In a recently released made-for-Georgia fans hype video, Bulldogs tailback Nick Chubb confidently proclaimed, “The machine is rebuilt”.
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No surprise here, but the star of the night was Nick Chubb. It was the combination of watching one of the greatest running backs I had ever watched in conjunction with one of the finest human beings I have ever met have his career cut short by a gruesome knee injury.
Sep 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Nick Chubb (27) runs for a touchdown against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the fourth quarter of the 2016 Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game at Georgia Dome.
The Tar Heels have allowed more than 5 yards per carry in each of the past two seasons and were torched for a total of 1,272 yards (6.6 ypc) rushing in their final three games last season, against North Carolina State, Clemson and Baylor. North Carolina’s run defense. Chubb was a Heisman-touted player who had tied Herschel Walker’s school record with 13 straight 100-yard games before he went down.
What we can measure now: North Carolina didn’t measure up well enough against an SEC East team. Smart named fifth-year senior quarterback Greysom Lambert the team’s starter this past Thursday, but highly coveted freshman quarterback Jacob Eason could also see some time against the Tar Heels. With the uncertainty surrounding Georgia’s quarterback situation and a lack of proven playmakers on the outside, can North Carolina crowd the box to stop Chubb and force Lambert or Eason to win this game through the air? Running back Elijah Hood, an All-ACC pick last season with 1,463 yards and 17 touchdowns, looks forward to matching up with Chubb.
The bright lights spooked you a bit, but you’ve got the “it factor” and we’re excited about that. However, Fedora’s team faces a tougher schedule than it did a year ago and features question marks on defense in the front seven.
“I do think this: Both kids competed hard in the game”, Smart said. “That’s nobody’s fault but mine”.
The storylines do not lack for No. 16-ranked Georgia entering Saturday’s season opener against No. 20 North Carolina in Atlanta, but the biggest is on the sidelines as former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart returns home to coach his alma mater. He was hired after the Bulldogs dumped Mark Richt, who wound up at Miami after 15 years as Georgia’s coach.
“It felt fantastic”, Chubb said. “A comedy of errors”. I was flipping on the headphones trying to figure out who I’m talking to, because I didn’t have to do that before. That was different for me.
“I’m feeling good. We had a chance to come out here and play as a team”.
Eason looks poised to take over the Georgia quarterback job, but Smart isn’t ready to make the call just yet. Eason finished 8 of 12 for 131 yards and a touchdown. How many times has this aspect screwed the Dawgs over in the past several years? It was really the Georgia offense that was bad last season and Smart is a defensive coach so while expectations are high, they might be ahead of themselves. THE TAKEAWAY North Carolina: The Tar Heels were eager for a signature win over a major-conference foe, but too many silly mistakes – and that one disputed flag – worked against them. Now the college football odds for the game have the Bulldogs favored to pick up the win. Yes, this is a new season and the Tar Heels have some new players, but it was a good start.
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Little did Ham know in that moment then that he’d wind up being Georgia’s starting place-kicker by the time his comeback to the football team was complete. UP NEXT North Carolina: The Tar Heels hit the road again next Saturday to face Big Ten school IL. It will be their first visit to Champaign since 1971.
