s. The showmanship won’t reoccur with this group, but their running styles are sort of like those contrasting personalities.

“I don’t try to compare myself to another running back,” Henry said when asked about Chubb. “He’s a great running back, does a great job for the team and has had a heck of a season.”

Chubb has topped the 100-yard mark in 12 straight games, one shy of Herschel Walker’s school record of 13 (including the 1981 Sugar Bowl). Perhaps the only thing that’s surprising during that streak is that Georgia lost two of those games (to Florida and Georgia Tech) last season.

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

He also has a lot of help in his corner. Sophomore Sony Michel, who has scored a touchdown in each game this season and made eight receptions, and junior Keith Marshall provide depth. The veteran line is more than stout, with seniors John Theus and Kolton Houston at the tackle spots, and the group arguably gets better the closer you get to center.

“They have a very good offensive line, they have three backs, those two guys have been the most productive, as good as backs as any duo in the country, there’s no question in my mind about that,” Nick Saban said.

While LSU’s Leonard Fournette has established himself as an early favorite for the Heisman Trophy and averaged 201.3 yards in three games, Chubb is close to his 8.6 yards-per-carry average at 8.4. He’s tallying 149.8 rushing yards per game and has six rushing touchdowns.

Only Henry has matched Fournette’s eight rushing touchdowns. Due to Alabama falling behind to Ole Miss and being limited against Louisiana-Monroe following tonsillitis, he’s had the fewest carries among the SEC rushing leaders with 67, which sort of goes against his M.O.

“He usually plays better as the game goes on in terms of workhorse-type guy,” Saban said.

Over his last six games, including the end of the 2014 campaign, Henry’s amassed 658 rushing yards and 105 receiving with 11 touchdowns, but he hasn’t really had that grind-it-out game so far this season. The closest he’s come was against the opponent that was most similar to Georgia, Wisconsin in the season opener, when he had 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 13 carries.

Category	Derrick Henry	Nick Chubb
Height	6'3"	5'10
Weight	242	220
2015 Rushing	67-422	71-599
205 Receiving	7-51	3-37
TDs	8	7
Career rushing	274-1,794	290-2,146
Career receiving	13-245	21-250
Total TDs	25	23

The buildup for that game centered on the running backs as well. Corey Clement had a career 7.0 average per carry, and Wisconsin’s top running back had topped 1,600 rushing yards in each of the past four seasons.

Limited by a groin injury, he managed just 16 rushing yards on eight carries.

“When the lights come on, he’s going to go out there and be productive for us,” junior tight end O.J. Howard said about Henry’s growing reputation for playing well in big games. “He’s one of those guys. You can’t really say enough about him when the lights come on.”

Overall, Alabama outgained the Badgers on the ground 238-40.

Perhaps still a little sore from giving up 230 rushing yards to Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott in the Sugar Bowl, Alabama’s run defense has been outstanding so far. It leads the SEC and is fourth in the nation, having yielded just 56.8 yards per game.

“The whole goal in running the football, up front anyway, is to get movement,” Georgia head coach Mark Richt said about Alabama’s run defense. “Get those guys moved back, sideways, or something to get them off their spot, get them out of their gap. These guys are very big and strong, physical and good fundamentally. It’s hard to move them. It’s hard to get them where you create a little space for the backs. That’s what everyone’s having trouble with.

“It’s super impressive”

Since Saban arrived in 2007, only 10 running backs have had 100-yard games against the Crimson Tide, although one of them was Georgia’s Todd Gurley in the 2012 SEC Championship Game.

This front seven has the potential to be better than that group, though.

“I think we've got two great linebackers in Reggie (Ragland) and Reuben (Foster),” said cornerback Cyrus Jones when asked Chubb vs. Henry hype. “Our front seven, it goes without saying how good they are. I think we just have to be ready to go out there and play.

“We can't make this more than what it is. It's a football game, and we have to be ready to execute.”

Regardless, while it may be an oversimplification to say that the running back who posts the best numbers will likely be on the winning side, that doesn’t mean that isn’t true as well.

The bell rings at 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS).

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.